Homemade Chai Tea Mix – Taste Test and Adjustments

The first batch of Chai Mix I made didn’t last long, so I made a full recipe the second time. I used 1/2 cup less sugar, and it tasted fine.

To make sure, we did a double blind taste test. I made half the batch once and added the nutmeg and allspice to half the mix. I put them in identical jars and labeled the bottoms. I turned around while Aly moved the jars around and taped a pink paper to one jar and one mug, and a red paper to the other  jar and mug. We made each tea in the corresponding mug and sampled them.

We all liked the pink mix best. It turned out to be the mix without the extra spices. We probably would have had the same conclusion knowing which mix was which, but it was fun doing it as a blind taste test.

Zeiger Homestead Chai Tea Mix

2 cups powdered milk

1 cup French vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer

2  cups white sugar

1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix in a large bowl, blend to a powder in a blender. Use 2 heaping teaspoons of mix in a mug of hot water.

My next try will be without the tea mix, because my mother and some of my friends cannot have any caffeine at all. Even decaf has a little trace of caffeine. I want to see if the spices hold up on their own. I wonder what we should call it? Tealess Chai? Chai Milk?

This entry was posted in Food & Drink, Homestead Crafts, How To and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *