October is chai weather. In Hindi, chai means tea and masala chai means spiced tea, so when you buy a chai from us, what's in the tin is the masala: the spice blend you brew with tea. We make three.
Classic Chai is the spicy one. You taste black peppercorn, cardamom, and ginger first, with cassia cinnamon, cloves, and orange peel underneath.
Roast Chai is mellower. We roast the spices and leave out the ginger and cardamom, so you taste coriander, cinnamon, fennel, and clove, and with a black tea in the cup you'll pick up notes of chocolate and coffee.
Pink Chai is the odd one out. It's an all-in-one herbal blend, so there's no black tea to add. The base is Honeybush and Rooibos, with pink peppercorns and roses, plus cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger. A little beet powder turns the cup pink. Pour a cup of boiling water over two to three tablespoons, steep for five minutes, then stir in honey and half a cup of warm milk. Steamed half-and-half or coconut milk makes it extra velvety.
Spices first, tea second
Chai spices need more time and more heat than tea leaves do, so we brew them in two steps. For Classic Chai or Roast Chai, put a heaping tablespoon in a small pot with 12 ounces of water, bring it to a simmer, and let it bubble gently for three to five minutes. Then take the pot off the heat, add two to three teaspoons of black tea, and steep for three to four minutes. We like Jorhat Assam here. It's brisk and malty with a deep body, and you can still taste it through the milk and spice. Strain it into a mug and add milk and sweetener to taste. More milk gives you a softer, rounder cup, and less keeps the spice up front.
You can also skip the black tea entirely. Simmer the masala on its own for a spiced, caffeine-free cup, or add Rooibos or Honeybush to the pot along with the spices and simmer them together. Rooibos has a subtle smokiness and pairs well with milk, and Honeybush is sweeter, with a honey-like flavor. Either way, you can have a second mug after dinner without staring at the ceiling at midnight.
Out of the cup
Roast Chai goes into baking, too. For the waffles and the pie, grind it first in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
Chai-Infused Maple Syrup takes two ingredients. Warm a cup of maple syrup with a tablespoon of Roast Chai over low heat for about ten minutes, without letting it boil, then strain out the spices. Pour it over pancakes, stir it into coffee, or sweeten your next chai with it.
Roast Chai Gluten-Free Waffles have ground Roast Chai and vanilla in a buttermilk batter made with gluten-free flour. Top them with sliced apples, a pat of butter, and that maple syrup.
Roast Chai Pecan Pie stays close to the classic, with cane syrup, brown sugar, and a splash of bourbon, plus two teaspoons of ground Roast Chai in the filling. You'll taste the clove and black pepper against the caramelized pecans, and the spice takes the edge off the sweetness. If you're already planning Thanksgiving pies, put this one on the list.
How do you make your chai? Saucepan or kettle, lots of milk or a splash, sugar or none at all. Share Your Chai Tip
Winter squash is piled high right now, and it's easier to cook than it looks. Here's how we roast it, the blends we reach for, a staff casserole, and three squash recipes to try this week.
