1 of 13

SPICE’N SIP

STEPS TO IMPRESS YOUR GUESTS WITH A HOMEBREWED CHAI EXPERIENCE

2 of 13

GOALS

Learn what makes chai unique.

Learn how to make chai at home with confidence.

3 of 13

BACKGROUND

Origin

Components

Storing

Made mainly with black Assam tea, but green tea can be used

Traditionally, Indian tea includes a mix of black tea combined with all or some:

Cinnamon
Cardamom
Cloves
Ginger
Black peppercorns

The tea mix stays fresh for up to one year if:

Stored in cool, dark place
Kept airtight away from light, moisture, cold areas

Purchase from reputable companies to know the process date

5,000 years ago, a king wanted a healing spiced beverage for medicinal purposes

Only consisted of water and spices
By the mid 1800s converted into a beverage with milk and sweetener

Comes from the Hindi word ”tea”, derived from the Chinese word “cha”

Definition is spices mixed in a tea-like beverage

SAY:

- Let's elevate your tea time to a new level of sophistication and flavor!

- Let’s start with some background on chai

Over 5,000 years ago a king wanted a healing spiced beverage for medicinal purposes. This beverage only consisted of water and spices. However, by the mid 1800s chai converted into a beverage with milk, spices, and a sweetener, which is how we enjoy it today.
Chai comes from the Hindi word ”tea” derived from the Chinese word “cha”. It’s definition is literally spices mixed in a tea-like beverage.
Chai is mainly made with Black Assam tea, but green tea could be used, although I have not used green tea. Traditionally, Indian tea includes a mix of black tea mixed with all or some: cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and/or black peppercorns.
Storing chai correctly is essential. The tea mix itself stays fresh for up to one year if it stored correctly in a cool, dark place. It should be kept airtight away from light, moisture, and cold areas. Definitely not in the refrigerator.
Also, make sure to purchase your tea mix from reputable companies to know process dates.

DO:

-click for each bullet point to appear

4 of 13

CHAI POLL

Please take few moments to answer the four questions on the poll.

Results

5 of 13

THE ART OF MAKING CHAI RESTS IN THE BALANCE OF…

Tea

Method

Spices

Loose tea benefits:

Quality of flavor for a better infused beverage
Customization of milk to tea ratio for strength

Tea bag benefits:

Convenience and quick brewing
Creates less of a mess
Ideal for traveling

Microwave:

Easy and quick
Limited on flavor as they don’t infuse

Stovetop:

Time consuming
Control over flavors and strength, based on cook time and temperature
Low/medium heat

Spices

Cinnamon
Cloves
Cardamom
Ginger
Black peppercorns

Milk & Sweetener

Common milks:

Whole
Oat
Almond
Half and half
Lactose free

Common sweetening options:

honey
Granulated sugar
Condensed milk

After years of experimentation, this is the tea I love brewing for my guests.

Red Label loose tea mixed with Lassa Lamsa tea bags, brewed slowly on the stovetop, with cardamom pods, sweetened with condensed milk for the extra touch of creaminess.

SAY:

- Making a perfect chai goes beyond just combining ingredients. It's about finding the right balance of tea mix, method, flavor and of course sweetness.

- Starting with picking the right tea, the question arises of loose leaf tea versus tea bags. After researching and trial and error, the benefits of loose leaf tea includes a quality of flavor for a better infused beverage. The benefits of tea bags is the convenience of putting it in hot water or milk on the go, creates less of a mess since tea is contained in a bag, finally when travel it is the ideal way to get your tea in for the day.

- Moving onto the cooking method. Although the microwave is easy and quick, it limits flavor since there’s not enough time for flavors to infuse.

- On the stovetop, it is definitely time consuming, however the control of flavor and how strong or light you want the chai to be. For optimal results, we need to extend the cooking time on low-medium heat, creating a slow and flavorful infusion.

-Moving onto spices. Although the recommended spices include: cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger, and black peppercorns, personally it was too many flavors for me in a cup.

- Some common milks used for chai include: whole, oat, almond, half and half, lactose free, and the list goes on. This is a preference of allergy and what your milk choice is.

- Which leaves us with one of the most crucial parts, what to sweeten chai with! There are many options ranging from honey, to granulated sugar, to condensed milk, and many more

- After years of experimentation, the following is the tea I love brewing for my guest.

- Red Label loose tea, mixed with Lassa Lamsa Tea Bags, brewed slowly in whole milk on the stovetop, with cardamom pods, sweetened with condensed milk for the extra touch of creaminess.

DO:

-click for each bullet point to appear

6 of 13

MATERIALS

Pot

8 oz measuring cup

1 teaspoon

1 tablespoon

1 spatula to stir

1 strainer

1 tea cup

7 of 13

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of milk of your choice

4 cardamom pods�
2 teaspoons of Red Label loose tea

2 Lassa Lamsa Tea Bags

2 tablespoons of condensed milk

1 Serving 15 minutes

8 of 13

Step1 : On medium-low heat, add 1 cup of your choice of milk.

Infusing Milk with the Aromatics

Step 2: Add in 4 pods of cardamom.

Key Watchouts & Tips

Avoid pan that will cause milk to stick at bottom, stainless steal works best for me.

Make sure your heat is maintained at medium-low, high heat will burn the milk and cause it to stick to the bottom changing the flavor of the tea.

Milk should not be boiling prior to adding in cardamom pods.

Step 3: Add 2 teaspoons Red Label loose tea and 2 Lassa Lamsa Tea Bags.

9 of 13

Infusing Milk with the Aromatics

Key Watchouts & Tips

Compare your chai color to the color bar.

The balance between milk and tea is judged by having the right color of brown; too light, not enough flavor and too dark, creates a bitterness.

Feel free to change up the amount of condensed milk, or even type of sweetener to your liking!

Keep watch when chai comes to a boil, as it will quickly go from boil to overflow on the stove.

Before step 4, make sure the chai has reached the appropriate tan color.

Step 4: Add 2 tablespoons of condensed milk to your liking right before the boil.

Step 5: Once the chai has boiled up, turn the stove off.

more tea more tea just right more milk

SAY: Before moving onto the next step, and before chai comes to a boil, check the color of the chai. There is a color bar for your reference on which tan is the most ideal If the chai is too light add more loose tea, or else the tea won’t be strong enough and will lack flavor. If the color is too dark, add more milk or else the tea will be too strong and bitter. Once you notice the chai is at the right tan, add the 2 tablespoons of condensed milk, or however much to your liking. The chai will boil within the next few minutes, so do not move from the stove. Once you see the chai is boiling up, keep your hand on the stove knob, so once the chai boils almost to the top, turn the stove off, or else there will be a mess to clean up.

DO:

-click for each bullet point to appear

10 of 13

STRAIN AND SERVE

Step 6: Strain in tea cup.

Step 7: Enjoy with your favorite tea biscuit or cookie.

Key Watchouts & Tips

If you are making for a crowd, consider straining the entire batch into a larger container, prior to pouring into cups.

Wipe down any spills on the tea cups for a cleaner look.

Find the pairing of your choice – both sweet and salty snacks pair wonderfully with Chai, my preference is Biscoff cookies.

Don’t overlook the various cookies designed for tea!

Step 8: Display to impress your guests!

11 of 13

RESOURCES AND CONTACT

Slides are emailed to you

Virtual copy of the recipe card- Recipe

Email me: salma.b.pathan@gmail.com

History of chai: https://www.teatulia.com/tea-varieties/what-is-chai.htm#:~:text=Chai%20origins,spices%20are%20used%20for%20healing.

12 of 13

QUESTIONS?

13 of 13

THANK YOU