Tuesday, July 23, 2013

A Little Iced Drink From India


An Iced Chai is by far my favorite summer drink of all times! As I write this I’m actually drinking a Vanilla Iced Chai with Skim Milk!

Photo credit: http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnzxzs6Htr1ql0z97o1_400.jpg


This drink comes from India and is a spiced milk tea made up of black tea, heavy milk, various spices and sweetener. This is a tea plant that was first used as an herbal medicine rather than a beverage. The chai we drink today comes from a tea called Masala Chai. India is still the largest tea producers in the world today. Over 70 percent of tea is actually consumed within the country. Drinking chai is part of the culture in India. The word chai is actually just tea in Hindi, how cool? But confusing, right?

The spices used are cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper. Indian chai produces a warming, soothing effect and acts as a natural digestive aid. Like Iced Green Tea, Iced Chai must start off hot. There are many ways to brew this Indian spiced tea, but a shortcut is buying chai-flavored tea bags and mixing with milk.

Big Train Chai, in my personal opinion, is the best, though I know lots of people like TazoChai. Does TazoChai sound familiar? It’s the brand Starbucks uses! TazoChai tea bags can be bought at Starbucks and the market. Where as Big Train Chai is a powdered mix that when fused together with milk, creates the beverage. Like flavored Chai? Me too! My favorite is Vanilla, but it can also be made with Chocolate, Raspberry, and Caramel.

There are tons of recipes you can find online to make Iced Chai, but if you buy the Big Train Chai Brand the recipes comes right on the back of the bag. The bags are relatively inexpensive. About the same price as a large cup of Chai from Starbucks, except you get more than one serving! You can also get bag with already added flavors.

Big Train [Iced] Chai
Prep Time: 8 minutes
Servings: 1 (12 fl oz)

What you need:
4 Tbsp Big Train Chai Flavor of your choice
4 Fl oz hot watter
1 Cup of ice
1 Fl oz of Milk

How-to:
Mix 4 tbsp of Big Train Chai with 4 fl oz of hot water until powder dissolves. Then pour mixture over 12 oz cup of ice. Add 1 fl oz of cold milk and serve.

Dazzle your friends with this iced cold beverage that normally costs around $5 at Starbucks. Who wouldn't want a $5 drink for free from their best friend?

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