tea

I love tea.

Part of the reason tea charms me so is the power it possesses to transport me to another place or time. Whatever the stress, boredom or weariness is that hangs over me, it falls away in the time-honoured ritual of brewing and sipping a cup of tea. In the best circumstances this is an unhurried process. Measure the tea into the strainer. Wait for the water to boil with a book in hand. Gently pour the boiling water over the tea leaves and be amazed -for the millionth time- at the miraculous alchemy that turns humble water and leaves into ambrosia.

But even when conditions aren’t optimal for a quiet, contemplative tea brewing experience -as happens more often than not in a home with five young sons- tea retains the ability to alter my mood for the better with its mere presence. Having a cup of tea at hand is my insulation from what the world throws at me.

It is no exaggeration to say that the post-holiday level of noise and chaos around these parts has been, in a word, extreme. With the kids reluctantly returning to studies, the weather being consistently frightful, and the gentle glow of the festive start to the new year ebbing away, tea moves from the realm of luxury to necessity. Although the available time to tarry over crafting the perfect cuppa has dwindled my desire for drinking it has not. The solution is tea concentrate.

Get it?

Tea?

Solution?

Please forgive me.

Tea concentrate makes it possible for me to turn out a Chai Latte capped with whipped cream and dusted with fragrant cinnamon in less than two minutes. My Chai Lattes rival the green about the gills mermaid’s at a fraction of her waterway robbery prices.

While I’m normally a loose-leaf tea girl, bagged Chai tea is one of my diversions. If you don’t already have a brand that you prefer, I like Stash and Bigelow chai blends. Use whichever brand you prefer. If you prefer, you can use rice milk, soy milk, or almond milk in place of dairy milk both in the brewed tea and the prepared latte.

With a cup of Chai Latte in hand I can laugh while staring into the whites of our inevitable winter’s eyes. I can tune out the sound of the boys wrestling two feet behind me. I can tackle that pile of laundry in the basement. Well, maybe I should have another Chai Latte before I try that laundry part…

For a photo-free, printer friendly version of this recipe, click here!

Chai Latte Concentrate

Ingredients:

12 Chai tea bags
4 cups cold, fresh water
1 1/2 cups milk

Place the tea bags, cold water and milk in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. When you reach the boil, drop the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and squeeze the tea bags to extract as much flavor and liquid as possible. Discard tea bags and transfer the Chai Latte Concentrate to a heat-safe container. Allow to cool to room temperature, put a tight fitting lid on the container and store in the refrigerator for up to 12 days.

To prepare a Chai Latte:

When making the Chai Latte you have ultimate control over flavors, sweetness and creaminess. If you like a richer latte, use chocolate syrup as your sweetener and substitute half and half for your milk. If you’re watching your calories, use low-fat milk and stevia. My own personal preference dictates a latte lightly sweetened with half agave and half sugar and made creamy with whole milk. But see? This is another advantage of making it at home. You can be as high or low maintenance as you want and no barista will give you the stink eye.

Ingredients:

1/3- 1/2 cup of milk
1/2- 2/3 cup of Chai Latte Concentrate
1-3 teaspoons, to taste, of sweetener. I use a combination of agave nectar and raw sugar

Optional for serving:

Whipped cream
Cocoa powder
Ground cinnamon

Truthfully, doesn’t this just make you happy to see such a large container of heavy cream? My soul cries with joy.

Pour milk and concentrate into a saucepan or a microwave safe measuring cup.

Heat just until steaming. Pour into your serving glass and sweeten to taste.

Top as desired. I give mine a tall cap of whipped cream…

…and a dusting of cinnamon.

Sip. Relax. Repeat.

