In the January sales I picked up some teabags you could fill with whatever took your fancy. I had been looking for some for a while, as my Dad loves Chai Tea and I wanted to have a go at making my own 'blend' for him. I researched lots of Chai Tea recipes and I was surprised the range of spices that were included, so I decided to make a blend that included loads of spices I know my Dad loves. I put the teabags into a Kilner style jar and stuck a Cath Kidston label on the front, so that the present felt that extra bit special. Not that I think my Dad appreciated the Cath Kidston label particularly!
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What you'll need:
Cardamon Pods
Star Anise
Whole Black Peppercorns
Cinnamon Stick
Crystallised Ginger
Cloves
Loose Black Tea
Fennel Seeds
(and any other spice that you love - it's completely open to change)
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What to do:
1) I haven't included any amounts because I found that it was complete trial and error. I started off following this recipe:
1 Star Anise
12 Cloves
1 tsp Fennel Seeds
1 Cinanmon Stick
7 Whole Black Peppercorns
2 Cardamon Pods
2 tsp Crystallised Ginger
But soon changed it, which is the wonderful thing with this recipe.
2) Blending the spice mixture in a blender really helps to bring out the spicy flavours. I blended them for about 30 seconds, as you still want a rough textured mixture.
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3) Next fill a teabag with 1 tsp of the mixture and make a cup of tea with it. This is an essential step as it helps you to see if you've got balanced between the spice flavours. I did this about 3 times before I found a mixture I was happy with, so have a good old trial and error.
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4) To make a Chai Tea use the teabag like a normal teabag. It is often served milky and with sugar.
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Do you like flavoured tea?
Feel free to leave me a comment :)
I might consider trying this recipe! i love the chai tea latte's in starbucks so i reckon i would love this x
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