Bistro OneSix

homemade herbal chai

When the days are gray and cold nothing warms up both me and the house like a batch of caffeine free, homemade herbal chai. There’s something so comforting about having a pot simmering on the stove, infusing the air with the rich scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cardamon with a pinch of chili powder for a little extra zing.

And the only thing better than the smell is sipping it in front of the fireplace with my nose in a cooking magazine. I can’t help think that people that complain about winter aren’t drinking chai.


Homemade Herbal Chai
 
Ingredients
  • 6 cups water
  • ⅓ coconut sugar or other natural sweetener of your choice
  • 2-3″ fresh ginger, sliced
  • 5 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tsp peppercorns
  • 2 vanilla beans
  • 5 star anise
  • 15 cloves
  • 8 allspice
  • 2 Tbsp cardamom pods
  • ¼ tsp chili powder
  • 8 rooibos tea bags
  • Milk of your choice
Instructions
  1. In a medium pot, bring the water and sweetener to a boil and simmer until the sweetener is fully dissolved.
  2. Add all of the spices, and continue to simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
  3. Remove the mixture from the heat, add the tea bags, and let them steep for 15 minutes.
  4. Strain out the spices and tea bags and store your chai concentrate in the fridge.
  5. To serve mix one part chai concentrate with one part milk. Gently heat in a small saucepan until it reaches the desired temperature.
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