I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We flew to the States as my sister was getting married. It was a weekend filled with family time and celebrations. The time flew by so fast. Before we knew it, we were on a plane back to Vancouver.
Just before we had left for our trip, my best friend dropped off some homemade chai concentrate. If you know me, I’m not a coffee drinker; my drink of choice is a chai tea latte. We started by chai tea concentrate but now that I have a recipe, I’ll definitely be making it at home. Nothing says fall to me like a warm cup of chai. We were in Costco today and sampled some eggnog. I know this is pushing things, but I look forward to eggnog chai lattes around Christmas but for now, I’ll enjoy a cup of homemade chai to keep myself warm during this chilly Fall evenings.
Chai Tea Concentrate
Ingredients
- 10 cups filtered water
- 18 bags black tea
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 4 star anise
- 3 teaspoons whole cloves
- 2 vanilla beans, split
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
- 1½ teaspoons whole cardamom pods, smashed with the butt of a knife
- 1½ teaspoon peppercorns
- 1½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- zest from 1 orange
- 1 cup honey
- ¼ teaspoon lime juice
Directions
- Bring the water and tea bags to a boil in a large pot. Reduce heat to a simmer and add everything except the lime juice and honey.
- Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Remove the tea bags and continue simmering with the spices for an additional 20 minutes.
- Strain the tea into a large bowl and discard the spices.
- Stir in the honey and lime juice while the tea is still hot.
- Fill sterilized jars leaving a ¼ inch of head-space. Seal the jars and process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.
- Remove with tongs and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Lightly press the center of the lid with your finger. If it sealed properly, the lid will not flex up or down (or pop).
- This concentrate will last in the fridge for 2 weeks or at room temperature for 3 days.
To serve
- Mix 1 part concentrate with 2 parts milk (You can use half coconut and half almond) and heat or serve over ice.
Oh my gosh, I didn’t even think of adding eggnog to the chai!! ❤️ I’m so excited to try that idea!!!
Author
Right?! I bought some eggnog last week and had a cup of chai with eggnog once a day. 🙂