Iced Chai Tea

Late summer this year in the Midwest has been one long heatwave punctuated by occasional thunderstorms. Most days, a hot cup of coffee isn’t what you’re looking for on a sweltering morning. At the same time, with Labor Day past us, we’re at least allowed to talk about fall, about cooler weather and apple picking. So what’s a cold beverage with an aromatic flavor palate that fits the bill? Iced Chai Tea.

This recipe for a Iced Chai Tea isn’t actually cold-brewed, but rather steeped and then put in to chill overnight. That means you could make this ahead, store it in a quart-sized jar, and have a pleasant, cool surprise for yourself in the morning. It’s perfect for the summertime when a hot beverage is the last thing you want, but in the fall you could alternatively drink this as a hot tea after steeping the spices.

Some of the spices in our Iced Chai—cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon—are pretty traditional fall flavors, but the flavor is more complex with the addition of anise and fennel and it has some added spicy notes with the peppercorn and ginger. All of them benefit from using whole spices, as steeping these straight or gently crushing them in a mortar and pestle releases much more flavor than pre-ground spices.

Having been made across centuries in diverse cultures with access to different spices and climates, there isn’t one definitive version of a chai spice mix. It certainly isn’t the corporate amalgam flavor that is served year round in coffee shop or by large manufacturers, as comfortably consistent as that may be.

All that means this is a nice opportunity to experiment, to dial in what you like. Want to sweeten up your chai tea? Add sugar in the steeping, or a bit of honey when you serve it. Like that spiciness? Double up your black pepper. Not into milk? Drink it straight to get a more focused flavor, or mix with any nut milk. It’s your mix, so you can easily find something you love that we didn’t expect!

Served with breakfast, you could easily pair an Iced Chai Tea with the heavy anise flavor of our biscotti or just a rich biscuit. On a hot afternoon, this would be a delicious refreshing snack by itself. Or, maybe you’re from Boston, where people take their iced beverages to an extreme and still drink them in the dead of winter. This will actually be an evergreen post for our New England friends.

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Iced Chai Tea

Aromatic spices steeped and combined with milk for a refreshing, flavorful beverage. Makes 1 quart.

Course: Breakfast, Drinks

Servings: 1 quart

Ingredients

• 1 tsp of cardamom seeds gently crushed
• 1 tsp of anise seeds gently crushed
• ½ tsp whole fennel gently crushed
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 inch piece of ginger sliced into ¼ inch disks
• ½ tsp nutmeg freshly grated
• Peels of 1 small lemon
• 2 cups water
• 2 black tea bags
• 2 ½ cups milk

Recipe

1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil with all spices.
2. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.
3. Add teabags and simmer for 5 more minutes.
4. Let cool to room temperature.

5. Pour through a strainer into a quart size jar.

6. Fill remainder of jar (or dilute to your preference) with milk.
7. Let chill overnight in refrigerator.
8. Serve and sweeten to your liking!