Special Teas

• 3 tbsp black tea
• 1 oz. rum
• 1 oz. brandy
  

With so many spices in this chai recipe, you might want to blend them ahead of time for quicker preparation. Either way, the extra effort is worth it for this zesty chai recipe.

• 10 pieces of ginger, 1-inch
• 4 cinnamon sticks, broken
• 1 tsp green cardamom pods
• 2 1/4 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp cloves, whole
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp licorice root
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 5 cups water
• 3 tbs honey
• Milk, to taste

Combine everything except for milk and honey, in a saucepan. Cover pot and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the pot from heat, and let sit for another 35 minutes (covered). Strain out the spices and add honey, and milk if desired.

One of my own favorite recipes for spiced tea, or chai. Nothing too exotic, so this is a great choice for the beginner chai maker.

• 4 tsp loose tea, usually black
• 1 piece of dry ginger
• 3 cardamom pods, crushed
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 piece of cinnamon stick
• Milk and sugar to taste

Chop up ginger into fine pieces, and break up cinnamon stick. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, then add tea leaves and all the spices. Let everything brew at boiling for 30 to 45 seconds. Remove from heat, then let steep at room temperature for another minute.
Strain out the tea and pieces of spice. Serve hot and fragrant, with only a touch of milk or sugar.
Serves 4

• 5 cups water
• 3 tea bags, black
• 1/2 cup orange marmalade
• 2 tbs sugar
• 2 tbs lemon juice

Steep tea in near boiling water for 5 minutes. Stir in marmalade, sugar and lemon juice, until marmalade is melted and well mixed. Strain if desired and serve.
Serves 4-5

Powdered almonds make this chai a little bit nutty, and you can really taste the cinnamon and cardamom as well. If you don't have real saffron (it's very expensive) you can always leave that out.

• 1 tsp loose tea
• 4 cardamom pods, bruised
• 1 small cinnamon stick, broken up
• Saffron threads, a pinch
• 4 cups water
• 2 tbs finely powdered almonds
• Honey, to taste

Mix everything except honey and almonds in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let tea steep for 5 minutes. Put a teaspoon of almonds in the bottom of each cup, and pour hot tea over. Sweeten with honey to taste.
Serves 6

Now you can enjoy the mellow and milky taste of a cappuccino, but without the coffee. A bit of black tea, and some brown sugar make a nice alternative.

• 2 cups milk
• 2 tea bags, black
• 3 tbs brown sugar

Heat milk and sugar together in a saucepan, almost to boiling. Remove from heat and add tea bags. Steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and serve.
Serves 2

Hopefully, your supermarket carries apricot juice. If not, you can mix the apple juice with either peach juice or pineapple juice for a similarly fruity tea.

• 3 tea bags, green
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1 cup apricot nectar

Heat juices together in a saucepan until boiling. Remove from heat and add tea bags. Steep for 2 minutes, then strain out the tea bags. Serve hot.
Serves 2

• 5 to 10 cardamom pods
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
• 3 English breakfast tea bags
• Whole milk

Bring 3 cups water to a boil. Using the side of a knife, crack open the cardamom pods, and add them to the boiling water with the ginger. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Add the tea bags and let steep until the tea is red, about 5 minutes. Whisk in milk to taste. Remove the tea bags, pour the tea through a sieve and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Whole peppercorns give this tea recipe some kick. Actually, the cloves and minced ginger add their own extra kick as well. It's generally a strong tea recipe.

• 1 quart water
• 1/2 pint milk
• 1 tsp loose black tea leaves
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 inch piece of ginger, minced
• 2 whole cloves
• 5 whole peppercorns

Combine the water and spices in a non-metal teapot. Bring to a boil, then add milk. Continue to heat until almost boiling, then add tea. Boil for 1 minute, then strain out the spices and serve

A traditional spiced tea (or chai) recipe. It's rich and creamy, and spiced just right. Add as much honey as you like for some extra sweetness.

• 8 tea bags
• 8 whole cloves
• 1/2 pint condensed milk
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• Honey

Steep tea in 4 cups of hot (but not quite boiling) water for 5 minutes. Strain out tea bags, and add cloves, cardamom and powdered ginger. Simmer your tea and spices for approximately 10 minutes. Add milk and continue heating until your chai is hot again. Sweeten with honey to your particular taste.
Serves 8

• 1 1/4 cup(s) milk
• 2 tablespoon(s) chai spices
• 3/4 cup(s) water
• 1 tablespoon(s) sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) Darjeeling tea

Simmer 2 tablespoons of the Chai Tea Mix Spices with milk, water, and sugar for 25 minutes. Add Darjeeling tea and steep for 3 minutes. Strain into 2 large mugs and serve immediately.

• 4 cups water
• 3 cardamom pods
• 3 whole allspice
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1-inch vanilla bean
• About 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon black tea (or 4 tea bags)
• Milk to taste (regular, nonfat, soy, or rice)

Put water in a saucepan with cardamom, allspice, cloves, cinnamon stick, and vanilla bean. Simmer for 5 minutes, bring to a boil, and pour over black tea. Let steep for a few minutes. Add honey and milk to taste.

• 1 quart strong tea
• 1 cup cherry juice
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 stick cinnamon

Simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve hot.
This makes 4 to 6 servings.

• 8 cups water, divided
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tea bags
• Juice of 4 lemons*
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon almond extract

Boil 6 cups water and sugar for 10 minutes.  In a separate pan combine an additional 2 cups boiling water with tea bags. Steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and mix with water-sugar mixture. Add the juice of lemons, vanilla extract and almond extract.
Serve hot or iced.

Not just almond, but lemon and vanilla too. It's a very mellow tasting tea recipe, so you should be prepared to relax while drinking it.

• 4 tea bags
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups water

Steep the tea and lemon zest together in boiling water for 4 minutes. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice, almond and vanilla flavorings. Serve hot.

• 6 tsp tea
• 1 l water
• some cardamom, anise, cloves, cinnamon and sugar

Prepare tea as usual. Add a little of all other ingredients. Taste and maybe add some more.
Pour tea through a sieve into cups.