Oh my god. I think I’m in LOVE.
I’ve been wanting to try chai, but I didn’t know how, and frankly, the process can seem somewhat intimidating. But takgoti and Auggy really broke it down for me, and I ended up using takgoti’s super-long chai special process (which I think is really close to Samovar’s, but what do I know?). Anyway, when I opened the packet of Kashmiri, my nose did a dance and then died from happiness. It’s so rich and spicy-smelling and warm and inviting. I can smell the cloves and cinnamon and cardamom. And it all smells like a heavenly mixture of wonderful.
I used the entire packet for this one, and followed takgoti’s brewing instructions, which I will type out for one serving right here:
1 cup of water, 1 cup of milk/milk equivalent (I used vanilla soy, as I’m lactose intolerant), 1 tbsp of sugar, 1 tbsp of chai (I used the entire GM packet).
Boil water and sugar together in a saucepan until sugar dissolves into water. Into a syrup.
Add the chai, then simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the milk, simmering and stirring.
When it comes to a boil (be careful that it doesn’t boil over!), turn the heat off and let it sit for a long time. Like 7-10 minutes long. I let it sit for around 8-9 or so.
Strain and serve.
OH MY GOD. The mixture smelled AMAZING cooking. Seriously. It was like this fragrant warm beverage. Everything you ever think of when you think the word “chai.” It’s got a light brown color, and it smells delicious. And the taste is nothing short of amazing. I can taste all the spices individually, but they meld together. And amazingly enough, I am tasting a tea flavor as well. I can’t pick out green and black and whatnot, but I don’t think that’s the point of chai. It’s supposed to just be a nice and spicy and warn and delicious milky beverage. And that’s what I have right here. This would probably taste better without the nuttiness of the soy, but it does add an interesting dimension. I would definitely want to try this with my Very Vanilla Silk, which tastes like a vanilla milkshake. Mmmm.
I did get more than 8 oz. of chai… it was more like 12. So I have about a half-cup that’s going into the fridge to chill. And I bet that’ll taste amazing when it comes out.
Seriously, I’m so happy that I bit the bullet and actually made this a more proper and authentic way instead of steeping it normally and then just dumping milk into it. It tastes much deeper and well-rounded as a result. Full of flavor and deliciousness. I’m having a tea-gasm here. Can I tell you how it compares to other chais? Absolutely not. I think this one overall isn’t very aggressive with its spices. It’s more mellow and comforting. The only thing I regret is that I don’t have more of this GM blend to use!
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Now you know why chai is, whenever possible, a part of my morning ritual. :) The only way in which my method differs from the above is that I don’t condense the sugar into simple syrup, though that sounds lovely, too…I just add it with the tea once the water is hot.
There are just so many mornings when I don’t want to be awake early, and the thought of my whole house smelling like simmering chai while the world is still and quiet is enough to get my feet on the floor.
Oh, wow, this does sound lovely. Thanks for sharing this method; I haven’t really been happy with any of the chais I’ve made so far, so perhaps this will do it. :-)
Mmmm, I might have to try this this weekend..
It doesn’t really become a syrup-like concoction… like, it’s still extremely watery. But the sugar needs to just completely dissolve. At least, that’s what I think takgoti meant. One mixture. Unless I’m completely wrong and needed to wait until it boiled down completely into a syrup. Which I’d imagine would taste lovely too. Hrm. She’ll be around to comment on this, probably! Either way, it was wonderific!
No problem sharing the method, denisend! :) You’ll have to thank takgoti for that. Definitely let it sit for as long as you can stand, though, because it grows in depth and flavor. It’s all a bit time-consuming, but I really think it was worth it. It tastes like a unified beverage, instead of tea-with-milk-and-sugar-added in.
Normally, I’m in a state of general upset-ness that I don’t have ready access to a kitchen/ stovetop, but this made it compete with the upset-ness of finals. Once I get home I’ll have to try this out!
i have to try this!!! i bet it will soothe my sore throat too :D im very excited about this!!
Great post! :) This is the only way I make ‘chai’. Sometimes adding other spices and mixing other teas is fun to try out as well. If you run out of that mix, you can buy your own spices and mix your own blend. Thanks for sharing this post!
I definitely like tossing chunks of crystalized ginger in, sometimes. And you get to gnosh it at the end. It’s like getting a prize at the bottom of another prize.
Hee! It tickles me so that this worked and you enjoyed it so much. My method is absolutely and completely ganked from Samovar, but I believe it’s also the traditional preparation method for making chai. As for the sugar, I just wait for it to dissolve, but I do believe that dissolved sugar in water is technically considered a simple syrup? Could be wrong on that, but yes, I add the sugar at the beginning instead of at the end.
Also, the crystalized ginger sounds awesome. Might need to try that sometime.
Now you know why chai is, whenever possible, a part of my morning ritual. :) The only way in which my method differs from the above is that I don’t condense the sugar into simple syrup, though that sounds lovely, too…I just add it with the tea once the water is hot.
There are just so many mornings when I don’t want to be awake early, and the thought of my whole house smelling like simmering chai while the world is still and quiet is enough to get my feet on the floor.
Oh, wow, this does sound lovely. Thanks for sharing this method; I haven’t really been happy with any of the chais I’ve made so far, so perhaps this will do it. :-)
Mmmm, I might have to try this this weekend..
It doesn’t really become a syrup-like concoction… like, it’s still extremely watery. But the sugar needs to just completely dissolve. At least, that’s what I think takgoti meant. One mixture. Unless I’m completely wrong and needed to wait until it boiled down completely into a syrup. Which I’d imagine would taste lovely too. Hrm. She’ll be around to comment on this, probably! Either way, it was wonderific!
No problem sharing the method, denisend! :) You’ll have to thank takgoti for that. Definitely let it sit for as long as you can stand, though, because it grows in depth and flavor. It’s all a bit time-consuming, but I really think it was worth it. It tastes like a unified beverage, instead of tea-with-milk-and-sugar-added in.
Normally, I’m in a state of general upset-ness that I don’t have ready access to a kitchen/ stovetop, but this made it compete with the upset-ness of finals. Once I get home I’ll have to try this out!
i have to try this!!! i bet it will soothe my sore throat too :D im very excited about this!!
Great post! :) This is the only way I make ‘chai’. Sometimes adding other spices and mixing other teas is fun to try out as well. If you run out of that mix, you can buy your own spices and mix your own blend. Thanks for sharing this post!
I definitely like tossing chunks of crystalized ginger in, sometimes. And you get to gnosh it at the end. It’s like getting a prize at the bottom of another prize.
Hee! It tickles me so that this worked and you enjoyed it so much. My method is absolutely and completely ganked from Samovar, but I believe it’s also the traditional preparation method for making chai. As for the sugar, I just wait for it to dissolve, but I do believe that dissolved sugar in water is technically considered a simple syrup? Could be wrong on that, but yes, I add the sugar at the beginning instead of at the end.
Also, the crystalized ginger sounds awesome. Might need to try that sometime.