Okay, so the other day I was messing around in the kitchen, feeling a bit adventurous, and I thought, “Why not try making some green tea chai?” I’d heard about it and it sounded kind of interesting, a bit different from my usual tea routine.

First off, I had to gather my ingredients. I already had some green tea on hand – I prefer loose leaf, but you can totally use tea bags if that’s what you’ve got. Then, for the “chai” part, I grabbed a bunch of spices from my pantry: some cloves, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and a little bit of ginger ’cause I like that spicy kick. I didn’t have any fresh ginger, so I just used the ground stuff. Worked fine, I guess.

The process was pretty straightforward. I started by boiling some water in a pot. While waiting for the water to boil, I crushed the spices up a little bit with a mortar and pestle. You don’t need to grind them into a fine powder, just enough to release their flavors.

Once the water was boiling, I tossed in the spices and let them simmer for a few minutes. The smell was amazing, it was really filling my kitchen with a delicious aroma.

• Boiled water in a saucepan.
• Added crushed spices to the boiling water.
• Simmered for about 5 minutes to let the flavors infuse.
• Added green tea leaves to the spiced water.
• Steeped for another 3-4 minutes.
• Strained the tea into a mug.

Next, I added the green tea leaves to the spiced water. I turned down the heat and let it steep for maybe 3-4 minutes. You don’t want to steep green tea for too long, or it gets bitter, and that’s gross.

Finally, I strained the tea into a mug, gave it a good stir, and took a sip. The results were not bad.

The first thing I noticed was the color. It was a light golden-brown, kind of like a regular chai but with a hint of green. The taste was definitely unique. You could taste the green tea, but it was all mixed up with the warm spices. It was lighter than regular black tea chai, which I appreciated.

I did a bit of reading afterward, and it turns out that both green tea and chai have a lot of antioxidants. That’s good for immunity and blood circulation, or so I’ve read. They also have these things called flavonoids, which are apparently good for you too.

My two cents

Overall, I’d say making green tea chai was a fun little experiment. It’s a nice change from regular tea, and it’s pretty easy to make. Plus, it smells fantastic while it’s brewing. If you’re looking for a new tea to try, give it a shot. You might be surprised.