Chai Iced Tea Cubes

Overview

  • Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups water

  • 1 whole star anise

  • 1 whole cinnamon stick

  • 3-4 whole cloves

  • 4-5 whole black peppercorns

  • 4-5 cardamom pods, cracked

  • 2-3 thin shavings of fresh ginger root (I used a vegetable peeler)

  • 1/4 cup + 2 TBSP turbinado sugar (or sucanat, or light brown sugar)

  • 3-4 TBSP loose leaf black tea (or 4-5 tea bags)

For Serving:

Method

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, whole spices, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then cover and remove from the heat. Let steep anywhere from 5-15 minutes, depending on how strong you like the spices to be.

  1. Return to the heat and bring to a boil. Add the tea, remove from the heat, and let steep for another 5-7 minutes.

  1. Strain out the tea and spices. If you’d like to make a regular batch of chai, add the milk and serve immediately. To make the chai iced tea cubes, let the mixture cool, then pour into an ice-cube tray and freeze.

  1. To make an iced chai latte, add 2-3 ice cubes to a glass of milk (about 1/4 cup of milk per cube). The tea will get stronger the longer it sits and the more the ice cubes melt. Garnish with a dash of cinnamon, and enjoy!

References and Acknowledgments

Chai Iced Tea Cubes