Chai Tea!!

[Loves Vintage]

I love it! Do you love it too? How do you brew yours? What brand of tea do you like?

I personally love the Tazo Chai, regular, which I make just like a regular tea with hot water, then add milk and a little honey. I've started drinking these in the afternoons, in an attempt to reduce coffee intake. I drink A LOT of coffee. Of course, I hope there is less caffeine in this tea than coffee, but never actually checked, oops!

I recently tried the Tazo Chai decaf. Blech. It is not the same. The spice level is different, so not happy with that.

My hair salon makes me a chai tea at every appointment. I think they use Big Train Chai, if I remember the name correctly. It's one of the powder mixes, and it is sweet. BUT, nothing compares in sweetness to the vanilla chai at Dunkin Donuts. I have a MAJOR sweet tooth, and that stuff is just grossly sweet. My admin loves it, so occasionally I pick up one for her.

Curious what other Chai drinkers like! Maybe something more authentic than my Tazo?

 

[chrono]

I love it strong too but dislike the cloying sweetness when I buy it outside. I have to make my own where I add little to no sugar.

 

[vc10um]

I brew Organic Tazo Chai straight into a saucepan of Almond Milk warming on the stove, and add a touch of honey.

I allow myself one tall soy chai per year from Starbucks. It's fall in a cup, but the calorie count is ridiculous!

 

[Circe]

There's a place in NYC called the Blue Dog Cafe. They make something they call a Dirty Chai, which is basically delicious chai with a shot if espresso.

I would marry it.

 

[stargurl78]

I like the Tazo tea too and I drink it once in a while (but I normally prefer coffee too). I do love the chai tea lattes from Starbucks as well

 

[madelise]

Ahhhh.. chai. The ONLY thing about SO's culture that I love! They drink chai and milk in the morning with biscuits for breakfast.

 

[Snicklefritz]

I'm a big fan too! I'm a sucker for a good Chai tea latte. There's a place here in STL called the London Tearoom that makes an authentic one as opposed to the powdered mixes most tea/coffee places give you.

 

[minousbijoux]

Oh Circe, how you make me laugh!!!

I love chai, and keep thinking I should track down a real authentic recipe with a gazillion spices, warm milk and throw in some sugar. There is nothing like good chai, which I've only ever had from one or two places...I'd be afraid of getting packaged versions, but you all think they're good? Does anyone brew their own from scratch or is it just not worth it?

 

[lliang_chi]

I make it. Never been a fan of pre-mixed/purchased chai. My Indian roommates taught me how. Of course EVERYONE has their own special blend.

The requisites for me are:
Assam tea
Cardamon

When I feel like it, I'll add a few cloves, slice of ginger if I have it

In the summer I add mint.

Boil with the tea leaves. You're supposed to add milk and let it come up to a boil again, but I'm totally lazy and just add milk and turn it off the stove.

Super lazy-man's way: Skim milk in a pyrex measuring cup, add all the spices with the tea and bring it up to a boil.

 

[Cehrabehra]

I'm not a *huge huge fan... but I do like it... and I just wanted to add that the instant stuff with all the sugar in it is *amazing with the ginger and pumpkin marshmallows they had out this fall

 

[zoebartlett]

I want to love chai but I find it too sweet (and I have a sweet tooth!). I can't remember where I had it though so maybe I should try a few and see which ones I like.

 

[VapidLapid]

I love chai
brew my own and use a little of this honey

http://www.champlainvalleyhoney.com/our-honey

These poeples' bees make the best honey

 

[artdecogirl]

I really like Tea Sources chai, they have 2 and they are both good, I like strong spice and not sweet and they fit the bill. There Reenas chai is the best just as it is, there other one is just the chai spice that is meant to be mixed with there breakfast assam or some other black tea and I think they recomend mixing with sweetened condensed milk or something like that, I just use milk but like I said I do not like it too sweet.

 

[jeweln]

Every morning I heat a cup of skim milk in the microwave then put a tea bag of either Bigelow or Tazo Chai tea .

 

[JaneSmith]

Love it. Mmmmmmm chai.
Vij's in Vancouver makes the best I've had. So good.
But, I don't live there so it's starbucks for me. I buy the liquid concentrate at costco and make my own at home. A splash of concentrate and the rest milk. Nuke and enjoy.
If I order at starbucks, I get a vague moment of self-loathing when I say my order:
"Grande non-fat half sweet tazo chai latte no water please." Ugh. So starbucky.

 

[madelise]

I make it. Never been a fan of pre-mixed/purchased chai. My Indian roommates taught me how. Of course EVERYONE has their own special blend.

The requisites for me are:
Assam tea
Cardamon

Mmmm, I love cardamom