When I was a teenager, I fancied myself a bit of a poet. I was also extremely shy and quiet, and when I was sixteen I took a huge step out of my comfort zone and got up on stage at an open mic night at a local coffee shop. As nervous as I was to be reading aloud, I was even more terrified due to my secret crush on the barista working there.
Up on stage, I remember feeling like the wind had gotten knocked out of me before I even began. I’m pretty sure I read my poem all in one big, nervous breath, because I finished in record time. There were only a few people in the room, but it was more than enough to scare the cool out of me.
After my performance (if you could even call it that), I hurried over to the bar where my mother was sitting, trying desperately not to let my nerves show in front of Mr. Barista. Having overheard that it had been my first open mic, he came over to congratulate me, and offered to make me whatever drink I wanted, on the house.
*Swoon*
It was the first time anyone had offered to buy me a drink. I ordered a tall chai tea latte… and let me tell you, it has been my favorite drink ever since.
Now I’m going to pass that favor along, and give away some of my favorite teas to you!
I love to wrap my hands around a nice hot chai in the winter, but in the summer months I prefer a cooler option. That’s where these super-concentrated chai iced tea cubes come in. Just add a couple cubes to a glass of milk (or dairy-free substitute), and you’ve got a refreshing glass of iced chai tea.
Masala Chai literally means “spiced tea” (which means it is doubly redundant for us to call it “Masala Spiced Chai Tea”, but so be it) and is made by steeping a strong black tea with whole spices like cardamom, ginger, clove, and cinnamon. I used an English Breakfast tea for this recipe, from the company Arbor Teas. You can make your chai with whatever black tea you like, but this is definitely one of my favorites. The quality of the tea makes all the difference!
Image Source: ArborTeas.com
Arbor Teas is a local company here in Ann Arbor, and they are probably one of the greenest businesses I know. Not only do they work hard to make sure their products are organic, fair trade, and sustainable, but they participate in renewable energy programs, offset their carbon footprint, and even created their very own compostable packaging. Companies like this make me proud of my home town.
They also happen to deliver some of the best teas I’ve ever had the pleasure of sipping, which pretty much makes them my favorite tea company ever.
When I sent them an email a few weeks back to say how in love with their teas I am, they were kind enough to offer me some free samples. That’s right, free tea! Lucky for you, I’m going to be generous and share.
I’m giving away 3 samples of my favorite teas from Arbor Teas. They are: English Breakfast (the same one I used to make this recipe), Gunpowder Green, and Chocolate Pu-Erh. It was the Chocolate Pu-Erh that got me hooked on their stuff in the first place, with its mix of Chinese tea, organic cocoa-nibs, and almonds… mm! Each sample contains almost a 1/4 cup of loose leaf tea, or enough for about 9-10 servings.
I’m also throwing in my favorite tea-steeper ever! This thing is great for any loose-leaf tea, and fits nicely inside a regular cup or mug. Plus, when you’re done steeping, the lid doubles as a little platform to set the basket in so there are no drips. Pretty genius, huh?
If you love your tea as much as I do, this will quickly become your best friend.
To enter the giveaway:
Leave me a comment below. That’s it! If you want to make an additional entry, you can like me on facebook, follow me on twitter, or add me on Google+, and leave me a separate comment for each one that you do. The giveaway is open between now and July 23rd, 2013.
On Tuesday, July 23rd I will pick a winner at random, and contact them for their shipping information. The winner will have 48 hours to respond, after which, if they haven’t, another winner will be chosen. The giveaway is open to anyone over the age of 18, but unfortunately I can only ship within the United States… my apologies to everyone up in Canada!
If you want to check out Arbor Teas for yourself, you can go to their website, here: www.arborteas.com — and be sure to tell them Willow sent you!
Now, on to the recipe!
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Recipe notes: I used Arbor Tea’s English Breakfast Tea for this recipe, because I love it. The English Breakfast is a mix of Indian black teas, but for a more authentic chai you might want to try their organic Indian Assam tea. You can find that here: Organic Indian Assam
Chai Iced Tea Cubes (Homemade Masala Chai)
Makes about 2 cups (gluten-free, easily made vegan)
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: 4-5 cups whole milk (or your favorite vegan alternative – coconut would be nice!)
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.
