RECIPE: Chai Tea

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!

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)

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.

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.