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Just Tea Please
Delicious Chai tea can be made in several different ways. One option is to go to your local grocery store and buy premade bags. Another way is to make it yourself, Bouquet Garni style, using the following recipe.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons fresh ginger root; grated
1 whole star anise; broken up
1 teaspoon orange peel; grated
4 pieces cinnamon sticks; 1 1/2 inch
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
10 whole cloves
5 whole peppercorns
5 cups water
1/4 cup black tea leaves; (like Darjeeling)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup honey
3 cups skim milk
Steps
Bundle up the first seven ingredients in a length of cheese cloth and tie it together with a string. This is called a Bouquet Garni (pronounced "Book-eh Garnee").
Place the Bouquet Garni in a pot of water. The string should be tied to the handle for easy removal later on.
Bring the water to a simmer but not to a boil. You want to avoid as much evaporation as possible.
Continue simmering for 15 minutes.
Add tea leaves and maintain the simmer. Boiling water is far too hot and may extract too much bitterness from the tea leaves; therefore, it is necessary to maintain a constant simmer.
Remove the Bouquet Garni.
Strain the remaining liquid through a sieve to remove tea leaves.
Add honey, vanilla, and milk.
Heat the mixture thoroughly but do not boil. (Remember that milk is flammable.)
Serve. Pour the mixture over crushed ice if you're serving it cold. This makes eight servings.
Tips
Tea leaves can release too much bitterness if exposed to hot water for too long. The general rule of thumb when making an "infusion" such as this is that the longer the ingredients remain in the liquid, the stronger their flavor will be. Experiment with a variety of leaves and time durations to see what works best for you.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons fresh ginger root; grated
1 whole star anise; broken up
1 teaspoon orange peel; grated
4 pieces cinnamon sticks; 1 1/2 inch
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
10 whole cloves
5 whole peppercorns
5 cups water
1/4 cup black tea leaves; (like Darjeeling)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup honey
3 cups skim milk
Steps
Bundle up the first seven ingredients in a length of cheese cloth and tie it together with a string. This is called a Bouquet Garni (pronounced "Book-eh Garnee").
Place the Bouquet Garni in a pot of water. The string should be tied to the handle for easy removal later on.
Bring the water to a simmer but not to a boil. You want to avoid as much evaporation as possible.
Continue simmering for 15 minutes.
Add tea leaves and maintain the simmer. Boiling water is far too hot and may extract too much bitterness from the tea leaves; therefore, it is necessary to maintain a constant simmer.
Remove the Bouquet Garni.
Strain the remaining liquid through a sieve to remove tea leaves.
Add honey, vanilla, and milk.
Heat the mixture thoroughly but do not boil. (Remember that milk is flammable.)
Serve. Pour the mixture over crushed ice if you're serving it cold. This makes eight servings.
Tips
Tea leaves can release too much bitterness if exposed to hot water for too long. The general rule of thumb when making an "infusion" such as this is that the longer the ingredients remain in the liquid, the stronger their flavor will be. Experiment with a variety of leaves and time durations to see what works best for you.
Thanx
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