2. Return to the heat and bring to a boil. Add the tea, remove from the heat, and let steep for another 5-7 minutes.
3. 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.
4. 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!
Ohh, I’m here for this recipe. I love Chai Iced Tea.
Making this tonight! It looks perfect for a hot summer day.
That sounds just delicious, I make chai tea all the time in the colder months, and did once think about trying to make a chilled version, but never got round to it. I need to get a couple of bits from the shop, but shall be making this, for sure! Kate
Wonderful, I hope you like it!
Yummy!
This iced tea idea is brilliant!
This idea of chai ice cubes is brilliant!
And I like(d) you!
What a great idea! I’m going to try this today.
I love both hot and cold tea and would love to win this giveaway! bjn1957{at}gmail{dot}com
oooooo! chai = my FAVORITE thing, so this is happening like, the minute i get back home. i’m going to drown my post-vacation sorrows in chai ice cubes. :)
Haha, hope you like them! I just finished off my last few cubes, and am gearing up to make another batch.
This sounds fabulous – something to keep around all the time.
This recipe is brilliant!
Gorgeous pictures !!
Love that it’s local! (And that it’s Michigan. I myself am a yooper, transplanted to Wisconsin.)
Love the new format, btw!
Thanks!
Wow! Those sounds super yummy.
Love this!
I also “Liked” you on Facebook. =)
Sounds really yummy! I love to make my own Chai Tea.
And, I liked you on Facebook. :)
What a great idea! I’d love to try some tea :) And i will definately try your ice cube idea as well!
This sounds lovely.
I follow you on Facebook.
I follow you on Twitter.
I follow you on Google+
I love tea! Thanks for sharing!
I’m a tea drinker (my grandmother was Irish, so…………). A friend from work is Indian, and she introduced me to chai, and there was no going back. Still drink hot chai, even in summer, but never thought of making iced chai – duh.
I liked you on FB.
Did the Google+ thingy :)
These teas look great! I can’t wait to try them!
Lovin’ this. Thank you for the chance!
This is brilliant! I can’t wait to make this with Coconut milk…mmm.
As an avid tea drinker, I have been looking for simple ways to make single serving iced tea. Especially as summer really sinks in here in SoCal.
Thanks a bunch for the recipe! I’m thinking of trying a green chai tea too…
and awesome giveaway!
You’re welcome – I hope you like it! I’ve heard of chai made with green tea, but I don’t think I’ve ever tried it. Will have to give that a go sometime!
Liked you on FB
Love this idea, will have to try it
Chai means tea in Hindi :) But I love the recipe for Chai Ice Cubes!
LIke you on Facebook
Follow you on twitter
Goolge+ you
Ooh I’m British so I love my tea and living in the US has made me appreciate it all the more (I find it impossible to get a good cuppa when I’m out and about!) I used one of those infuser thingies when I was in Russia (they also love them some tea) and would love to own one! And Arbor teas sound great. Thanks for the giveaway!
You’re welcome! Aren’t those tea infusers great?
They really are! I remember thinking at the time… This is genius. Then promptly forgot about them as soon as I got back home :D
Liked on Facebook!
Added on Google+!
Yum! Add me to contest :D
Love this!!!! As a mom to two autistic sons with Tourette Syndrome, my previous wind down in the evenings was a glass of wine. Now that I’ve returned to school at the ripe age of 43, Chai tea is my favorite evening treat. During these summer classes, your iced recipe looks perfect while I study late in to the evening and morning hours! Thank you!! And thank you for the chance of your enticing giveaway!!
BTW…whatever happened with cute Barista Guy???
Wow, sounds like you deserve a cup of tea (or a glass of wine, even)! And you know, nothing really happened with Mr. Barista… I went to that coffee shop every week for a while, and he and I would chat and quote poetry, but then he went off to law school and I never saw him again. Every once and a while I’m reminded of him, though, and I think how cool it would be if we ran into each other now, years later. If I did see him, I would be sure to let him know what a nice impression he had made on me!
This day in age, you could probably find him easily on a social site! I’ll bet it would make his day to know that he made a difference to you way back when. :)
I tried once, to no avail, but perhaps I’ll give it another shot. :)
Looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it out
Liked on facebook!
I was sitting here drinking my homemade version of a Thai iced tea and my brain immediate read those letters in the title of this. But it has inspired an ice cube version…
Now there’s a good idea! I’ve never made my own Thai iced tea, but now I must!
