Chi Tea

[surgtech1956]

I bought some Chi Tea because some co-workers were saying how good it is, that it tastes like pumpkin pie. The Chi Tea I bought was Black Chi Tea by Twining - tea bags. What is the best Chi Tea to buy? Is there one that tastes like pumpkin pie?

[limewave]

The one you get at Starbuck's: Spiced Chai Tea Latte :D

[KnottedYet]

Oregon Chai: comes in an aseptic box, you mix it half-n-half with hot milk (soy, almond, cow, whatever). That's my favorite. Can't say that it tastes like pumpkin pie... but it's darn good! http://www.oregonchai.com/

If you are working with dry tea (bags) be sure to add a ridiculous amount of sweetening, brew it double strength, and serve with 1/2 milk to the cup.

[Eden]

I like spicy chai over sweet chai. (it definitely needs sugar though - the spices won't come out much without sugar) My favorite is a bulk organic brand. I'd have to go to the store to see exactly what it is, but it is ground very, very fine.

[MartianDestiny]

The one you get at Starbuck's: Spiced Chai Tea Latte :D

Which is Tazo Chai and steamed milk (at least at my Starbucks). Starbucks uses the pre-brewed (liquid) Tazo Chai mix, and you can find that in some grocery stores now. I just buy it in the individual packets (it's much cheaper that way).

Won't say I've quite managed to get it to "Pumpkin pie", but I don't typically put milk in mine either.

[Cataboo]

I usually make chai about 50% milk or so - I add honey & cinammon and cardamon on top of whatever is already in the tea bag. and I let it steep a long time. I'm using yogi tea's chai black currently.

[Blueberry]

This is my favorite chai: http://nottinghall.com/pumpkinspice.htm
It just so happens to be pumpkin spice:)
Brew strong, and add lots of milk and sweetener.

[surgtech1956]

I guess this isn't a 'low cal' drink with all the sweetener and milk. I'm going back to Meijers, they had Tazo and Oregon - the concentrate was more $$$ than the bags. I have never tried Soy Milk or Almond Milk. I've heard that soy milk tastes chaulky.

[Pedal Wench]

I've heard that soy milk tastes chaulky.

I use the "fresh" Silk brand soy milk - in the refrigerated section, not the shelf-stable kind, and I've never found it to be chalky at all. I usually use the Light variety, but just bought the bone health variety for well, variety! :)

I use the soy milk with the bags of Tazo Spiced Chai - I only sweeten on special occasions.

[shootingstar]

Stash makes some spicy, flavourful..and non-sugared Chai teas.

http://www.stashtea.com/teas/chai+teas.aspx

I also like a pronounced spicy Chai tea.
I've been drinking tea (orange pekoe, Twinings Earl Grey, etc. and other black teas) without sugar, with some milk, for the past 3 decades. I average about 3-4 c. of tea at home in this way.

I genuinely appreciate real Chai tea without the sugar, without honey. No need when cinnamon, cardamon, etc. are pronounced.

[Pedal Wench]

I"m just saying...

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/chai.html

[moderncyclista]

Steep your Chai bags per usual. But if you like "Coffeehouse Style Chai" try adding some honey and warm milk to the mix. That is all you need really. Or support your local coffeehouse and get your Chai there. :D Baristas need love too. Well, at least general like and occasional patronage. Good luck.

[smilingcat]

Simply put, Chai tea is flavored tea.

here is a thread where alpinerrabbit and I wrote our recipe for our chai. chai thread (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=28041)

I've been tweaking my recipe for some time. It's definitely much cheaper to make your own. I've gotten bit lazy so I make my mix in bulk now. Each tablespoon of the mix makes about 750ml (3 cups) of tea. Cost is around $2.00 per gallon for the tea maybe?? And my tea is pretty strong so I mix 1/4 to 1/3 tea to 3/4 to 2/3 non-fat milk. Lots of honey. yummm...

I have my standard spicy chai and my second one is vanilla flavored. Still working out on orange spice chai. It came out like orange pekoe tea (not good).

I have four other flavors I'm thinking about. Pumpkin wasn't one of them. pumpkin spice sounds yummy.

[Pedal Wench]

Simply put, Chai tea is flavored tea.

here is a thread where alpinerrabbit and I wrote our recipe for our chai. chai thread (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=28041)

I've been tweaking my recipe for some time. It's definitely much cheaper to make your own. I've gotten bit lazy so I make my mix in bulk now. Each tablespoon of the mix makes about 750ml (3 cups) of tea. Cost is around $2.00 per gallon for the tea maybe?? And my tea is pretty strong so I mix 1/4 to 1/3 tea to 3/4 to 2/3 non-fat milk. Lots of honey. yummm...

