Coffeebar Chai

"I really like the Chai from Starbucks. They actually sell the concentrate there (Tazo Brand) for about $5 per carton. I bought it and liked it, but figured I'd try making it myself. My first batch ..." See morewas made just as the recipe suggests and to be honest I was NOT impressed. For my second batch I made these changes. 1) Boil all ingredients (except milk) for 10 minutes 2) Simmer (lid on) for 25-30 minutes 3) remove from heat and let sit for another 30 minutes (lid on) 4) Squeeze any water out of the tea bags and strain the whole mixture. This leaves you with 1-1.4 cups of concentrate. In case you didn't notice, I omitted the milk completely. My end result was a concentrate similar to the Tazo concentrate available at Starbucks, but it actually tasted BETTER in a side-by-side comparison. It tastes a bit stronger, and sweeter. "

"Just tried this, and it's very good. I used fresh ginger, ground cinnamon, and one cardamom pod, FYI. If you are getting a bitter drink, try leaving out the tea until after the water has boiled, the..." See moren adding the tea and letting it steep off heat for 3-4 minutes. Boiling tea brings all the tannins out, and they are terribly bitter. Next time I will probably add more of all the spices, and add black pepper, since I like my chai robust. But the recipe is very good as is, and much better than forking over $4 for a box of concentrate at the store. (I'm leaving out the milk and keeping the spice/tea/honey mix in the fridge for chai emergencies!)"

"Great chai! A touch of sweetness, but not overly sweet. A perfect blend of spices!..." See more"