Spicy Chai Tea

[healthymomma]

This is the BEST CHAI EVER!!! I will definitely make it again  An added bonus: it makes the house smell wonderful. Awesome

[JessaCita]

I'm not sure if anyone will be able to answer me before I break down & just guess so I can make it... But is it 1 Tbl. of powdered (dry) ginger or 1 Tbl. of fresh ginger? I know there is a huge difference in the power of fresh vs. dried spices, so I'd love to know before I make this! This looks deeeeelish!

[JessaCita]

Okay, I went ahead & made this recipe, anyway. I knew that I would... This is SPECTACULAR! I cannot say that enough. My entire family (even my mom who doesn't care for chai) thought it was amazing. The house smelt so good, too!

I ended up using 1 Tbl. of dried, ground ginger, and I think that is how it's supposed to be. Perfectly spicy! I also ended up using a little more sugar than called for (maybe 2 Tbl. more, for a total of 8 ), and this gave me about 6 servings, as it says. This is infinitely more delicious than store-bought chai mix... And obviously much cheapter & healthier, too!

I cannot thank you enough for sharing this recipe! I am seriously beside myself over how delicious it is!

[healthymomma]

It is for fresh, though we always use more now, really the equivalent to 1 Tbsp. dried. Either way... This IS the best chai! Oh yeah, my fiance added this, that is how I know what kind of ginger.

[Jade716]

I want to try this so bad, but I'm not allowed to have caffeine.  I am having a hard time finding decaffeinated black tea, they all have something else in them, like vanilla, or an earl grey one which will have a hint of bergamot, or something. I don't want anything except straight black tea i don't want any other flavors in it to throw off the taste. anyone have any suggestions? what kind of tea is everyone using?

[JessaCita]

I want to try this so bad, but I'm not allowed to have caffeine.  I am having a hard time finding decaffeinated black tea, they all have something else in them, like vanilla, or an earl grey one which will have a hint of bergamot, or something. I don't want anything except straight black tea i don't want any other flavors in it to throw off the taste. anyone have any suggestions? what kind of tea is everyone using?

Unfortunately, I don't really have any suggestions for a good kind of tea without caffeine, but I would think that the decaf black tea with vanilla would work really well in this recipe! I understand that if you want the "traditional" flavor of black tea, you might be opposed to using it, but I think it'd be delicious! I actually almost added vanilla extract to my tea when I made this yesterday, but decided to try the traditional recipe first & experiment later... I don't think the vanilla would take away from the authenticity of this at all!

[Kokua]

Try red rooibos tea as a caffeine-free alternative to black tea.  Of course it won't taste exactly like black tea, but it has its own nice, robust flavor that can hold up to the spices in this recipe, and it's full of anti-oxidants.  Google it or read the wikipedia article on it--it's really good, healthy stuff!

[Jeff0920]

I want to try this so bad, but I'm not allowed to have caffeine.  I am having a hard time finding decaffeinated black tea, they all have something else in them, like vanilla, or an earl grey one which will have a hint of bergamot, or something. I don't want anything except straight black tea i don't want any other flavors in it to throw off the taste. anyone have any suggestions? what kind of tea is everyone using?

I have found some good decaffeinated loose black teas at http://www.tealaden.com that are Co2 processed so they retain more flavor than water processed decaffeinated teas. I also enjoy the rooibos red teas that are caffeine free. This recipe looks good and I can't wait to try it.

[healthymomma]

Rooibos works well here in the same amount as the black tea.

[gronlandic edit]

This was a huge hit with my partner and roomies! An hour seems like a long time to wait for one single cup of tea (if you're sharing the batch), but its totally worth it in this case. Besides, tea tastes so much better when you put all of the labour into it!

I used FRESH ginger and CRUSHED fennel...but next time i am going to use whole fennel because i found that even after straining the tea i still ended up with a lot of sludge at the bottom of my cup. For those who decide to use the crushed stuff, i would recommend straining it with some cheesecloth or a coffee fi;ter to catch those tiny granules.

[hopfrog]

WOW!  It was very, very difficult to wait the entire hour while the spices simmered---I may just make this recipe to make the house smell good.  I left out the fennel because I hate fennel and sweetened with a little bit of agave nectar instead of sugar.  I will make this again, thanks!

[nutdragon]

Thank you for this.  I noticed that the thread showed up on the Q&A a day after I had the sweetest, syrup-iest chai at a local shop and vowed to try to make my own.  I didn't even have to look for a recipe 

In my version, after I steeped and strained, I added a can of coconut milk and a little agave syrup for the sweetener.  I've had about 5 cups already.  Wonderfully spicy!
mmmmm thank you, this is truly delightful!

[JessaCita]

In my version, after I steeped and strained, I added a can of coconut milk and a little agave syrup for the sweetener.

That sounds delicious! I bet the coconut goes really well with all the flavors! Also... Why have I not thought to use agave instead of plain sugar?! As my comments here reflect, this chai is totally awesome & tastes amazing as is, but I bet agave is the perfect substitute for the honey that is usually in chai! I am definitely trying the coconut milk & agave next time I make this--which will be soon!

[healthymomma]

Coconut milk sounds as though it will be delicious with it! I often use agave in this recipe too, or even stevia the odd time, just not too much. Oh chai, you're wonderful