Organic Chai Concentrate

Okay, so, I’m going to let you all in on a dirty little secret of mine: occasionally, I am a terrible, godawful tea nerd and don’t actually steep tea. Sometimes, as a matter of fact, I buy it in a damn carton. And this is the only exception I can allow myself.

Tazo’s chai concentrates, whichever one your heart desires, are generally very solid products. Much richer and spicier than the majority of chai concentrates, and, I find, much thicker. They really do taste like tea. Super duper easy for even the laziest of tea snobs, I prefer to have about 3/4 chai to 1/4 milk (usually 2%), over ice. It is equally fantastic to your taste buds heated up, and I find that when I do boil it, it tends to become much spicier (which I like, because my nose can use all the spice it can get). Do not add milk while heating it, however. (D’oh!)

One last secret: if you are feeling crazy, as I often am, it is also mind-bogglingly delicious to mix this with chocolate milk. It’s definitely not a dirty chai, but it will make you feel dirty all over. With pleasure.

I wish, I so wish, I could find or blend a tes and spice mix that satisfies like this concentrate; I always feel like I’m cheating somehow when I enjoy this. I make this withone part conencetrate, one part milk. If making it on the stove, I might add an extra ginger&black teabag or two (Stash Ginger Breakfast). Pleasantly warming with a goodly punch of ginger; creaminess from the milk soothes any burn. A bit sweeter than I’d normally drink milky tea, but then adding water or more black tea can help fix that. Fabulous treat when you’re chilled through to the bone. Not much black tea taste on its own. Prepares easily in the microwave, but it tastes and feels better to me on the stove, with extra black tea added.

I really enjoy this concentrate. I’m not a big fan of powdered chai mixes. This is very good as a dirty chai latte (coffee, chai, milk).

Delicious and really easy to make. Tastes close to authentic Indian Masala Chai instead of the western lattes. You even get the crust-like thick layer on top if you let it sit too long.

When I first started drinking this I had it straight for months before I read that it should be mixed half half with milk or something. I thought it was a bit strong.

I then started mixing it with orange juice and that was good.