Almost Instant Chai

Chai Masala

• 1/4 cup ground black pepper (about 1/3 cup peppercorns)
  
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (about four 5-inch cinnamon sticks)
  
• 2 tablespoons ground cardamom (about 1/4 cup whole green cardamom pods)
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves (about 18 cloves)
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated nutmeg (about 1 whole nutmeg)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground dried orange peel, optional
  

1. Grind each spice individually in a spice or coffee grinder. Be sure to grind them as finely as possible to avoid chunks of whole spices in your tea.
2. Sift each spice with a fine-mesh sifter and return any large pieces of spices to the grinder to powder them further.
3. Combine the ground spices in a bowl and store in an airtight jar or container.

Chai

• 1/2 teaspoon chai masala, above
  
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 1/2 cup milk of choice (coconut milk is especially nice)
  
• 2 teaspoons black tea, such as Ceylon or Assam
  
• Sweetener to taste
  

1. Bring the water, milk, masala, and tea to a slow simmer. Cover and remove from the heat. Allow to steep for 5 minutes.
2. Strain carefully into a cup and sweeten to taste.