I love great drinks, and I love me a really good chai tea. I love the Numi Golden Chai, and I love me a good Ceylon tea with lots of cream and honey, but I’m trying to limit my caffeine intake while breastfeeding, and of course black tea is the worst for this. There’s also some thought that caffeine can affect calcium levels in our bodies, which have already plummeted during pregnancy, and being small, half Asian, and with a mom that got osteoporosis before she hit 50, I try to be more cognizant of what I eat and drink. I’ve heard that pouring off the water after 30 seconds of steeping and using that tea bag to make a new cup of tea will decrease some of the caffeine content. I’ve seen similar chai recipes that involve these spices plus four tea bags of a black tea, like Assam or Orange Pekoe, so you can imagine my delight when I left out the tea bags and it came out tasting just as wonderful. Being without the black tea makes it great for kids, too.

Many of the spices are found in my basmati rice recipe and may not typically be found in most cupboards, but it might be worth getting some. You can do a google map search in your area for “indian grocery stores” or try and source some bags with free shipping from amazon.

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I don’t carry whole milk in my house yet, usually just skim, so you can adjust the water/milk ratio depending on what you have and how creamy you like it. I like it extra creamy so I always had a generous splash of evaporated milk. I didn’t have any loose peppercorns in my house, so I just cracked my peppercorn grinder a few times.

Tea-less Chai Tea

  • 1 cup water
  • 10 whole cloves
  • 12 whole cardamom pods, gently crushed
  • 6 whole black cardamom, gently crushed (optional)
  • 6-12 whole black peppercorns
  • 6-8 inches of cinnamon sticks
  • 1 inch peeled ginger, cut into slices
  • 4 cups milk
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
  • 1-2 star anise (optional)
  • honey to taste
  • evaporated milk to taste (optional)

Bring water, spices and ginger to a boil. Cover and lower heat, simmering for 30-45 minutes. Add milk and return to a boil. Strain over a fine mesh colander or cheesecloth and add honey and evaporated milk to taste. Alternatively, skip adding the regular milk altogether and pour off a bit for a cup now, and save the rest in the fridge to drink over the next few days.

What are your favorite go-to drinks?