That Chocolate Pu-Erh sounds heavenly!
Liked on Facebook.
Just followed you on twitter. :)
You are the very first person I follow on google+ .
Why did I not think of chai iced tea cubes! Chai tea lattes with soy milk are my favorite too.
Whenever I see “chai” /anywhere/ I immediately have to check it out. I had the honor of living in Mumbai, India for a month and waking up the real deal every morning and drinking it continuously throughout the day. It’s a magical little drink and I am hooked for life. I am so happy to see your recipe doesn’t include the use of nutmeg, as in my time back in the states I’ve come to realize that so many company’s definition of chai requires the heavy use of nutmeg (which makes everything taste like Christmas, by the way). I would love to know if you have any favorite chai experiences of any cafes or commercial tea bags? Tazo does an okay job as far as the kick of their spice, however they lack the rich and depth of flavor and all you actually /get/ is the sting of spice. By the way, I love the idea of turning them into ice cubes!
Wow, what an awesome experience! I’m jealous – I would be very happy sipping chai every day! I’m sure my recipe isn’t as authentic as true Indian chai, but I liked my homemade version much better than any of the store-bought ones I’ve tried. I think in most cases, name brand flavored teas lack in quality because the company figures the spices will cover it up anyway. The tea I used is definitely a good quality black tea, but I don’t know how it compares to what you would find in India.
I should note, I used the English Breakfast Tea in this recipe, which is a blend of Indian black teas (and I love it!), but if you want a more authentic chai you could try Arbor Tea’s Assam tea (I believe Assam is what is typically used in chai). You can find their Assam here: http://www.arborteas.com/organic-assam-tgfop-black-tea.html
Hi, Willow! I’d love to try Arbor teas! I’ve never heard of them before :) So happy you were able to enlighten me to yet another tea company!
That’s really a clever idea – the worst part of iced tea is when it gets watered down. Neat!
What a great idea! I’m going to try this today, great for getting my tea fix in this weather. :)
Thanks for sharing must share with my sisters they will enjoy this it sounds delicious. if you know of a store here in Chicago that carry this brand of Tea please real that would be great.thanks again :-) here’s tea to you
Crazy as it may seem, I’ve yet to have Iced Chai Tea! I love chai tea so much. Definitely going to have to try this!
I liked you on Facebook!
I follow you on Twitter!
I follow you on Google+
This is great. Love tea
eh! clever idea :]
Thank you for sharing what sounds like a terrific memory. This recipe may just save me from this summer’s heat wave!
Chai is my fave!
Love this! I’m a chai tea addict myself and this is just brilliant for a heatwave!
I like you on Facebook (@snixykitchen) !
I follow you on twitter! (@snixykitchen)
I’m a recent coffee-to-tea convert. I drink Yogi brand daily (mint or kombucha) and Harney & Sons spicy cinnamon on occasion.
Yummmm….
i follow you on twitter. @pintworks
i’ll be making these icecubes soon. thanks!
What an innovative way to making iced Chai tea! I love it!! Thank you
Thanks a lot for the recipe, I love chai tea so much !! Too bad I can’t enter the giveaway, I’ll try to find this fabulous if I ever go to Michigan : )
Have a great day !
A reader from Nice, FR.
Yummy chai is one of my favorite teas I would love to try the chocolate too.
another chai addict who is going to try this one!
never had chai tea before but I am going to try now! thanks for the inspiration
I love chai! and all tea! and July 23rd is my son’s birthday! lol I also linked you to Pinterest…
That looks and sounds so delicious. This would be an amazing gift for my husband our one year anniversary is right around the corner. He’s always wanting me to make new drinks and food.Thanks so much for sharing one of your favorite recipes ,well I better gwell I better get cookin
Wonderful. I’ve been looking for a summer drink and I think this might be it.
Iced chai tea… its 36 degrees Celsius in NYC today, I need to make this!!!
I am a HUGE fan of teas and chai tea is one of my favorites, along with anything minty!
i liked you on facebook :)
Sounds good to me. Love Chai Tea and love cold tea in the summer time. Thanks for the recipe.
This sounds so good!! I’m huge tea fan period but Chai tea is definitely one of my top favorites. I’m definitely going to try this soon! Thanks for sharing!
