Chai is a soothing and restorative drink made with black tea, spices, milk and a sweetener. For me, it is the ideal midafternoon drink: the caffeine in the black tea gives me a boost and the honey and the milk coat my stomach. Many American versions of chai taste like dessert — creamy, sugary concoctions, better for nap time than for a pick-me-up.
The best chais split the difference between sweet and savory. There is black tea with its musky aroma and bitter tannins and savory spices like fennel, cardamom and black peppercorns, balanced with the sweetness of honey or sugar and sweet spices like cinnamon, fennel and ginger.
I like to make chai with a kind of Masala spice mix — the same spices work great in a spicy hot chocolate as well — and to use not the traditional milk, but half-and-half, which has a concentrated creaminess that allows you to use less of it to achieve the same effect as milk.
Because a large part of the flavor of chai is the spices, it’s important that you use fresh ones. Old spices with musty, off flavors will produce weird-tasting chai. I like to buy all my spices in small quantities from a store that sells spices in bulk. All the spices in this recipe (including cinnamon chips) can be bought at any Savory Spice location.
John Broening cooks at Duo and Olivea restaurants in Denver.
Chai Mixture
If you can’t find cinnamon chips, you can make your own by pulsing a few cinnamon sticks in a spice grinder. Do not substitute ground cinnamon. Makes enough for 16 one-cup portions.
Ingredients
- 1 cup loose black tea
- 1 tablespoon toasted fennel seed
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon chips
- 16 cloves
- 16 black peppercorns
- 16 cardamom pods
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions
Combine all ingredients. Keep in a container with tightly sealed lid.
A Cup of Chai
Makes 1 cup.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Chai Mixture
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon half and half
Directions
Bring water to a boil. Add chai mixture. Turn off the heat. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain the chai through a tea strainer into a clean pot. Over low heat, mix in honey and half and half. Serve immediately.
