Chai Concentrate

Chai is the closest thing to a perfect drink I can think of. I drink it when I need an energy boost, or have a cup when I need to wind down and relax.  I drink it to warm up, or when I need something refreshing.  It’s no surprise the popularity of chai has skyrocketed in the past decade.  Unfortunately, most commercially available chai mixes are kind of bland, so my wife and I took it upon ourselves to brew our own concentrate. Here, we’ll show you a recipe for a nice, spicy chai in which the essence of ginger is accompanied nicely by the bold aroma of cardamon.

The inspiration to make our own chai concentrate came from a local colorado company, Bhakti, that devotes itself to making the best chai I have ever tasted – hands down.  Unlike Oregon or Tazo brands that are syrupy and heavily sweetened, Bhakti is aggressively spiced and packs a tremendous ginger kick that you feel in the back of your throat.  This chai is definitely turned all the way up to eleven.

There are a couple of recipes that I found searching the interwebz that are mainly variations of thecatnipcat’s cat recipe on the tasty kitchen blog.  These recipes provided a good base and were definitely a good way to take the training wheels of my chai brewing experience, but still, I felt like something was still missing – that bite.  To remedy that, I increased the amount of black pepper and ginger.

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 4-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 1/4 cup whole cardamom pods
• 2 whole star anise pods
• 10 whole cloves
• 2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 10 teaspoons of black tea, I like English Breakfast
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon honey

While these are the essential ingredients, you can really vary the amounts of any of the spices and sweeteners to suit your tastes.  Black pepper and ginger will give you the overt warming sensation you feel on your tongue and throat.  You can add vanilla for a smoother feel, and even orange or lemon zest if you swing that way.  Play around until you find something you like.

Preparation:

To begin, I like to crush the pepper and cardamon, and grate the ginger in order to release more flavor.

The brewing process is very simple.  Place everything except the tea, sugar and honey into a pot and boil for 10 minutes.  After this time, remove from heat and add the tea.  You can use individual tea bags (about 10), but I prefer to buy my tea loose.  I then place it into one of the nylon mesh bags I use for steeping hops when brewing beer  Allow your mixture to steep for 10 more minutes.

Strain the mixture into another pot or storage vessel, add the sugar and honey, and stir until they are dissolved. You’re all set!  To enjoy, pour yourself equal parts concentrate and milk.  This drink can be served hot or cold.