Chai Tea Latte at Home

Hard to believe it's March already:0 but here we are! It really feels like all my recent posts have been predominantly about food... so I will make a conscious effort to post some more crafty things over the next few posts. But until then, have a drink on me.

I have been known at times to appreciate the pretentious atmosphere of the local Starbucks certainly just as well as the next sheep. But not being a coffee drinker limited me to steamed milk for quite some time....but after a while they offered (or at least I noticed that they offered) the tea lattes. I had been served chai tea many years ago when visiting the home of one of my university professors. They steeped regular Tetley Orange Pekoe teas along with one cinnamon stick, 5 green cardammom pods, and 3 whole cloves. It made a nice lightly spiced Chai which was as close to how tea was made 'back home' for them. I found it quite enjoyable as it was not overly spiced as many Chai Teas available here can be. At the time I did not realize that this was Chai Tea as Chai Tea was not being sold here is as much variety as it is today. Every now and again I will make a pot just as my professor did.........but now I've been turned on to the Chai Tea Latte, and the Matcha Tea Latte, and the London Fog....all of which can be easily and much more cost effectively made at home. Today I made myself a Chai Tea Latte....and it was equally as good as Starbucks if I do say so myself and $4 cheaper. I used the grocery store brand which I happen to like as it's a bit chocolaty and not overly spicy. It's absolutely amazing to me the amount of money people will deem to be disposable........at 2 visits a week that's $440 per year for one person....yikes! Compared to the one I can make at home for less that $0.50 and all those paper cups and sleeves not going to landfill.....I think I'll make my own. Don't get me wrong......a few times each year I do enjoy the chance to soak up the atmosphere with a friend....but I'd have to have more money than brains to do it regularly........

Chai Tea Latte

6 oz skim milk
1 bag chai tea
1 tsp vanilla syrup

Heat milk and tea bag in a small sauce pan over medium heat just until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat, remove bag and pour steeped milk into your cup. (My china mug is from a local thrift store) Add vanilla syrup and enjoy:)

If you don't happen to have vanilla syrup around.....and it's actually quite weird that I had some, you could make you own simple syrup solution and throw a vanilla bean in it to steep and make enough to use in the future, or just sweeten the tea with a tsp of sugar (to taste) and a splash of vanilla extract.