Wintry Orange Chai

I spent a month and a half testing different mixes of herbs until I reached this one... at which point it became christmas presents for everyone two years ago.  Since this is such a large batch, I also calculated it out into "parts."

Ingredients
- Cinnamon, chips:  1 C (4 parts)
- Orange peel, dried:  1 C (4 parts)
- Ginger, powder:  1 tsp (~1 pinch)
- Cloves, whole:  3/8 C (2 parts)
- Cardamom, whole pods 1/2 C (2 parts)
- Rose petals, no stem:  1/4 C (1 part)
- Rose hips:  1/8 C (1/2 part)
- Nutmeg, powder (freshly grated is far better):  1/2 tsp (~2 grates)
- Vanilla bean, powder:  1 tsp (~1 small pinch)
- Peppercorn, powder:  1/2 tsp (~1 very small pinch)

(click to enlarge)

Method
- Toss all ingredients together
- Store in air-tight container... I like to use small mason jars.


Brewing directions
- Steep up to 1 tablespoon per cup, in boiled water for 5 min.  I like to add a bag of plain black tea or oolong or rooibos... the loose tea tends to sift to the bottom of the spice mix if you add it in during storage.  Be sure to steep long enough, these are whole spices.
- Optionally, try using 1 heaped tablespoon in 1/2 C boiled water for 5 min.  Add 1/2 C milk (soy or cow, but soy is best) and simmer... just scald, do not boil or it will curdle the milk.

A very small cup of chai, with a little black tea added, no milk

Notes
- I get my herbs and spices from Mountain Rose Herbs, everything there is organic or cultivated without chemicals, and they have the best prices/quality/shipping I have been able to find.  Now I realize how much McCormick rips you off!
- If you have to delete ingredients, I would say that the following would make the least impact to lose:  rose petals (which are mostly for decoration), rose hips (for extra vitamin c), nutmeg.  The vanilla bean powder is expensive in terms of herbs, but it really tastes different without it and loses a smooth sweetness.  And it's not chai without cardamom...
- If you use powdered instead of chipped/whole, use far less.  Powdered spices are quite strong when steeping.
- If you use fresh orange peel, use slightly more, but do not store it with the dry spices.
- This can be a cute gift if you put it in a small mason jar, put decorative cloth under the metal rim (but over the lid), and tie a bow with a cinnamon stick.  :)

I love this tea equally for the taste and for how beautiful it is to watch in the mug. There's just something really satisfying about a whole-spice tea.