Masala Chai

Backlogging. Last Saturday morning.

We got some not entirely unexpected bad new last the night before. So I let myself sleep in some and have a mug of chai, which is a bit of a treat for me. Made stovetop method, it was spiced and yummy. Again, the cardamom was way overpowering. I didn’t check my previous tealog before making it or I’d have known to use less green pods.

1 cup water. 1 tbsp natural cane sugar. bring to boil. 1 rounded tbsp chai tea leaf. simmer 6 min 30 sec. 1 cup almond milk. bring to boil. turn off heat. let steep 10 min.

Tried this today the Samovar way, with a tablespoon of chai and a tablespoon of black tea (Teavana Assam Gold Rain). Otherwise the same: 1 tbsp sweetener, 1 cup water till it boils mostly away, 1 cup milk, steep ten minutes in the milk after bringing to a boil.

This seems to be one way to make chai more chewy. I am going to be using this method from now on. Not sure this black tea was the best choice — I haven’t tried it outside of the chai experiment. But it tames the pepper just the right amount to keep it spicy while also giving it more substance and texture.

yummm. there is not too much more I can say. For me, personally it is the best chai I have been able to make at home and is the perfect balance of tea, with mostly cinnamon and cardamom flavors with a bit of black pepper and clove. It is sweet and yummy and the cinnamon/cardamom flavors really stand out but I also really like them both. The black tea here is not very pronounced and blends in with the other spices. I highly recommend you try cooking this the traditional way on the stove but is also excellent just brewed plain with milk or soymilk added. My perfect winter tea. Try a bit of brandy too, that is heavenly on a cold winter night.

Some of the reviews here seem to be for the concentrated Rishi masala chai concentrate you make and add milk to, I would NOT recommend this, you need to get the real tea and make it yourself!

Mmm! I woke up with a horrible headache this morning so some strong black tea is in order. I brewed this up using the Samovar instructions and it is delicious!
2 cups of water and 1 TB dark brown sugar brought to a boil, added 1.5 TB chai and about 1 TB Rishi Golden Yunnan – boil for about 5-6 minutes. Then I added 2 cups of milk, removed the pan from heat, and covered it for about 10 minutes.
Not only does my house now smell delicious, I am drinking a thick, chewy, caramel-spicy mug of chai.

It’s cold and raw in New York, but the Yankees are kicking butt and I’ve got a cup of some award-winning Rishi Masala Chai.

Yeah, this is pretty much to tea what mashed potatoes or scrambled eggs are to food, pure comfort. The best traditional Masala chai out there. And not only great-tasting, but since I don’t own stock in Monsanto I appreciate that it’s organic and I’m not getting a side of pesticide residue with my beverage.

Some tea snobs turn their noses up at chai. (“It’s not really a fine tea, old boy.”) But when you’re craving something rich, a cup of Darjeeling ain’t going to scratch the itch — not even the FTGFOP variety.

While it’s great if you make it the way you’d make your regular tea (use a five-minute steep), it’s even better if you make it the traditional Indian way. Forget the teapot and just use a saucepan. Two teaspoons of chai, one-and-a-half cups of water, half-cup of milk (or, in my case, vanilla Rice Dream), bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for five minutes. Add sugar, honey or agave syrup. Strain and serve and watch Mariano Rivera shut down the Angels for game number one. Strange. It doesn’t feel that cold in here any more.

mid afternoon mini monsoon calls for a nice milky, warm blend of masala chai! sure summer isn’t the typical time people think of undertones of cinni, cloves, carda… but then again my tea cravings are far from typical. so hah.

lovely with a steep brew and whole milk. and of course brown sugar!

yes, summer rain is now movie worthy! :)

AWESOME! When I smelled this tea…..It is the best smelling Chai! Cardamon and clove are up front with the black pepper and ginger following in toe. A perfect mixture to stir the senses. It looks delicious too. The wet leaves smell phenomenal!! That’s all I can say….sensory overload…in a good way. :))

In the cup I get mainly cardamon and clove, but the black pepper is quite noticeable….the ginger less so. The base tea was noticeable, which I like, even in a Chai, with the other flavors not completely overwhelming the tea. Delicious! I love the way the flavors dance on my tongue, and let me know they’ve been there even after the tea is gone. Three solid cups, just at or below boiling-for 3.5, 3.5 and 5 minutes. My last cup had the most cinnamon aroma and flavor, as it migrated to the bottom of the sample bag.

Overall, this is my favorite Chai, with a good balance of tea, aroma, and taste. A little more black pepper in the cup, and I’d have given it a perfect score. Many thanks Amy! :))

Cupped:Tue/Wed, 12-06 & 07, 2011. Reviewed: Wednesday, December 7, 2011.

I made this chai with boiling water and intentionally oversteeped it a bit before adding some 2% milk and honey. I have to say, I was a little disappointed. I brewed quite a bit, hoping for a strong batch, and found the chai couldn’t hold up very well in the flavor department.

The second time around, I heated the milk and chai in a pan, rather than brewing it in a pot. This improved the flavor, but still, i don’t think it is worth the price

In the future, i will probably just blend my own from loose spices, rather than buying this Rishi blend.

OK, so I tried it again! This time I brought 12oz water + 4oz milk + 2 tbsp chai masala to a slow boil in small pot. I let it cool down slightly, filtered it, and chucked it into a blender! This basically frothed it up a little. I tossed in some liquid honey and added some Cinnamon on top of the froth. Voila! a fuller more zesty tasting chai masala (than my previous taste test).

It’s not something I would drink everyday, but I would definitely buy this again. The change from green, black, and white teas to this spicy kick-of-a-chai is rewarding. It would be a nice drink to make for a group of friends.

Oh I LIKE it!
Robust flavour which really gives me that chai masala feeling alot of other ‘chai teas’ miss! Lots of spices.
I’ve tried it on its own and also mixed it with other ’chai’s’ and it’s ALL good :D

50% fresh water 50% oatmilk, some tea, brew for bout 5min, add honey and BOOM! It’s good to go!

Best looseleaf chai masala I’ve tasted I reckon.

Iced chai latte today, and it’s actually pretty decent. Usually iced tea with milk somehow tends to go terribly wrong for me, but the frothed milk here worked out well. A nice late summer beverage

I make this during Christmas, or just when it’s too cold out!

This was my first experience in making Chai, and I wanted to try a pre-made Chai blend before eventually making my own from scratch.

I followed the instructions that came with it. Set it all up on the stove top back at home. Two very generously heaping tablespoons of the stuff. Added the water, added WHOLE MILK (organic :P) and brought to boil while stirring. I decided to add two table spoons of turbinado sugar for authenticity. Let it cook out for five minutes before straining.

This chai comes out very gingery. I somewhat want it to be more bold in the tea flavour. Which is something I will consider while I try to assemble my own chai recipe. It is still very enjoyable, and rich, but maybe it’s because of the whole milk. I tried adding another heaping tablespoon of the mix, but it’s still too gingery for me.

I love using different sweeteners. Darker honeys work well with this. Orange Blossom makes a super-yum cup. Sourwood creates a crazy rich OMFG cup! But heaping in two tablespoons of expensive honey leaves me in regrets.

I’ve only tried Zhi Tea’s Masala, and Coconut Chai, but I have to whip those back out again to make a comparison. Overall, a bit on the gingery side, but still enjoyable, satisfying my Masala Chai cravings.