Homemade Rooibos Chai Tea

Chai had been on my mind lately, with the weather growing colder and the Holiday season upon us. I just made this Fall’s first batch of chai to bring to our friend’s house for Thanksgiving tomorrow….and the smell has lingered in my house for hours, inspiring me to share my delicious and easy recipe!

I’ve been making this chai for many years. Coffee shops didn’t always carry non-dairy milks and caffeine-free chai for gals like me! In fact, I brought a jar of this chai to Roy’s house the week we started dating—eight years ago next month. I labeled the jar “Debbie’s Sweet Chai” but Roy started asking me for another batch of  “Sweet Debbie’s Chai” so, in our home, that’s how we affectionately refer to it 🙂

Homemade Rooibos Chai Tea
by Debbie Steinbock

Ingredients:

6 cups water
4 slices fresh ginger root
1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
½ of a whole nutmeg
1 Tbsp. cardamom pods
2 inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. fennel seeds
2 Tbsp. loose rooibos tea (or 3 rooibos tea bags)
2 cups almond milk
1/4 cup honey (or more/less, depending on desired sweetness)

Method:

1. Bring the water to boil in a large pot.
2. Crush all the spices. If you have a large mortar and pestle, crush them in that. If not, place all the spices in a heavy bag, and crush then with a wooden spoon.
3. Add the spices to the water; allow the water to boil, lower the heat, and simmer for approximately 15 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat; add the loose tea or tea bags and  let steep for 5-10 more minutes.
5. Strain the liquid through a fine metal strainer into a large bowl; discard the spices and tea.
6. Rinse out the pot and pour the steeped tea back in.
7. Add the almond milk and the honey and warm until just before the boiling point.
8. Taste and adjust the milk and honey as desired.

Time saving tip:

Pre-portion bags of the dried chai spices (black peppercorns, nutmeg, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves & fennel seeds). Then simply add in the fresh ginger and tea (loose or bagged) when you are ready to make your next batch.