chocolate chai adventures
Feb 4, 2009 
I’m weird about chai. I like a strong undercurrent of spice, but I don’t want too much cardamom or fennel up in my grill. I suppose I prefer a mellow chai: not too sweet, and with a strong tea backbone. But this theory was shattered when we were in Ireland at a music festival and one tent offered chocolate chai. Are you kidding? Why hadn’t I thought of this before? I’ve tried to replicate it, but I still haven’t nailed it. So far, my best approximation is:
1 c strong black tea (I use 2 teabags)
1/3 c honey
1/4 c cocoa
2 c milk
2 T vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t ginger
Add everything to a pot and simmer, whisking, until piping hot. This is enough for 2 big mugs of tea that come pretty close to replicating the chocolate chai of last summer’s vacation. It still isn't perfect. But I think that’s because the experience was flavored by being on vacation, wearing striped over-the-knee socks and wellies with stars on them, while tromping though Irish fields with live music in the background.
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Reader Comments (4)
"I don't want too much cardamom or fennel up in my grill." This totally exemplifies your writing for me--just when you're floating along on something warm and cozy, something hilarious whaps you in the face. Or in the grill, as it were.
I thought mine tasted too chocolatey but I realized I added a bit too much cocoa (1/3c instead of 1/4). Cutting it with rum is doing just the trick for me right now during this cold Vermont twilight. thanks for the recipe.
Sounds tasty. I'm looking forward to comparing it to my far less sophisticated version where I dump a quarter teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and a dash of vanilla extract to my mug of instant hot chocolate (made with milk).
My hubby is enjoying his new Jimmy, which arrived in time for Christmas. Thank you!
I've been slowly gathering all of the chai tea recipes I can find so that I can finally make the perfect tea. Thank you so much for this post AND for this whole blog! It's wonderful...