At the age of 6 I had a new passion – making chai tea for my most favorite aunt!
Growing up in a joint family had its own perks – I was not limited to just my parents and siblings but had aunts and uncles, grandmothers (my father’s mother and aunt) and lots of cousins to play with. I don’t remember going to my mom if I needed anything – homework to applying mehandi designs on my palms – because there was always a big sister or aunt to help.
Chai is a Hindi word for “tea”. In mid-90s when I moved to USA from India I found it strange to hear the word “chai tea” at first because that would mean “tea tea” for me!
Fast forward to 2014 – now I make caffeine-free chai tea. Real chai tea is made with black tea. I use Rooibos for caffeine-free version.
Freshly crushed ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and clove.
Boil chai spices in water
Add rooibos tea and turn off heat. Cover and leave for 10 – 20 minutes.
The longer it steeps, the better the taste.
Add milk, cream or nut milk and reheat gently
Strain, add sweetener and enjoy!
Here is the recipe for Caffeine free Chai Tea.
- 1 cup water (8 oz.)
- Chai spices (1/2 inch piece of ginger, 1-2 cardamoms, small piece of cinnamon and 1 clove)
- 1 heaping tsp Rooibos tea
- 1- 2 Tbsp milk or cream (nut milk or coconut milk for dairy-free version)
- 1/2 tsp honey, real maple syrup or few drops Stevia (optional)
Boil water with freshly crushed spices. Add rooibos tea and turn off heat. Cover and let it steep for 10 – 20 minutes. Reheat gently with milk and strain into a cup. Add sweetener if you like. Enjoy!
Do let me know how your first caffeine free chai tea turned out for you. 🙂
RENU Your Life 
Hmmm, love chai – didn’t realize it meant tea! – though not sure about it with Rooibos, at least for me. I may attempt a chai recipe…one day though I would need to get the spices first! (You might enjoy my post about tea including chai.) 😉 ❤
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Elly, I loved your post about tea, you are a true tea person :). If you want to enjoy Chai tea with black tea, try Assam tea, its more robust when it comes to make Chai tea style. Darjeeling tea is milder and great for light but flavorful tea even without spices. I experimented with Rooibos (some call it Red tea) because I wanted to enjoy my chai without caffeine. Rooibos is also very high in antioxidants. Sometimes, I use combination of coconut milk and hazel nut milk (both homemade) in Chai tea and it really taste good.
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