The various spices used in chai tea have been used in traditional Asian medicine for centuries. Black tea, the base ingredient, contains antioxidants which can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Something Hispanics are all too familiar with. Antioxidants are also believed to be beneficial to heart health. Black tea also contains a small amount of caffeine. For those sensitive to caffeine, chai tea might not be a great choice; people with ulcers and heartburn may also want to stay away from chai tea.
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Makes 8-10 servings
Ingredients
- 2 quarts of water (8 cups)
- 8 bags of black tea
- 16 whole cloves
- 16 whole cardamom seeds – pod removed (optional)
- 5 cinnamon sticks
- 8 slices of fresh ginger
- 1 mango cut into spears (feel free to include pit)
- 7 ounces condensed milk
Directions
- Combine water, tea, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, mango and ginger in slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high 2 to 2 ½ hours.
- Strain mixture; discard solids. (At this point, tea may be covered and refrigerated up to 3 days).
- Stir in milk just before serving. Serve warm or chilled.
- For more flavor with every sip, add cinnamon stick and mango spear to every cup. Perfect with tea biscuits or gingerbread people made by your kids!
Alternation Options:
- There is no end to the diversity of recipes for making your own chai tea. In this version, we used mangos and condensed milk to give it a Latin flair. Brewing chai is fun and allows you to experiment until you get it right for your personal taste. Here are some ingredients you can mix it up with.
- Spices – peppercorns, nutmeg, fennel and star anise
- Milk – 2% or 1% milk, skim, soy, rice, almond or no milk at all
- Sweetener – sugar, sugar substitutes, honey or infuse with fruits which may give you the sweetness you desire.
*Slow-cooker not required.
MiCocina Latina 
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