I vividly remember losing my chai tea virginity... It was over a year ago, I was visiting my best friend for the summer and she bought a soy chai tea at Whole Foods. Naturally, I stole it and drank it all. Who would have thought that in that moment my life would change forever. No, I'm not exaggerating -though, I have been known to favor the hyperbole on occasion, this is not one of those times-. I became nothing short of addicted. I have never been an avid Starbucks goer-or any coffee shop for that matter- but now I was going everyday. This was before I was vegan, so I got it with dairy milk, last winter I switched to soy which seemed to momentarily comfort my guilty conscious. I knew that I needed to stop drinking it... To preach about a healthy lifestyle and then proceed to drink copious amounts of glorified sugar water is hypocrisy at it's finest. So I decided to take control of my sugary little problem and make my own, healthier chai tea. After much, much trial and error, I have finally found a recipe that is delicious and simple; two of my favorite adjectives. This recipe is vegan AND soy free. I try to stay away from soy because of things I have read about estrogen and soy. Anywho, you are welcome to use whatever kind of plant-based milk you desire, but I can't promise you anything. I have tried rice, hemp, and almond mil. The hemp milk kind of curdled, the rice was just gross, and the almond milk was just right.
Okay. You will need three ingredients. That's it. It's so simple I feel almost criminal writing this post.
1. Celestial Seasonings Chai Tea-Decaffienated
2. Raw Sugar
3. Unsweetened Almond Milk
DIRECTIONS
The first step is the most crucial... Add your milk to your cup-preferably a really beautiful, huge one like the one I have got- I don't know why but putting the milk in before the tea makes it taste delicious, if I put it in after the tea, it turns out horribly. I don't understand the science behind it, but just trust me.
I use my Keurig and the little reusable K-Cup insert to put my tea bags in- I ALWAYS use two teabags, I know it's wasteful but I cannot stand my tea with just one-, and in less than 30 seconds I have a lovely mug of tea.
The final step is to add your sweetener. Ta da! I know this is offensively simple, but I hope it helps people looking for a vegan, soy free recipe. The brand of chai tea in conjunction with the milk trick is the key to success, my friends.
Are there other ridiculously simple chai recipes I am missing out on? How do you make your favorite comfort drink? Am I crazy for thinking that the order in which I put the milk actually makes a difference?
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