Proper preparation of Adagio Masala Chai?

[geeber1]

Do you just bring it to a boil or do you simmer it for a while? andycr512 suggested simmering it for about ten minutes.

It's amazing how many different ways there are to do every different kind of tea!

[tenuki]

IMO - Best premix masala chai on the general market is Tao of Tea's 500 mile Cha. Add fresh ginger to that and you have a reasonable facimile of masala cha I've been served by my Indian friends. Most american masala cha brands have too much pepper, and most of the recipes I've gotten from Indian friends don't have much pepper in them if at all but they all have fresh ginger...

How I prepare it is:

Place about a teaspoon/cup of mix into a pan ( I use a bit more )
add fresh thin cut ginger slices to taste
Boil the mix in water on high for at least 5 minutes
Turn down heat a bit to medium and
Immediately add half-and-half to taste
Bring the temp back up to just under boil ( you do not want to boil the milk)
Remove from stove and let cool a bit
Strain into drinking glasses and enjoy

If your tounge is not numb afterwards you have done something wrong..

Two additional suggestions.

1) I forget where I got it, but I have a authentic roadside vendor masala cha serving set that is really cool. There is a wire basket with cha glasses, and a neat strainer thingy. I'll post a pic if I can find it.

2) Make your own, here's a great masala cha recipe web site!

[geeber1]

Yum, that sounds delicious!

I love the chai cups ... looks like I'll be making another addition to my wish list!

[tseirPsaduJ]

almond milk sounds interesting also. We live in a small town, so I'm not sure where I can find it. Do you know of any major grocers that might sell it?

I make my own. Either grind 1/8-1/4 cup (per every 8oz. to be made) almonds in a coffee grinder and blend with warm water (chill after, the milk is sweeter when made with warm water), or if you have a high speed blender you could just put the whole Almonds and water in, and strain. You could do this with any nut or seed just about.

Although I am not big on milk in my tea, the RARE occasions I do (Chai or taking tea with a friend who always pre-prepares every cup like his), I actually like rice milk. I guess because it isn't oily or too thick like some animal or nut-based milks, and naturally sweet. Of course I am sure it depends on the tea, I cannot say this would be true in all cases. Anyway, I hope that solved the Almond milk problem. And If you want to make a "cream" instead of milk, I hear macademias, cashews, and brazil nuts are best for that. Make sure they are unroasted, or it will taste odd.

[tseirPsaduJ]

Thanks neowolf.

I'm glad to know I haven't been too far off, and it does taste better than powdered and any bags that I've tried, and even tastes good without milk. (Is it illegal to drink chai without milk? ) And it's sure cheaper than buying it at those overpriced coffee stores!

Have you tried using soy or any other type of milk?

As for the Chai without milk, I do it all the time. I also make variations of Kahva/numerous other names I don't care to type/spell/etc.

I found this recipe incase you want to try it:
http://madteaparty.wordpress.com/2007/0 ... nd-a-quiz/

[geeber1]

Thanks for the link, I didn't realize there were so many ways to prepare chai! It's interesting that they put almonds in with the tea. I also think that's the first recipe I've seen using green tea instead of black. You could sure keep busy trying all of the different methods of preparation!

I saw rice milk at the grocery store by the soy milk. Does it taste like rice or is it neutral tasting?

[tseirPsaduJ]

It's like a thin, slightly sweet, milky taste. It doesn't taste like rice to me. I liked it because it wasn't thick or oily. George had this high grown black tea (probably sri lankan), and he, as I said, premakes every cup like his own when you have tea with him, so he added the rice milk first, and amazingly it was very nice. Something about the natural floral/fruitiness of the tea with the thin lightness of the rice milk. I also do not sweeten my tea, and personally detest sugar in it more than anything else, but the SLIGHT sweetness of the rice milk was good. It was one of the best tea experiences I have had in ages, and I think it was only a medium-quality tea.

Sorry to babble, anyway, I suppose like anything it depends on your tastes and what type of tea you are using how you like it.

[geeber1]

I might try the rice milk, as long as I'm experimenting!

Are you talking George as in George Harrison? He looks like he's enjoying his tea on your avatar.

[tseirPsaduJ]

haha, George, as in a long time friend, and one of the only people I can share tea with.

[geeber1]

That's good, I though maybe you were a Ghost Whisperer! I always thought George H. was the coolest Beatle.

I need to find a tea buddy in my area. Hard to do with work, children, spouses, etc! Although my husband is enjoying trying out different types of tea. Couldn't get him on board with chai though.

[tseirPsaduJ]

He IS the coolest beatle. Present tense, not WAS, because he will always be the coolest. Next is Ringo and John. Some of Paul's work was okay with the beatles, but I didn't like him as a person very well. He would be bigelow brand store tea if he were a tea. Overly flavoured to make up for lack of quality. haha (and although I have talked to a few people, I have never talked to anyone famous after they left their body/shell. George Harrison would be one of my top picks for it if I could though.)

Try and get friends interested. I was kind of lucky, I know a few second and third generation English (and german) immigrants. Because they were away from their homeland they clung to their customs, and passed them on. George is all for tea time and wouldn't/couldn't miss it for the world. I am a hermit mainly, otherwise I could stop by any day of the week at just the right times and tea would be ready. The time he broke his arm falling off a ladder, he had his tea before he went to the hospital to have his arm set and cast.

Try and keep your husband interested too. It's be a nice way to relax together.

[henley]

Just purchased a tin of Adagio Masala Chai...
I brewed some and mixed it with sugar and milk. It tasted okay, except that using fat-free milk probably isn't correct and it tasted a bit watery.

Wish I had re-read this thread before making my Masala Chai tonight. The first thought I had when tasting it was that it seemed watery. Will up the leaf amount next time. Didn't add any milk but may try preparing it w/milk instead of water next time just to see what happens.

[geeber1]

I got a free sample from Yogic Chai the other day. It tasted a bit more "authentic" and seemed to be a bit stronger than the Adagio was. I only used 1 tsp. of chai blend to each cup of water.

The ingredients in the Yogic blend were smaller bits than the Adagio, maybe that's what made it spicier? I thought price-wise it might be more economical in the long run since you would use less chai per cup. (even though Yogic's blend was more expensive.)

Anyhoo ... using almond milk instead of regular milk made it less watery also. It was thicker than reg. milk but didn't seem to alter the taste. I found some hazelnut milk at the store and am going to try that also.

Henley, I loved your photo yesterday, especially the way you caught the flower reflection in the tea, beautiful!

[chamekke]

I discovered an old recipe for homemade chai that was stuck on the inside of one of my cupboards. I can't remember writing it, and now that I'm rereading it years later, I would certainly like to ask my younger self a few pointed questions...

To make CHAI:

- 2 or 3 cinnamon sticks
- big handful cardamom pods
- cloves (sm handful)
- ginger
- peppercorn

Eh? How much tea? How much water? What is a big vs. "sm" handful of something? What's this about ginger and peppercorn? And how long do I simmer this mix for, anyway?

Bleah.

[geeber1]

chamekke,

It's good to see that other people have those vague recipes from yesteryear! Maybe when we were younger we thought we'd always remember everything.

Now I have trouble remembering what I did yesterday, never mind years ago.

I'd better get back to what I was doing before this post. Hmmmm, what WAS I doing? Where am I? Who am I?