Office chai

Shruti began her new job this past week! This once again highlights the problem of how to make good chai in the office. Previously, I suggested a technique for making chai in a way that doesn't require a mug strainer. However, most people's work places have neither a mug strainer nor a stove top. Fortunately, microwaves can partially obviate the need for a stove top. Hence, use of a microwave together with a DIY tea bag enables one to enjoy chai at the office. Without further delay, here is the basic technique (a slight variation of a previous post):

Office Chai (one 8 oz serving)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• ~ 1/2 tsp Chai masala (equal parts of: coarsely ground black pepper, green cardamom seeds, cinnamon, and ginger powder)
• ~ 1 tsp Lipton Yellow Label loose tea
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 do-it-yourself tea bag
  

Technique

1. Combine the water and milk in a mug
2. Heat the water/milk mixture in a microwave (about 2 minutes on a standard microwave) careful not to let it boil over!
   
3. Meanwhile, add loose tea and masala to a tea bag
4. Add tea bag to the mug containing the hot water/milk mixture
   
5. Steep for 3 minutes
6. Remove and discard tea bag
7. Add sugar
8. Enjoy!

Similar to strainer-less chai, this method yields chai that is good albeit a little weak. I might suggest adding just a touch more tea and masala, and/or microwaving the water/milk mixture with the tea bag. I'll explore this in a future post.

Overall, this method produces results that are on par or even superior to a "chai tea latte" from Starbuck's or some other such shop - and costs $3+ less to boot! Enjoy!