I am an avid tea drinker. Not of powdered leftovers packaged into tea bags masquerading as tea. Oh no – only tea of the lose-leaf variety can be found on the shelves of my kitchen! It is the ritual of tea-making that I find so compelling. Selecting the tea, warming the pot, steeping the leaves, choosing the tea cup/mug/glass (my selection of tea drinking vessels is as vast as my selection of tea), pouring the tea, and finally sitting down to enjoy a steaming hot cuppa. Discussing such rituals whilst sharing perfectly brewed cups of Lady Grey (a flat favourite), my flatmate Chi ventured to suggest I might be a tea snob. He’s right. There is no denying it. But I don’t mind.
When the team chose spices as this month’s theme, I couldn’t resist sharing this recipe for Chai tea. We make this at the flat in a very haphazard sort of way, throwing in whichever spices take our fancy. As a consequence the flavours change subtly every time it is served so that sometimes it is quite spicy, and at other times more sweet. I have to admit though, I think my brother Tim makes the best brew. The flavours in his Chai are always perfectly balanced and it is always just sweet enough. The last time Tim made Chai I watched over his shoulder and made a mental note of the ingredients. So really this recipe is his.
