Author Notes
Black tea and whole spices are combined with a bit of maple syrup to create a chai concentrate that is ready to be mixed with water or milk. This recipe is slightly adapted from one by Laura of the blog The First Mess. —Courtney
Ingredients
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4 cups
filtered water
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3" pieces
peeled fresh ginger, roughly chopped
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2-3
whole cinnamon sticks
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2
whole star anise
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1/4 teaspoon
whole cloves
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1/4 teaspoon
whole pink peppercorns
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1/4 teaspoon
freshly grated nutmeg
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8
cardamom pods, crushed
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1
vanilla bean, split & contents scraped
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heaped 1/4 cups
assam tea (or other black tea of your choice)
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1/3 cup
grade B maple syrup
Directions
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Put the water in a pot over high heat and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, remove it from the heat and add all of the remaining ingredients except for the maple syrup. Cover the pot with a lid or a plate and let it steep for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how strong you want the mixture.
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Once the concentrate has steeped, strain out the tea and spices into a clean pitcher or mason jar, then stir in the maple syrup. Allow to cool before putting in the fridge. Makes about 4 cups or enough for 8 drinks. Shake well before using.
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You can use the concentrate in a 1:1 ratio with milk or water in both hot and cold applications. My favorite way to drink it is to combine equal parts concentrate and coconut milk, then warm them gently on the stove.
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