Laurens Masala Chai Concentrate Recipes

LAUREN'S MASALA CHAI CONCENTRATE

Steps:

• special note about spices (If you have a bulk foods or Whole Foods or Vitamin Cottage kind of grocer nearby, get the spices from the bulk section. They often cost 25% what you'd pay for a jar! My total ingredients expense was around $1.50, not including the milk!).
• In a medium-large saucepan, bring about 7 cups water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, add the 6 spices (do not add the tea yet).
• Once the water/spice mixture is boiling, add the tea.
• Boil 5 minutes, then remove from heat. (I know you're never supposed to boil tea, but I found this works just fine. If you don't want to boil the tea, just boil the spices for 5 minutes and steep slightly longer.).
• Stir in the brown sugar (or honey) and vanilla.
• Steep for 8 minutes, then strain into a glass container.
• While you wait for it to cool, pour a mug 2/3 full with your chai and add hot milk to the top. (If it isn't spicy or sweet enough, you can still add more spices to steep - just strain the mixture again before storing.) OR for a real treat, use hot evaporated milk (I wouldn't want this every day, because its a little sweeter and creamier than regular milk.).
• Store in the refrigerator for 7 days (maybe longer, but all chai concentrate containers claim 7 days is best). Note: Normally you'd use 1:1 ratio of chai:milk, but I brew it a little weaker and save $ on milk since I drink so much chai.

AWESOME (AND ECONOMICAL) CHAI CONCENTRATE

Steps:

• Pour condensed milk and spices into the blender and blend on high speed for a few seconds until the milk looks evenly "flecked" with spices.
• Pour mixture into a clean jar or container with a lid.
• Refrigerate at least 24 hours.
• Alternatively, pour mix into ice cube trays and freeze.
• To use concentrate: Brew a strong black tea or strong herbal tea of your choice.
• Stir in 1 frozen concentrate cube or 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of chai concentrate mix per cup of freshly steeped tea.
• Frozen cubes will keep up to one year in the freezer if you pop them out of the trays and store in a freezer bag.
• Concentrate will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

SPICED CHAI CONCENTRATE

Steps:

• Prepare the spices and the tea; set aside. Bring the water to a boil and remove from heat. Add the spices and the tea bags then allow the mixture to steep for 15 minutes.
• Strain the mixture into a 4-cup glass measuring cup or large bowl, discarding the spices. Add the sugar, honey and the vanilla and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture into a jar and store in the refrigerator.
• To serve, mix 1 part concentrate with 1 part milk or half-and-half. Heat for a warm beverage or pour over ice to enjoy cold.