Sweetie, that’s Chai
It was a summer afternoon when I was out on my bike in the hip town next to mine with a chai-fiend friend. I was really, really overwarm. I asked for a chai at the hip coffee shop and a very hip-looking man gave it to me. Looking back, he was probably gangly and about 17 years old, but I thought he was awesome. He almost flirted with me (cradle robber! I must have been twelve years old. The novelty of going places on my bike had not yet worn off). I sipped, and I wanted to die. I remember I could barely drink the whole thing, it was so sweet. So sweet, so milky and delightful, I found it hard to believe I hadn’t drunken it sooner.
Every chai has not been an attempt to get back to that one, thankfully. I don’t know if I could, and if I did, I don’t think I would like it very much. I’ve come to appreciate the less sugared chais, the tea that has blackness and pepper mixed in with the milk. I like the chai I make in my own kitchen on a hot afternoon as much as the fru-fru one I can get from any one of a dozen places. I also know that it’s ok that I’m no chai wallah. I don’t run a chai stall–I just use my mom’s teapot and some teabags from the grocery store. I can’t recreate a dusty main street in southeast Asia any more than I can make a real Indian chai. But despite my ignorance of both the coffee shop’s and the chai stall’s secret recipes, I have still managed to make a decent drink. At least, it tastes good on a hot afternoon. And I don’t have to feign hipness to get it. I offer its iced form to you.
Iced Chai Tea (for two normal or one thirsty person/s)
Boil two cups of water. Pour over two bags of chai tea, any variety; I prefer the strong black Tazo chai–rather peppery. And it’s a fact that strong hot tea makes for better iced tea.
Allow tea to steep for five minutes. Remove tea bags and stir in about a quarter cup of milk and, if you like, a tablespoon of sugar. Fill two mugs or one tall glass with ice and pour the tea over. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Drink and read the tea bag tags; that’s where I learned what a “wallah” is.