I have my standard spicy chai and my second one is vanilla flavored. Still working out on orange spice chai. It came out like orange pekoe tea (not good).

I have four other flavors I'm thinking about. Pumpkin wasn't one of them. pumpkin spice sounds yummy.

Will you sell them to friendly TE'ers?

[smilingcat]

Will you sell them to friendly TE'ers?

You betcha'ya!!... Now where have I heard that phrase.

Actually, being in California, I need to be working out of a commercial kitchen. I had one several years ago... but not right now... You also need ServSafe certification from NSF but my certification expired last year I think. It's good for 5 years everywhere except in California where its only good for three years... I also had insurance with huge umbrella coverage but thats no more either...

I still have my labels, pkging... hmm.. have a website but nothing there anymore...

Maybe I need to re-open my cookie biz and completely get out of my engineering work. I love the design work but hated the male engineers who always had to be right and everyone else was wrong. Some of it rubbed off on me. :(

[Pedal Wench]

You betcha'ya!!... Now where have I heard that phrase.

Actually, being in California, I need to be working out of a commercial kitchen. I had one several years ago... but not right now... You also need ServSafe certification from NSF but my certification expired last year I think. It's good for 5 years everywhere except in California where its only good for three years... I also had insurance with huge umbrella coverage but thats no more either...

I still have my labels, pkging... hmm.. have a website but nothing there anymore...

Maybe I need to re-open my cookie biz and completely get out of my engineering work. I love the design work but hated the male engineers who always had to be right and everyone else was wrong. Some of it rubbed off on me. :(

Ha - let's do it together - east coast/west coast divisions. I've been working with engineers my whole career. Well, I'm one too, but I'm the good kind. :)

[MartianDestiny]

You betcha'ya!!... Now where have I heard that phrase.


Put me down for some. I think I trust you not to kill me health department certified or no :p

[yellow]

Brewed chai is super easy to make. And it's amazingly yummy. Many of the ingredients (spices) can be purchased pretty cheaply at Indian or Mexican markets.

Ingredients:
2 c water
4 tea bags (I usually use green)
1/4 c honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground ginger (or a couple small shavings of fresh)
1 pinch ground nutmeg
2 cups milk (I use soy, but you can use any type)

Directions:
Bring water to a boil. Add tea bags, honey, vanilla, and spices. Simmer for 5 minutes. Pour in milk and bring to a boil. Remove heat, strain through fine sieve, and enjoy.

You can use a little less honey during the brew if you want to reduce the sugar and add sweetener later if you prefer it sweeter. I usually use a little less than the 1/4 cup and don't add sweetener.

[footloose]

I recently found a shop that sells packaged loose tea and has a dozen or more different flavours of Chai Teas. So far, the Vanilla Chai is my favourite though I really expected that Night of the Iguana Chocolate Chai would be!:D

The ingredients for Vanilla Chai are listed as black tea, calendula petals, chopped and powdered ginger, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and sunflower petals.

The chocolate chai actually has miniscule white chocolate chips in it!

[Owlie]

My favorite commercial chai: Revolution Tea's Bombay Chai, or the Stash stuff. Rishi chai if I feel like doing the work. Teavana...the tea is good, the spice mix is good, but why is there vanilla in it?!

My own recipe (adapted from Madhur Jaffery's) is better...at least I think so.
Makes one cup, or two small ones. I double it, most of the time.
1.5 cups water
8 cloves
8 green cardamom pods
1 stick of cinnamon
1 slice of ginger, ~1/4 in. thick*
2/3 cup milk (I use 1% or 2% if I'm sharing with DBF)
Sugar to taste
~1 tbsp unscented black tea (I use some nice loose Assam, in a tea ball)

Bring water and spices to a boil. Reduce heat, add the milk. Allow it to simmer for 10 minutes or so. Add the sugar. Remove from heat, add the tea and allow to steep for 5 minutes.
*my family has always sliced and frozen ginger, so that's the form I use it in. I have no idea what that actually corresponds to as a measurement.

[Tuckervill]

The Rishi chai has something in it that gives me really bad heartburn. I only have it when I go to this particular coffee shop, and it has happened every time. (I go there every week for a music jam that my son attends.) I don't get chai there anymore.

Karen

[Cataboo]

I tend o avoid any chai whose spice mix includes black pepper - they can sort of cheat and get a spicy tea without putting more of the other spices in...