Big Cup of Chai Tea Latte

Hi Boys and Girls!
Is it cold where you are? It sure is here and will be Sunday and rest of the week. So, while watching football (unfortunately, the Saints lost) I decided to make a chai tea latte.

If you like chai tea you have probably become addicted to Starbucks chai tea latte. It cannot be helped!
starbucks.com In fact, they are having a special until the January 10, as you will see on the link. If you are watching your calories and your pennies, you have probably limited your visits to Starbucks. I know I have.

So, I have come up with a fair tasting Chai Tea Latte ala Gardenquiltlady.

Here are some of the items you will need.

You will also need honey or raw sugar.

Start with really good chai tea. My most favorite, and I have mentioned it before, is Zhi tea. http://zhitea.com/ They have a very robust chai tea that is almost addicting. http://www.zhitea.com/black-tea/cacao-chai.html You will notice that it is low in calories but high in flavor. It is very hard to stay away from this chai tea! When you search this site you will find a recipe for Chai Tea Latte. I like to think mine is easier but I am willing to give their recipe a try.

Next, you need milk whether it be whole, soy or my preference, Almond Breeze Almond Milk. http://www.almondbreeze.com/ They have recipes for warm drinks and smoothies and also have nutritional contents. This is a great alternative to dairy milk if you are lactose intolerant and it is lower in calories.

Unless you have an espresso machine that can foam milk, you need a battery-powered milk frother. I found one for .99 or $1.99 at Ikea. I cannot remember the price but I wish I had bought more! It takes two batteries and as you will see, it really foams the milk (in my case the almond milk). You can also find one on Amazon. It has a brand name but looks exactly like the one I have.

I have even used a Mexican molinillo.

Of course, this takes more time to froth milk than a battery-powered frother but if you have friends over you will really impress them with your skills!

Use a good size coffee mug. The one I like using is from Fiesta Ware. It is large, heavy and oh, so pretty. The one in the picture above is eggplant color. Any good size mug will do but if you worry about lead content, use Made in USA product.

OK, boil about 2 cups filtered water. Place about 4-5 teaspoons of chai tea in the water and let steep for 10 minutes. In the meantime, heat 2 cups of milk in the microwave or on the stove. Strain the tea into your mug and fill mug only half full with tea. Fill to almost the top with the warm milk. Add 1 tablespoon honey or raw sugar. Stir. Froth the remaining milk. Spoon the milk on top of your tea. You should have enough for two full size mugs of chai tea.

Here is my finished product.

Now, I hope you are not thinking this is too much trouble...you are, right? OK, you can buy a chai tea latte concentrate on Amazon also.

This is pretty close to what Starbucks uses. However, it is not economical nor low in calories. If you make your chai tea yourself, you will save lots of money and appreciate the art of making tea.

So, my wish for you is to give this a try. It is most fun and a real treat. Oh, and if you get to Ikea, buy half a dozen of the battery powered milk frothers. You can make a super nice gift basket with all the ingredients shown here.  Hey, Valentine's Day is coming up really fast! A gift of all the ingredients for making Chai Tea Latte will really be speacial. What a great idea! You're welcome!

Until next time...spoil yourself...and kiss the cook!