Chai from Scratch

Ingredients

• ●1½ cups water
• ●1 cup whole milk
• ●2 tablespoons loose black tea (Assam or CTC — strong black tea is essential) or 3 black tea bags
• ●4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• ●4 whole cloves
• ●1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
• ●1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced (or smashed with the flat of a knife)
• ●4 whole black peppercorns
• ●2 to 3 teaspoons sugar (adjust to taste — traditionally, chai is quite sweet)

Method

1. Combine the water, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and peppercorns in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes to infuse the spices.
3. Add the tea. Simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Add the milk and sugar. Increase heat and bring the mixture just to a boil — watch it, because milk boils over fast.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 more minutes. The chai should be a rich, warm brown color.
6. Strain into cups through a fine-mesh strainer.
7. For extra froth, pour the strained chai back and forth between two cups from a height. This aerates it and is the traditional way chai wallahs create that foamy top.
8. *Storage:** Best made fresh. Chai doesn't reheat well — the spices turn bitter.
9. *Seasonal note:** The spice blend is flexible. Some people add fennel seeds, nutmeg, or star anise. Some prefer more ginger. The constant is that you're starting with whole spices and building the flavor from scratch. Once you've made real chai, the powdered mixes and bottled concentrates will feel like a different beverage entirely.