Tea Drinking Notes #1: Morning Tea and Afternoon Chai

Mornings used to be about that first cup of dark roast coffee - au lait. David and I used to greet the day with the burr grinder and those shiny beans as though that cup would somehow transport us out of sleep and into the day. Somewhere over the last year, all that changed as my body has changed. As a friend once said, I love coffee but coffee doesn't love me.

Although I still drink an espresso or cappuccino later in the day, I'm now all about tea in the morning. I've always enjoyed tea but I'm slowly becoming a connoisseur as I explore the new (to me) world of the little leaf.

Each morning I take quick stock of myself and determine what I feel like drinking. My morning tea is definitely different than my afternoon tea. In the morning I need something bold to lift the fog like the coffee used to do.

Is it a Lapsang Souchong with its smoky essence of sweet pine?

Or maybe a black tea with a delicate floral scent of roses or bergamot? Tao of Tea's Rose Petal Black is a favorite for that craving. Sometimes it's a straight ahead breakfast blend - no surprises. Always with a little milk and never with sugar.


Magical Chai
Afternoons are often my favorite time for hot sweet and milky chai.

The best chai I've found is Steven Smith Teamakers Blend No. 33, Masala Chai. Some purchased chai's are loaded with cloying essences and oils to get the strong spicy citrus combo you want most. But Smith uses ginger root and pink peppercorns along with cardamom (a must) and black pepper. He also blends them all with Assam tea - my favorite for its black tea strength with a contrasting smoothness.

When I make my own chai I use a recipe from Rebar restaurant's self published Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook. It uses Assam tea, cardamom pods, star anise, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks and peppercorns.

This tea nursed me through a difficult, cold January last year when my father was ill and it comforted me in the days after his passing. 


Chai with fresh ginger, cardamom and cinnamon 

from Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook
Serves 4

4 cups water
1 large ginger thumb, peeled and sliced
1 x 3" cinnamon stick
6 cloves
10 cardamom pods, crushed
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
3 Assam tea bags (or other good black tea)
2 T honey or agave
1-1/2 cups milk, soy or rice
Place water and spices in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce hear, partly cover and gently simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture, discard the solids and return the liquid to the pot. Add the tea bags and let them steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and still in the sweetener and milk. Re-heat. Adjust sweetness and milk levels to taste, and serve.

Enjoy!