Red Chai Recipe

Just last week I submitted this recipe to About.com, and wanted to share it here with all our Tea Spot customers as well :)

Red Chai is a recipe which we at The Tea Spot hold dear. Our inspiration for this delectable Chai concoction comes from the roots of our company. Originally, The Tea Spot stood as a tea bar in downtown Boulder, Colorado, exposing us to a variety of customers. Along with their business, came a myriad of cultures, experiences, and passions. In our search for the perfect Chai recipe, we solicited recipes and methods from as many Indian cooking experts as we could find. Through patrons, personal, and business connections, we received great feedback and a host of Masala Chai recipes. During our testing and tasting process, we honed in on this particular method of Masala Chai preparation. Though the traditional Assam tea-based version was vastly popular, we adapted our process to green and herbal teas as well. The resulting caffeine-free organic Rooibos version became a signature cafe drink with the regulars. My personal favorite twist on this recipe is to make it with soy or almond milk.  Steep it up and drink to your health!

Masala Chai Spices at Indian market

Red Chai

Ingredients:

Spice mix: 8 g cloves (1.5 tsp); 8 g fresh cardamom (2 tsp, or 1 tsp if using ground cardamom); 18 g fresh ginger, chopped (1 heaping TBS); 1/2 bay leaf; 1 tsp fennel; 1 tsp peppercorns 1 stick cinnamon.

50 g (1/2 cup) Red Rooibos tea leaves

1/4 cup (4 oz) honey

2 cups milk (you may also use soy or almond milk)

Method:

1. Steep spice mix in 8 oz boiling water. Marinate overnight in fridge. Strain out spices from marinade.

2. Steep tea leaves in 2 cups boiling water for 6 minutes. Strain out Rooibos.

3. Add honey and strained spice mix marinade to Rooibos tea.

4. Heat milk to just below boil.  Combine with Rooibos tea and spice marinade, and serve immediately.

* Original Masala Chai recipe from the downtown Boulder Tea Spot cafe.