013/365
I was obviously feeling very inspired this evening, because I did something with chai that I’ve never done before. When I think of chai, I think of milk. That’s my stock, word-association response. Today, I paired it with…apple juice! It was one of those things that I was convinced wouldn’t work, but it actually really does.
I used 250ml cloudy apple juice – the good stuff – although I don’t think that’s absolutely necessary. I added 100ml water to thin it a bit, and heated those up together in a pan until almost boiling. I turned off the heat, added 3 bags of this chai, and left it for 6 minutes with the lid on. What you get when you return is Christmas in a pan. It smells delicious.
It also tastes delicious. The apple juice becomes a solid background for the chai spices to play on, and it’s possible to pick out the cinnamon, ginger, and clove. I chose this blend particularly because it’s supposed to be on the stronger side, and I figured it would need to be to compete with the juice. I’m pleased with the balance I achieved, for a first attempt.
I will go back and try this one straight, and probably with milk, because obviously I can’t comment super-reliably on the tea just from drinking this. I love it, though, and I can totally see myself making a timolino of this for the walk to work on a cold morning.
It’s my new favourite thing.
