My Secret Traditional Chai Recipe

Today i'm going to be tell you all about the most amazing chai in the WORLD.

I tried so many different cups of chai when i was living in India.  I can still remember those cold mornings walking down the street and buying a cup from a man who was hand grinding fresh spices with his mortar and pestle on the side of the road.  Spicy, Sweet, Fragrant, and soooo creamy.  I dream of those days in India, and desperately miss that chai.

But through a lot of trial and error, i've developed a recipe that tastes pretty dang close to that Indian chai... and dare i say better?

Honestly, this chai gets me out of bed in the morning, just the thought of drinking this spicy sweet concoction is enough to wake me up on those early work mornings.  

I never thought i would share this recipe with anyone but here you go,  you all deserve to taste this delicious drink.

Ingredients:

1 thumb sized chunk of FRESH ginger

20 cardamom pods

8-10 cinnamon sticks 

4 whole nutmeg 

3 TBSP whole cloves

1 TBPS black pepper

5 star Anise

1 vanilla bean (Optional )

1 cup of loose leaf black tea

Throw everything except the ginger and black tea into a completely dry high speed blender (if theres any water droplets in there, it will effect the way the spices grind)

place the lid tightly on the blender, and grind the spices for 30 seconds.  Add the ginger and blend a little more.  Sense we are using fresh ginger here, it will cause the mixture to become a little bit wet.  Don't worry!  

pour the spices into a jar and add the black tea.   screw on the lid and shake until everything is combined

This mixture will make 60 cups of chai.  

How to make the best chai latte (easy!)

Place one tablespoon of your chai spice blend into a tea strainer and add hot water.  Let steep for 2-3 minutes.  

Throw a handful of cashews (10-15) into a blender with 1-2 TBSP of Maple Syrup.  

Once your tea is done steeping, add it into your blender.  Blend on high for 30 seconds to a minute.  

Pour into a mug and enjoy!  

Note:  You dont need to strain the mixture because cashews are naturally very creamy and the hot chai will allow them to blend into a "milk" 

Ive also used dates instead of maple syrup and it tastes amazing!

My mom cannot eat cashews so i make hers with macadamia nuts and it works just as well.

I buy my spices from my local health food store, but you can also order them for reasonable prices from this website https://www.starwest-botanicals.com/

Vanilla bean is quite expensive, so if you decide not to use it, thats totally fine!  Simply add 1 tsp of vanilla extract to the blender when making the chai latte, it helps add a nice sweetness :)