Chai Tea Latte: The Anti-coffee

A few weeks ago I posted a picture of a chai tea latte in my For the Love of Winter post, and got some questions as to what "that foamy tea" was.

Chai (or, Masala Chai) is a sweet and aromatic black tea originating from India. It's traditionally made of Assam or Darjeeling tea, spiced with star anise, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, fennel and ginger. Today, chai tea is consumed worldwide primarily for the taste, but the spices used in chai tea, as well as the brewed tea itself, have long been used in Eastern medicine; believed to be a powerfully natural anti-oxidant, stress reliever, mood elevator, immune and circulatory system stimulant and breath freshener. This stuff really delivers! I lived on Chai Tea lattes during my pregnancy with Freida when I opted to forgo coffee consumption. It lent me a fair amount of caffeine to get me through those pregnancy days, and now I really enjoy using it in the evenings when I'm in the mood of a "coffee break" sans late-night jitters.

You can use Organic Chai Tea bags, or you can go with the Original Oregon Chai Tea Latte boxed beverage. The boxed version is super delicious, but loaded with sugar. If you use the tea bags you can add a teaspoon of honey or even some calorie free sweetener. A "chai tea latte" is basically made up of 1 part chai tea, 1 part steamed/frothed milk. You can use any kind of milk you want, just froth it until it is hot and foamy.

Even Freida enjoys taking little sips of this sweet and spicy foam.

(I'm sure she likes to fantasize she's finally allowed to drink some coffee...)