Today I messed around and made some black tea vanilla chai. It was a fun little experiment, and I wanna share how it went down.

Getting Started

First, I dug out some black tea from my stash. I went with Assam ’cause it’s what I had, but you could use Darjeeling or Ceylon too, whatever floats your boat. Black tea’s kinda bitter on its own, but it’s got that strong flavor that’s perfect for chai.

Making the Tea

• I boiled some water in a pot.
• Once it was bubbling, I tossed in a couple of tea bags.
• Let that steep for a good 5 minutes to get all that tea goodness out.

Spicing Things Up

Now for the fun part – the spices! I’m a big fan of the classic chai spices, so I threw in:

• Cinnamon sticks – can’t have chai without that warm cinnamon-y vibe.
• Fresh ginger – peeled and sliced it up real thin. Gives it a nice kick.
• Cardamom pods – smashed ’em a bit to release that amazing aroma.
• Whole cloves – just a few, ’cause they’re pretty strong.

I let all those spices simmer with the tea for another 10 minutes or so. The kitchen started smelling like a spice market – so good!

Adding Milk and Sweetness

Chai’s gotta have that creamy milkiness, right? So, I poured in some milk. I like the richness it adds. For sweetness, I added a some sugar.

The Vanilla Twist

Here’s where I got a little creative. I had some vanilla extract, so I thought, why not? I added a teaspoon of that into the mix. It gave the chai this subtle sweetness and that familiar vanilla flavor I love.

Final Steps

• I let everything simmer together for a few more minutes, just to make sure all the flavors really got to know each other.
• Then, I strained the whole thing into a mug, leaving all the tea bags and spices behind.

Enjoying the Brew

And there you have it – my homemade black tea vanilla chai! It was warm, spicy, and had that lovely hint of vanilla. Perfect for a cozy afternoon. It’s awesome how just a few simple ingredients can come together to make something so delicious. I definitely encourage you to try making your own chai at home – it’s way easier than you might think!