Chai Tea at home

At $4 per cup, chai tea is expensive. Which is a real shame, because it's delicious, and I'm poor. My first attempt to make it at home didn't go so well. It tasted gross, and I burnt the webbing between my fingers. (Turns out you're really sensitive there.) After healing and recovering from the emotional damage of failure, I tried again.


If you're the type of person to order a "tall" drink, this will make enough for you and a friend. If you're the type of person -- like myself -- who orders a "venti" because you never learned about this thing called "self control," you'll have enough just for yourself.


What you will need!
 
A small pot
measuring cup & spoons
1.5c water
1.5c milk
3T white sugar (or 2T white + 1T brown)
1/4t cinnamon
1/4t cloves
1/4t cardamom
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of pepper (black or white)
1T black tea leaves (~2 bags)
Other declicious options: orange zest or vanilla! 


Step 1
 
Heat the milk and water in a sauce pan, but don't boil it! Scalding will make the milk bitter. Ew.
In the bowl, I have my spices all measured out for the next step... 


Step 2
 
Add sugar and spice and everything nice! All of them. Everything. All at once.
I want to say something corny here like, "Don't be shy when you're making chai!!"
But I won't.


Step 3
 
Boil away!! But only for a second. And stir it a lot, so the spices don't burn on the bottom of the pot. And I have my tea leaves all ready to go...


Step 4
 
Cut open your tea bags so that it's loose-leaf. Reduce heat, and add them in. This is why it's called chai tea. How 'bout that.
Make sure to not boil it after this point, because doing so releases all the tannins in the tea, making it super bitter. What's that? Oh, nothing, just science.
Let it simmer for a few minutes and then...


Step 5
 
Strain! (The tea, not yourself.)
I like to use a French press for this step because it's easy, which works well for someone who is most of the time very, very lazy. Barring that equipment, a cheesecloth or a fine strainer would work as well. (Using strainers for straining things? Not me!)


Step 6
 
Wash your favorite mugs! At this point, you can either just drink it (no one will judge you) or you can go an extra mile and add other delicious things like a touch of cocoa powder, or honey or, heck, just more sugar. Sugar, YAY!

If you don't feel like sharing with a friend, and neither do I, you can either drink all of it yourself, or refrigerate it to make iced chai later.