Chai Tea Concentrate, Homemade to take the chill off my bones! Another fall favorite.

Chai tea ingredients simmering away.

I love the flavors and aroma of Chai tea.  Recently I made a delicious Chai tea using instant tea as the base and Mother loved it when I split my batch with her as did I......Here is a link to that recipe.    thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2013/08/fall-is-just-around-corner-and-this.html

Then I saw this made from scratch concentrate and I just had to make it.  The only thing slowing me down was I had used all of my cardamom pods and failed to get more.  Nobody carries them here in our little town so I went to one of the wonderful Asian markets in Evansville and readily found them.  What threw me was there were two varieties.  The green which is what I have always gotten and there was also black.  If anyone out there knows the difference in use please leave me a comment.  I shall have to investigate!

This recipe was adapted from tasty-yummies.com who adapted from numerous recipes floating the blog-a-sphere.

Ingredients for Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate:

4 1/2 C. good water (I use water from reverse osmosis but if you are lucky enough to have good water that is fine too.)   Note:  Our water is so bad that from the tap it smells like a chlorinated swimming pool!
8 bags of black tea
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean split in half (or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract can be added at the very end.)
1/2 C. raw cane sugar, or more to taste(or if you prefer coconut sugar or date sugar.)
1-3" piece of fresh ginger cut into pieces
10 whole cloves
8 cardamom pods
1/2 t. freshly ground nutmeg
2 whole star anise pods
1/2 t. whole black peppercorns
1/2 of an orange jest peeled with a vegetable peeler
1 T. raw honey or more to taste, or add more sugar

Combine all of these ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Line a strainer with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and strain into a bowl to cool.  After cooling refrigerate in a lidded one quart container or jar.

To serve mix 1 part concentrate with 1 part milk.  Serve warm or cold.  Yield about a quart of concentrate.  Keep up to 1 week refrigerated.

I am in hopes this will also act to settle Brian's stomach as a 3" piece of ginger should have that effect.  Not sure if the  fact we eat late is the problem or that he takes several meds in the evening.  I can't help but think this is one of those "chicken soup" sort of things.  It just is good for you all around!  He loved the flavor  of it served up warm before bedtime.

The concentrate would make a great Holiday gift or assemble the ingredients less the water and package along with the directions.  Also it would be a great used as a flavoring....say Chai ice cream?? Or muffins?? Or tea bread??  YUMMM.