Chill Baby and Drink Hot Chai

We in America drink iced chai tea as a great pick me up and refreshment. It doesn’t seem that long ago when this mysterious beverage showed up in our local haunts. I  first experienced it at Starbucks, and then at Wild Oats in a bottle. I would down one after a tough Yoga class. It was kind of like a candy drink both stimulating and sugary. Annually some one billion Indians consume chai tea daily,  and according to my friend Vidya who lived in India (where the drink comes from), chai tea is typically drunk hot, not cold and serves as a way to chill the body as opposed to consuming an iced cold drink the way we do in the States.

The Indians believe that by drinking this blend of rich black Indian tea leaves infused with clove, cinnamon and cardamon one can  more healthfully reduce one’s body heat from the inside-out, as it were. Understandably this method works when air-conditioning and fans are not available! (Now here's a way to get off the grid!). It is common for Indians to run by a chai stand and gulp a hot one in a matter of seconds, creating the heat, the "shvitz" and the cool. On top of that the caffeine and sugar keep the motor going, as it were.

The following is a recipe that Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis drink. The secret to this at home American preparation is the Red Label- Brooke Bond  loose leaf tea which is available at specialty markets. The label calls it "a cheerful drink for the family". Is that because it is not expensive and a little bit goes a long way? Or perhaps, because, and you can read  my lips:  IT IS STRONG. Still, all in all, this particular tea seems to have the natural warming spices within and feels soothing.  You can substitute the sugar with your favorite sweetener according to taste.

1/8 cup of Red Leaf loose tea per cup of water

1/8 cup of sugar

1/8 cup of milk

Bring the tea and water to a boil. Add the sugar to the boiling water, then add the milk. Allow

the tea and milk mixture to boil so rapidly that it rises as if doubling in quantity. Remove from

heat and strain the tea, milk, and sugar mixture into a pot or cups Discard the tea granules (for composting). Feel the buzz and chill.