Christmas Chai

I don't know about you, but I loooooooove chai. If you wanted to make me a really excellent homemade Christmas present, you could make me a batch of it. I can even show you how ... and give you a recipe.

Go on ... you know I deserve it ...



There's something so warming about chai ... even here (in summertime Australia) I love a cup when I'm getting ready for bed. And what makes a good chai? A bit of spice ... a bit of sweet ... a bit of milk. Something involving green or black tea and cloves, cardamon pods, cinnamon, ginger, lemongrass, fennel seeds, star anise, orange peel, black peppercorns - in whatever combination you like the best. Raw honey and creamy milk. Warmth.


But I'll give you my current favourite recipe, just in case you're not up for tinkering!

***********
Christmas Chai
Makes enough for 24+ cups 

The time
5 min for tea + 2-10 min for bags

The ingredients
12 tsp black loose-leaf tea
1 tsp cinnamon
12 cardamon pods, lightly smashed
1 tsp fennel seeds
4 star anise seeds
12 cloves

The packaging
2 sheets of baking paper
sewing machine or needle and thread
hole puncher
cute label

The process
1. Mix all the chai ingredients together in a bowl.

2. Cut out a 3x10" (7.5 x 25cm) piece of baking paper and fold it in half so it makes a 3x5" pocket. Sew 1/2" from each edge, leaving the top open. Fill with half your tea mixture. To secure the top, fold it over a few times and punch a hole through. Thread a cute tag through the hole to keep your bag closed!



3. To brew, use 1 tsp of tea mix per large cup or 2 tsp per medium pot. Brew with almost-boiling water for 3-5 minutes then serve with a tsp of raw honey and a dash of milk, to taste.

*Remember, these are storage bags, not tea bags. If you want to make your own tea bags, there's a recipe here.

The cost
I used all organic ingredients for mine, and it came to $0.10 per cup. And it's a lovely present ... the perfect size for Christmas stockings ... (hint, hint?)

And if you'd like to check out another chai recipe ... look here.

***********
Dish of the Day

I just found these two retro mugs at the thrift store today ($0.25 each)! Just right for chai, don't you think? And maybe that re-match in Scrabble ...


Be cozy,
Amanda xx

Comments

  1. Hi Amanda,

    Rachel from the BYW meetup. I've been reading everybody's blog but often not able to comment because there are so many interesting posts. However, I have to comment on this one. Your teabags are so pretty! It's what the Japanese would call zakka. Maybe you should also sell them at your store? ;)

    Your photo of the ingredients is making me salivate. Now I'll have to brave the Christmas crowd to get them and make some chai too.

    Thanks for sharing. Love your recipes and I really need to make some furniture polish. We've been eating off some store-bought spray-on furniture polish. Eewww... I know. You're a life saver. Oops, this has turned into a monster-sized comment. Before I go, Merry Christmas to you and your family. Only 3 more sleeps to go :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rachel, thanks so much for the comment! Hope you have a lovely lovely Christmas, too :) xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hummm delish!
    Here in Brazil is summer time. Our Christmas does not have this cozy feeling of having a cup of hot tea ... But, I'am saving this recipe for later. Maybe tonight hehehhe even with all this hot weather outside.... I dont know if I can wait hehehe
    Thanks for sharing!
    Beijos!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Cacau - same here in Australia! But I still can't resist curling up in bed with a chai ... in front of the fan on full blast, of course :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. i am a chai freak i keep a pound in my cupboard and drink 3-5 cups a day

    ReplyDelete
  6. love this! quick question though, if i am putting this in homemade tea bags, how much do you recommend goes in each bag? 1 tsp?

    ReplyDelete
  7. And how many bags do you think this would make?

    ReplyDelete
  8. HI Leah,
    In general, I'd do 1 tsp per cup or 2-3 per pot - so if you're making your own teabags, fill them in 1 tsp quantities. The recipe above would make 24 or more tea bags in that size.

    I use unbleached coffee filters here (http://www.easypeasyorganic.com/2010/05/special-homemade-tea-bags.html) or you could try a sheer, organic fabric. Or just put the tea into a nice jar with a pretty label and gift a tea-ball with it :)
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. It was a lot of fun to make and I had a great time, but when I made a cup I didnt really taste chai tea, just the black tea with a hint of spice. Perhaps I need to add more tea next time or let it sit longer? Or is this just a light flavored tea?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi A! The depth of flavour will depend on many things - the tea itself, the age and intensity of the spices used, the length of time they all sit together mingling. Experiment! You can always add more spices to make it spicier, or a little more of the mix to your cuppa :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for commenting! Amandaxx