Chai Tea

Chai Tea Ingredients (per cup)

• 1-2 sachets of instant English Breakfast black tea
• 2-3 whole cloves
• 3 green cardamom pods
• 2-4 whole black peppercorns (you can also use white peppercorns)
• ½-1  cinnamon stick
• ½  star anise
• 1.5 cups of water
• 2 small slices of fresh ginger 
• A sprinkle of nutmeg
• Sweetener of choice (like maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, or stevia)

Don’t feel locked into this list. You can eliminate spices you’re not crazy about or use the higher end of these ratios if you prefer a spicier beverage. Just experiment to find your perfect blend!

Chai Tea Cooking Instructions

1. First, lightly toast your whole cloves, green cardamom pods, and whole black peppercorns in a skillet over medium heat for roughly 3-4 minutes to release their fragrance. Don’t cook them so long that they burn or get bitter.
2. As that cooks, simmer 1.5 cups of hot water in a medium saucepan, along with your cinnamon stick, star anise, and nutmeg, for 15 minutes.
3. Add in your toasted cloves, cardamom, and black peppercorns from step one towards the end of your simmer time.
4. Stir in your black tea crystals (you can also use 2-3 black tea bags or loose leaf black tea leaves if you don’t have tea crystals). Add your sweetener of choice last.
5. Stir everything to combine well. Turn off the heat and let this sit off the burner for 5 minutes. Strain everything out so you’re left with a fragrant chai tea.
6. Enjoy as-is, or add milk or your creamer of choice to turn this into a comforting chai latte. You can also ice it down for a cup of delicious iced chai Tea.