Growing up I always enjoyed a cup of hot tea, just plain pekoe black tea with a little milk and sugar. Memories were created around drinking tea.  The sweetness of a cup of hot tea always reminds me of a great aunt who served me tea in her New Orleans home as a child.  To this day I still think of my sister when I add too much milk to my hot tea…she likes a lot of milk in her cup of hot tea. The story was once told to me that she was given a little tea in her baby bottle of milk.  Now she continues to drink hot milk with a little tea! Seeping tea by placing a saucer over the teacup instead of under it reminds me of how children are watching us before they can even talk…my son at 18 months old placed the saucer over his teacup playing tea party with a 2-year-old little girl. My son had watched his Nana do this so many times after Sunday lunch that he did not know saucers were to be placed underneath the teacup.  And finally, Sunday lunches at my MawMaw’s place always ended with a cup of hot tea after the meal (never coffee!). Now as an adult, I know other kinds of tea exist including chai. Below is a recipe for a hot chai latte using a homemade spice mix. Enjoy!

Chai Latte

Servings:  32  [1 teaspoon servings]

Chai spice mix ingredients (no caffeine, sugar, or milk powder):

• 4 Tablespoons cinnamon
• 3 Tablespoons ground ginger
• 4 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1 Tablespoons ground black pepper (reduce by at least 1/2 for less spice)
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon cloves

Instructions:

• Make the chai spice mix first. Add all spices to a small jar and shake or stir to combine.  Mixture keeps for 3 months at room temperature.
• To make a chai latte, add 1 teaspoon chai spice to 2 teaspoons hot water. Stir until partially dissolved.  Add 8 ounces or more of warm milk (or a milk of your choice – almond, soy, coconut).  I usually add cold milk, then microwave until warm.  The spice mix can settle to the bottom; stir again as needed while drinking to distribute the spices .  If you would like caffeine in your chai latte, start with a brewed cup of pekoe black or other caffeinated tea and add the chai spice and the desired amount of milk to the cup.  Add sweetener (sugar or maple syrup) if desired.  Bon Appetit!

This recipe has been adapted from a recipe by https://minimalistbaker.com/5-minute-caffeine-free-chai-mix/