Coffee, tea or cocoa? Name your poison! (A reprisal)

Last February, I asked the readers of the Record-Eagle this vastly important question and most of my responses came from family. So I’m trying again with my ‘Foodie’ readers. Don’t get me wrong… I can listen to my family talk food all day and often do. I just want some perspective. Are we the only ones obsessed with our hot beverages? It cannot be so… I can’t wait to hear what you all have to say to this:

Two very devoted coffee drinkers raised me. My Dad said he knew that he liked my then-boyfriend, now-husband the first time they met because Lindy offered to buy my Dad a coffee during the first period break at a hockey game. He did however, have reservations when my husband asked whether he’d like cream and sugar. Dad said, “Why would I want to wreck a perfectly good cup of coffee with that junk?” Dad likes his coffee really strong. In fact, he was banned from making coffee at his office because he was the only one who could drink it.

My Mom drinks coffee so strong that it has, quite literally, given panic attacks to guests. Well, actually it only happened once, but I think my point is made. The son of one of her friends had palpitations, sweats and couldn’t sit still after drinking a demi-tasse of Mom’s joe. She occasionally drinks it with half-and-half (probably so that the coffee acids don’t eat through her esophagus and stomach lining…) Mom never measures. She doesn’t need to measure. If she fills the filter it’s probably almost strong enough.

My husband needs a cup or three of coffee in the morning to feel human. He has a couple cups throughout the day to keep on keeping on. We have five kids. Who can blame him? He used to drink it heavily sweetened and very pale. He now drinks it black except for the occasional afternoon cup with a little flavored creamer. He stopped adding all the goodies to his brew in an effort to become more fit (a successful attempt, I might add.)

Our pastor once half-jokingly stated, “Never trust a pastor who doesn’t like coffee.”

…And me? Odd gal out that I am, I’m almost exclusively a tea drinker. As a kid I loved tea. My mom says that on Saturday mornings, I’d wake up before everyone else and make myself a cup of tea to drink while I watched cartoons. As a teenager and younger adult I used to drink vast quantities of coffee. (With parents such as mine how could I do otherwise?)

One day, coffee suddenly stopped agreeing with my constitution — probably too much of a good thing. Decaf coffee tastes like it was brewed in a rusty tin pot filtered by a dirty sweat sock. I hate cola. My only caffeine option was tea. I am now a certifiable tea nut.

I order fabulous loose-leaf teas by the pound. A quote on my favorite tea store’s website says, “Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cozy, doesn’t try it on.” (Billy Connolly) In fact, I got myself set up to have a wholesale account just so I could keep myself in great tea. I just discovered a fabulous tea blend called Chocolate Cream. Oh yummy, yum, yum! Listen to this description:

“Rich, sumptuous, and indulgent describes this blend of black tea, coconut, cocoa bits, chocolate chips, peppermint, and flavor. The aroma and flavor of creamy dark chocolate is so pronounced you almost feel guilty.”

Oh my. I need a cup now!

I had a friend who visited my house nearly every day after school. When he entered the door, my Mom and I would greet him with our automatic, ingrained response to anyone who crossed our threshold, “Would you like some coffee? Tea? Cocoa?” …He would stare at us with an incredulous expression and remind us that he didn’t like hot drinks. He never quite got through to us. I still assume everyone likes one of those in a devoted way. I still ask everyone. Heck, I even asked the UPS guy one day. He looked cold.

Last winter, I was back in touch with that old friend for the first time in over a decade. One of the first things I asked him was whether he rememberd how thick-headed I was about offering him coffee, tea and cocoa. He laughed and informed me that now he was slavishly devoted to coffee and he blamed me. I win.

What about you? Coffee, tea or cocoa? Do you take it plain or doctored up? Hi octane or decaf? With snacks or without? Name your poison!

**Since I am now sitting on a beach somewhere I will be unable to agree with or tease you all about your choices. I’m pretty sure I’ll be where wi-fi isn’t, so be patient with me. I will get back to you all and in the meantime talk amongst yourselves. Topic? Coffee, tea or cocoa. Discuss!

Chai Latte Tea Concentrate

Chai Latte Concentrate

To prepare a Chai Latte:

Coffee, tea or cocoa? Name your poison! (A reprisal)