Chi Tea

After the hummus learning experience, I decided to make chi tea, something that I have been craving since I got back from India.  While you can buy a variety of chi types at Starbucks and Caribou, American chi simply doesn't compare, so when I found this recipe, I was eager to give it a try.

2 cups water

¼ cup loose Darjeeling tea leaves or 5 tea bags black tea

2 cups whole or 2% milk

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 whole cloves, crushed

2 to 4 black peppercorns, crushed

Pinch of ground cinnamon

¼ cup sweetened condensed milk or 4 teaspoons sugar
  
In 2-quart saucepan, heat water to a rapid boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low.
Add tea leaves; simmer 2 to 4 minutes to blend flavors. If using tea bags, remove and discard
Stir in remaining ingredients except sweetened-condensed milk.  Heat to boiling
 Stir in sweetened condensed milk. Strain through strainer into cups. 

Just typing this recipe reminds me of the perfectly flavored Indian chi, of which I drank pots.  If you have ever been to India, you know that it is a wash of different smells, and not all of them pleasant.  However, amidst the smells of sandalwood, sewage, street venders, and a host of smells I could rarely identify, I quickly learned to identify the subtly sweet aroma with a hint of cardamom that meant chi was nearby.  I happened to be in Delhi during one of their coldest Januarys on record, and having only brought one sweater since I was going to “tropical” India, the warmth that trickled down my throat always stopped my shivering. When the high hit –20 last week in Wyoming, I was eager to make chi to warm me up.  Unfortunately, I remained as frozen as 1997 Honda CRV (which wouldn’t start all week), because I now that cardamom costs about $10 for a little bottle, and cloves and peppercorns another $5 each.  A college student’s budget doesn’t allow for spending $20 on about a teaspoon of spices.  So if you make this recipe, let me know if it’s worth $20.