Potato Patch Recipes
Chai Tea

The first time I experienced Chai Tea Latte was at a Starbucks coffee shop in Las Vegas.  I fell in love with it.  Chai Tea comes in many different flavors and people tend to have their favorites.  The Chai Tea Recipe that I am writing about today is a homemade recipe that can be a make ahead recipe because it will last up to 3 days after making it. 

What makes this Chai Tea Recipe so unusual is that it is made in a Crock Pot | Slow Cooker.  If you try it I am confident that you will enjoy it.  Let us know what you think.

Do you know what Chai is?  Let me tell you:  Chai is a spiced tea that has its origins in India.  If you go to India you find that Chai Tea is the most popular drink over there.  Chai Tea is the Indian’s answer to the morning cup of coffee.  What makes the tea so special is the almost mystical blending of the spices.

As an added bonus you can rest assured that tea, especially Chai Tea has many health benefits.  That’s right!! This Chai Recipe can be considered a healthy beverage.  The black tea in this recipe contains powerful antioxidants.  There are many studies that talk about how tea and Chai Tea help in the bodies fight against cancer.  Not only that but tea will help lower you cholesterol and high blood pressure and it is quite possible that Chai Tea will help repel the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.  Can your immune system ask for anything more?  I’m not a doctor so make sure to consult a medical professional before embarking on a cure or treatment for anything.

Let’s see what the tea leaves have to say….

How To Make Chai Tea

Chai Tea Ingredients

• 8 cups water (2 quarts)
• 8 bags black tea
• 3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup for less sweet)
• 16 whole cloves
• 16 whole cardamom seeds, pods removed optional
• 5 cinnamon sticks (optional to add more)
• 8 slices fresh ginger
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Place in a crock pot | slow cooker the water, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, tea, and cardamom if desired. 
2. Cover the crock pot | slow cooker and cook on high for 2-2 1/2 hours.
3. After cooking strain the mixture and get rid of the solids.
4. If you wish you can cover the tea and refrigerate it for up to three days.
5. Right before you serve the tea stir in the milk.
6. You may serve warm or chilled with extra cinnamon sticks if you desire.

Chai Teas

There are many Chai Teas.  Here is a partial list:

• Chai Black Tea
• Chi Tea Green Tea
• Chai Spiced Tea
• Yogi Chai Tea
• Organic Chai Tea
• Rooibos Chai Tea
• Chai Tea Caffeine
• Chai Tea Leaves
• Chai Decaffeinated or Decaf
• Tazo Chai

As you can see Chai Teas are plentiful.  That is because they have been around for hundreds of years in India.

Chai Tea Recipes

There are many different Chai Tea Recipes.  I have posted just one.  I think it is an Easy Chai Tea Recipe to make.  It is also a fast and simple recipe.  And making it in a slow cooker | crock pot makes it downright unique.  But you could be the “Gourmet Cook” and try all the different Chai Tea Recipes.  Beware:  Chai Tea is so delicious that you can become addicted.  A good addiction no doubt.

Chai Tea Concentrate

Like every other food item there is a quick, simple, and easy way to make Chai.  There is Chai Tea Concentrate.  You can buy the concentrate and not have to worry about mixing the ingredients.  But is that really any fun?  Where is your sense of adventure?  Using the concentrate would be like buying store bought cola instead of doing it up yourself.  I’m against Chai Tea Concentrate but won’t hold a grudge against anyone that chooses to use it.

There is no need to me to be a hypocrite when it comes to concentrate.  Heck, I use orange juice concentrate.  I also use apple juice concentrate.

When I go out to eat at an restaurant I want the real thing.  And I want it fresh.  No concentrates when I’m paying top dollar.   Easy recipes for two people that would like fresh tea really is not asking too much.  Is it?  I don’t think so.  That is the main reason that I always try and publish easy to make recipes on this site.

Food Cookbooks

When you pick a recipe out of a cookbook for a dinner, special occasion, or just a plain old ordinary lunch, you should always try and pair the meal with an appropriate drink.  This of course is where Chai Tea comes into play.  What is the sense of me writing a recipe for, let’s say Aloo Keema, which is an Indian Food, if you can’t pair it with an Indian drink?

I use Food Cookbooks when I want to brainstorm recipe ideas.  It isn’t always easy to come up with new recipes that people have yet to try and still be on the safe side when it comes to mass appeal.  What good is it to find a new recipe in a rebar modern food cookbook if nobody will eat it?

I guess Betty Crocker has the most popular of all food cookbooks.  I’m not sure it is the best cookbook but it is filled with easy recipes that anybody can make.  Maybe a good place to look for a recipe for green tea is in a green cookbook.  In my personal opinion the whole “green” thing has gone to far.

Have you noticed how all the car companies have jumped on the green bandwagon?  Just about every company has.  Before too long we are going to the people who make nuclear bombs jump on the bandwagon.  That is when we will all know the world is coming to an end.

Cooking menus that are put together by chefs or by cooking schools probably won’t have Chai Tea in them.  But that is what we are here for.  To fill in the gaps.

When you talk about healthy food recipes Chai Tea becomes a natural part of the discussion.  Healthy food recipes can include drinks and beverages.  Eating healthy food, drinking healthy drinks, and just staying in good shape is becoming an obsession among many people.

Now I will be the first to admit that not all food that taste good can be considered healthy.  For instance, the Potato Casserole Recipes that are on this blog are not exactly health food.  They sure do taste good.  So sometimes you have to be a bit naughty to get something nice.

Recipe For Chai Tea

So there you have it…A homemade Chai Tea Recipe.  Make Chai Tea and be happy.  Be a happy mystic.  That’s right Mystic Chai Tea.  Is there anything as a Chai Tea Bag?  I’m not sure but I think it would be a good idea.  If anybody knows what twinings Chai Tea is please let me know.

Ingredient tags: Chai Tea, Chai Tea Concentrate, Chai Tea Ingredients, Chai Tea Recipes, Chai Teas