Did you know that Chai means tea? So when you order a Chai Tea, you’re really saying, “can I get a Tea Tea?”
My very close friend, Samantha from Standard Wax, is a big Tea Tea fan and she asked me how I would go about making a super spicy Chai. So, we spent the afternoon together getting creative in the kitchen, figuring out how to make the best chai concentrate!
This isn't the first time we got together to make some cocktail and candle magic. Check out this past blog post for the Standard Marg where we made a Grapefruit Margarita inspired by their Grapefruit Mint scent!
With this tea concentrate, you can skip a trip to Starbucks and reduce some waste in your life by purchasing tea in bulk. We love supporting our local tea shop, Loose Leaf Tea Market, where you can purchase a variety of organic and natural teas!
And the coolest part? Standard Wax just added a Chai scent to their custom candle builder so you can design a candle that is perfect for your style that smells just as delicious as this recipe! So snuggle up with a hot (or iced) Chai from the recipe below, light a new candle, and chill.
Standard Spiced Chai Concentrate
- 4 cups of water
- 3 Anise pods
- 6 Cardamom pods
- 7 Whole Allspice Berries
- 15 Whole Black Peppercorn
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 2oz fresh ginger
- 2oz of black tea
- 4oz Iconic Spiced Honey
- Gently crush the spices in a spice grinder, mortar and pestle, or just the back of a spoon in a bowl.
- In a small pot over medium heat, toast the spices until fragrant (about 3-5 minutes, be careful not to burn!)
- Add water and fresh ginger to the pot. Bring to a gentle boil for about 3-5 minutes
- Reduce heat and let simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour to extract as much spice as possible
- Pull from heat and add tea and steep for about 10 minutes. The liquid should reduce by half throughout the process
- Remove tea and add 4oz of Spiced Honey
- Transfer into your choice of bottle or container (we love a recycled Iconic bottle)
- Hot Chai Latte: Heat 4oz of water and add 4oz of Standard Chai, add a splash of dairy or dairy alternative
- Iced Chai Latte: Serve over ice with 4oz of water and 4oz of Standard Chai, add a splash of dairy or dairy alternative
- Chai Toddy: Add 2oz Whiskey, 1oz of Standard Chai, and 2oz hot water
Tips and Tricks:
- Reduce waste by buying your tea in bulk! We love going to Loose Leaf Tea Market, our local tea shop. You can also find bulk teas at Whole Foods or Sprouts.
- Use (and reuse) cheesecloth for steeping large amounts of tea.
- After your candle burns down, use the vessel to store spices
- Recycle Iconic bottles for this and future batched concentrates
