TEA!

[BattleNymph]

I found a couple of cool recipes for Chai tea. I also make my own chai with chamomile for before bedtime.

I love tea. Love love love love love!

Give me your tea recipes or give me death!
Oh, and here's the chai...:

CHAI MIX
This spiced tea mix is based on dry milk powder.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup black tea leaves
12 whole cardamom pods
4 2-inch pieces stick cinnamon
2 teaspoon dried lemon peel

Directions

In two clean cellophane bags or two 6-ounce jars or bottles, layer all ingredients, dividing evenly. Seal bags or cover jars and store in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

To serve, in a large saucepan combine contents of bag with the water. Bring to boiling; remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain through a wire sieve lined with 100-percent-cotton cheesecloth or clean paper coffee filter.

To serve, add honey to sweeten to taste. Makes enough mix for 8, 1-cup servings.


CHOCOLATE CHAI (BN cringes, but because she loves you all she's posting it anyway)

Ingredients

4 tea bags containing black tea, such as orange pekoe, Darjeeling, English breakfast or Lapsang souchong
2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
8 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
Whipped cream
Additional ground nutmeg
Candy canes (optional)

Directions

Pour the boiling water over tea bags in a large saucepan. Cover and let stand 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove tea bags. Stir in sugar and cocoa powder. Cook and stir over medium heat just until mixture comes to boiling. Stir in milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg; heat through. Do not boil.

Pour into cups. Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream sprinkled with nutmeg.

And My Chai:

by the glass

1 tsp chamomile tea loose (or a tea bag if you're a cheater)
1 dash cinnamon
1 dash ground cloves
2 dashes ground cardamom
1 dash black pepper

Steep the tea and spices in your teapot for 5-7 minutes (chamomile takes longer). Pour into your mug and add 1/2 tsp honey and a dollop of cream. Stir and enjoy.

[Baelfyre]

I enjoy a good rose hip blend myself.

[Haze]

I use Twinings Chai teabags (http://www.twinings.co.uk/SpecialityTea/Aromatics/Chai.html) now that I've used up the ones I was given a while back. I quite like it.

[BattleNymph]

I use Twinings Chai teabags (http://www.twinings.co.uk/SpecialityTea/Aromatics/Chai.html) now that I've used up the ones I was given a while back. I quite like it.

Is Twinings the brand with the strings that pull the tea bags into little pouches to squeaze the water from them?

I have a lemon chamomile of theirs that's wonderful.

[Cranky Dog]

I drink a variety of teas with a preference for green tea. I seem to have perfected my method of preparation for the amount I drink which helps a lot.

We have Darjeling, Earl Grey, Orange Pekoe, Ceylon, Jasmine (just realized we had some), gun-powder, oolong. All from a variety of brands.

Most of the time, save for the generic Lipton teabags, I don't even use the infuser. I just cover most of the bottom of my big cup (~500ml or two cups) and add the boiling water. One and a half heaping tea spoons of sugar and it's to my taste.

I keep the teabags of Orange Pekoe for school where I add some hot tap water and pop my cup in the microwave for 90 seconds. Add one packet of sugar and one sweet and low and it is adequate as a warm caffeine distributor. Though it is nowhere as savory as home made tea.


Cranky Dog
"I have a tea time opinion, international!"

[Haze]

Is Twinings the brand with the strings that pull the tea bags into little pouches to squeaze the water from them? I don't have any that do that here, I think that's Tetley's.

[Stephane]

I have a lemon chamomile of theirs that's wonderful.
Yes it is.

My parents used to have a tree in the backyard. I can't remember the name of the tree now. Darnit. Anyways, we used to make tea from the fallen flowers buds. Excellent stuff.

Edit: I'll get the trees name from my parents, I'll likely talk to them tonight. The tea was close to camomilla in taste.

[Hitcher]

4 o'clock already? ;)

I keep thinking of kettles, warming tea pots, tea cosies and tea biscuits, maybe some small sammies... *sigh*

[COTSBOE]

I'm not much of a tea drinker (not enough caffeine), but when I was living in Turkey the locals there got me hooked on chai-kur; which is their own type of extra strong super flavorful tea. It's quite good with mint.

[marmalade]

Bleargh! Most tea just tastes like dirty water to me.

Pepperminty dirty water, I can handle though.

[BattleNymph]

I'm not much of a tea drinker (not enough caffeine), but when I was living in Turkey the locals there got me hooked on chai-kur; which is their own type of extra strong super flavorful tea. It's quite good with mint.

You should try the Celestial seasons tea "Morning Thunder". :D All the tea yumminess and twice the caffeine.

[Parzival]

Eh. Not a fan.
About the only tea I'll drink voluntarily is southern "sweet tea".
You don't necessarily need to heat the water to infuse the tea, but it's vital to dissolving all the sugar. Let the super-saturated solution cool and add ice. Don't try to add sugar unless you *want* to use seed crystals to pull sugar out os suspension.

[Cranky Dog]

Bleargh! Most tea just tastes like dirty water to me.

Pepperminty dirty water, I can handle though.
There are some teas that are quite foul.

Last year I bought a big discount pack at Wal-Mart and it was the most flavorless tea I have ever drunk. I've tasted better food coloring. My sense of taste isn't all that great, but even I had my limits.

Since then, I've decided to put more money on my tea to get something fine. And since we have a tea shop in town, I can get some of the best.


Cranky Dog
"I have a tea grade opinion, international!"