As promised...Homemade Chai.

Step one. Clean out your french press. If you are like me and do the most minimal rinse ever after you make coffee, REALLY clean it out.

Step two. Cut open a tea bag. Or use a teaspoon-ish of loose tea. Black, please. Dump into your french press.

Step three. Measure out your spices. The exact amount used can vary depending how "spiced" you like your Chai. For me, who enjoys it about mid-range, I use: 

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ginger

1/4 tsp Cloves

1/4 tsp Allspice

1/4 tsp Cardamom

1/4 tsp Nutmeg* 

Add into the french press.

*(A note about Nutmeg. Freshly grated is best. I know that sounds annoyingly Martha-Stewart-esque. But I can't help it. It is true. And it could be worse. I could have suggested you hand grind the cloves...)

Step four. Pour in your boiling water. 8 oz. or more. Again depending on how strong you like it. 

Step five. Let it steep. The longer you leave it the more sinus-clearing the effect it will have. Blame the ginger. I call it good when it's dark but not black. 

Step six. Press. And pour into your mug. (If you want to go authentic, as both my Mom and my Uncle have done in Nepal and India, drink it out of a glass. My picture, as you can tell, honors both them and the tradition. The liquid is hot of course, so you must hold the glass by the rim only.)

Step seven. Add your Milk. For me this is Almond Milk. Unsweetened. With just a splash of pure Vanilla extract. For you it could be Cream, Creamer, plain Milk, or even Sweetened Condensed Milk. You could also add any additional sweeteners you feel like.

Step eight. You're done.

Chai simply means tea. 

So when ordering "a Chai tea" from the coffee counter you are in essence being redundant. (And when ordering a "Tai Chi" you are asking about something altogether different and giving your barista a good laugh. But mostly you are highlighting that what you probably really need is caffeinated coffee...) 

Chai has been enjoyed in Asia and India since the late 1800s and only recently become trendy and mainstream here in the West. In the countries where it originated they generally brew it by boiling the water, tea and the spices together. I did try this method. And it was good. But it got very thick. Sludgy thick. And was very hard to strain. (Coffee filters were too fine. My mesh strainer, not fine enough...) But again, if you are after the authentic method that's how it's done. Then thin it out with fresh Water Buffalo milk and there you go.

Be sure to let me know when you find a source for that Water Buffalo milk though...