iced chai latte

Okay, I'll admit, this title may make the recipe seem much more impressive and complex than it actually is. Basically, you brew extra strong tea and pour it over ice then add milk. Humor me though, and read on for some tips and ideas.

Ingredients

• chai tea (bagged or loose leaf)
• water
• ice cubes
• milk (any kind, Mel prefers soy)

Instructions

1. boil enough water for one cup of tea (or more if you want more in the end)
2. use twice the amount of dry tea as you would for making hot tea. It will be diluted by the ice cubes
3. pour boiling water over tea. Steep for about 5 minutes.
4. while tea is steeping, fill up a glass with ice cubes
5. after tea is fully brewed, pour it into the glass, leaving room for a splash of milk. Add the tea to the ice while it is still hot.
6. add desired amount of milk to the now iced chai tea
7. enjoy! (preferably with a bendy straw)

Reflections

You can make entire pitchers of this refreshing brew and add milk to the tea each time you pour a new glass. Experiment with the strength of the tea and types of milk. If you add sugar, add it to the tea while it is still hot so that it dissolves more easily. I believe pouring the tea over the ice while it is still hot keeps it more fresh than if you ice it after it has already cooled off. However, play around with it and there may not really be much of a difference after all (but why wait for it to cool down?) Try out all different types of tea: earl grey/english breakfast with lemon or milk, peppermint, orange spice, or anything you can conjure up.