Chai

Thanks to a post card for a 10% discount on a purchase before 7/31/2020, I ordered another box of tea. Okay, okay, I haven't even come close to finishing the first box of tea that I ordered. On the positive side, I did persuade a couple of co-workers to order a bag of tea and pay me back for it when it came. I figure if they don't pay me, I get to drink it anyway. I also realized that there were still more teas that I wanted to try (or favorites I was running low on) that I didn't order in my last box.

I have long thought about trying a chai blend rather than making one of my own every time. I settled on ordering 500 mile chai, described as a type of tea favored by late night truck drivers in India. They want a strong, sweet brew to keep them going through the night. I figure drinking this in the morning is a good way for a second shift worker to wake up. The tea is made with small leaf black tea, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. I had also thought about getting rooibos chai, but then realized that I had everything I needed to make my own blend, so I will be trying that later in this post. I didn't really measure quantities, but I combined dried ginger with cardamom seeds, cinnamon, cloves, and rooibos tea.

I was greeted with an almost fruity smell when I opened the bag. Ginger tends to do that, at least for me. So I measured out my 2 cups of water (480 mL), and brought it to a boil. This tea steeps for 5 minutes, and then I poured it into my teapot. I decided to sample a little bit plain.

It had a rather bitter flavor, and I didn't really notice the spices. I'm not entirely surprised since I have experimented with this type of black tea before. However, chai is not drunk plain like this. Since I'm staying away from sugar, I'm not adding any because I don't like sweet tea anyway. The nice thing about being low carb is that adding cream is perfectly acceptable. I add about a tablespoon of cream for my 2 cup teapot. This was the result.

The bitterness is gone. From cooking, I have heard multiple times that fat will cut the bitterness of foods, that's why kale or brussels sprouts cooked with bacon tastes good. The flavor of the spices also start to come through. They are subtle, but there. In all honesty, I chose this tea because I have been craving teas that pair well with cream, so this purchase will certainly work out for that!

My homemade rooibos blend was tried next. I could smell the spices through the bag I have the tea stored in. First I tried the blend plain.

I could taste the spices in the plain brew. When I added cream, I got the softer, richer flavor of the spices to come out. It was definitely worth making my own blend, even if I won't be able to perfectly replicate it in future batches. It's nice to have it all mixed up in advance so it's an easily available option when I'm in the mood for some tea.