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
- Combine the water and milk in a mug
- Heat the water/milk mixture in a microwave (about 2 minutes on a standard microwave) careful not to let it boil over!
- Meanwhile, add loose tea and masala to a tea bag
- Add tea bag to the mug containing the hot water/milk mixture
- Steep for 3 minutes
- Remove and discard tea bag
- Add sugar
- 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!
It's been a little while since my last post. And by a "little while" I mean 12+ months.Thank you thank you thank you for sticking with me (or reading this blog for the first time!).Rest assured that my absence is NOT due to a lack of interest in chai - I've experimented with and made chai the vast majority of days over the past year. A few very welcome events partially explain my absence. Yet, I have no good excuse. I can only hope it's enough that I am grateful you're still reading!As I'm sure many of you can empathize with, drowsiness often haunts me during mid-to-late afternoon work/class/meetings. What also haunts me when I'm away from home is the lack of equipment needed to make chai. Nearly every time I feel drowsiness encroaching at work, I am painfully reminded of my lack of access to my favorite caffeine delivery system. I suspect I am not alone in this trap.Alas! Shruti recently found a nice solution: do-it-yourself tea bags. There are a variety out there, but I've been happy with bags from Finum. So without further rambling, the technique:Strainer-less 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
Technique
- Combine the water and milk in a saucepan
- Heat the water/milk mixture over medium-high heat
- Meanwhile, add loose tea and masala to a tea bag
- When water/milk is boiling, add to a mug containing the tea bag
- Steep for 3 minutes
- Remove and discard tea bag
- Add sugar
- Enjoy!
This method yields pretty good results, though the chai is a little weak in tea flavor, a little light in masala flavor, and a little strong on the sugar (although, the latter is perhaps not a bad thing).I suspect that flavors of the tea and masala are not as strong because tea bag imposes a barrier between the flavor "source" (tea+masala in the bag) and "sink" (water/milk). Weak tea and masala flavor may contribute to the strong sweet taste. Just a hunch. If you have ideas, I'd love to hear them.The bottom line is that this technique is an acceptable alternative to basic masala chai when a strainer isn't available. I'd suggest using more tea and masala, and less sugar per serving to improve the flavor of this variation.