Hope I win so would like to try some new teas :-)
what a great idea! Chai tea lattes are my fav too :)
And of course I follow you on twitter
and borderline stalking now…facebook ;)
Great idea! Before I was a coffee person, I was a tea person. Thank you for reminding me of my first love. :)
Thank you for sharing! I absolutely LOVE chai tea! Have a blessed day!
I absolutely adore Chai Tea Latte’s I’m going to have to try this for a summer treat (I even think I have all the ingredients at home, all except for an ice cube tray lol).
Ooh, I love to try new-to-me teas!
I really enjoyed the story around the recipe. I will add you to my FB account. Thanks for the post. I look forward to more!
Chai is one of my favorite drinks and I love your idea of how to keep it cold without watering it down.
Great idea! Will have to try it. Love the pictures too.
The pictures are mouthwatering. I can’t wait to try the recipe!
I’ve been wanting to try loose leaf tea and this would be a great introduction
I LOOOOOVVVVEE Chai! I have always wanted to open a tea house and sit and drink and talk and think about tea all day long.. Thanks for the giveaway (my email is jenpsht at gmail)
Also I like you on facebook!
Trying this tomorrow. Sounds awesome. Thamks
Thank you
Trying this tomorrow. Sounds awesome. Thamks
I have really liked your article on flavored tea India with suitable recipes to taste.flavoured tea india They were awesome as I have tried them at home and really enjoyed the taste. Thank You.
This recipe sounds amazing. I’m a huge fan of chai tea, so I need to try out these ice cubes. The Chocolate tea is also right up my alley. Thanks for the giveaway!
I like you on facebook!
I follow you on twitter, too!
@j_mosh
I love, love, LOVE tea! But Chai is a definite fave!!! Just like you, I enjoy it hot or cold. So, this recipe is perfect & easy! That steeper looks amazing too. Awesome.
Bailey
@SBailey7 – Twitter
Ingenious! Why have I never thought of this before! Now I don’t have to go without my chai tea in the summer months!
Wow! What an awesome blog and recipe. I’m so excited to try it. Delish!
PS- I also liked it on Facebook :)
Sounds delicious – and the ice cube idea will be heavenly when the next heatwave hits us here in Toronto. Also very different from the simple recipe I’ve used for decades, same heat/cool/steep/sugar steps, but using 3 c water with Cinnamon Bark (ooh, smoky flavour) 6 whole cardamom pods (green cardamom, they call it) and a dozen cloves or so. I just simmer until I can’t stand it any longer, steep two teabags for 5-12 min (depending how long whatever chore I’m doing takes me) add 2 heaping tbsp of brown sugar and milk to creaminess desired. Once the milk is added, there’s enough for a tea party of deserving friends.
Mmmm I love chai and am always looking for new ways to make it homemade, this looks perfect.
Oh, those ice cubes sound super delicious! I’m definitely going to have to try that.
I follow you on twitter @dojikkolikewhoa
This sounds just perfect for a get together I am having tomorrow! Like you, I’m obsessed with good loose leaf- there is nothing like it!! And thank you for sharing what sounds like a wonderful company was well. I’m always looking to support local and green :o) I’ll have to try them out!
I love your idea for using chai tea. And thanks for the great giveaway!
madelinebrubaker {at} gmail [dot] com
I “like” your Facebook page (FB name: Madeline Brubaker).
I follow you on Twitter (@shala_darkstone).
I follow you on Google+ (Madeline B).
Love the post, very inspiring! And definitely love tea! Going to grab the ingredients for the recipe today!
(liked you on fb,followed you on twitter)
Can’t wait to try a new chai recipe!
This recipe looks great and I’m so excited to try it as ice cubes! I’ve been doing coffee ice cubes lately with this heat, but I’ve also love tea and Chai ice cubes sounds genius! Will be trying this today for sure! And the infuser looks neat too, can’t say I’ve ever tried one.
Wonderful!! The heatwave in Brooklyn is crazy and I’m looking forward to trying this recipe ASAP! Thanks for sharing.
I’d love to try the tea sampler!
Sounds delicious! I can’t wait to try it. Thank you!
Sounds yummy!
Sounds amazing! Been loving the coffee ice cubes lately but I can’t wait to give these a try!
This looks delicious! I’m pinning this one for sure! And I’d LOVE to try those samples! :)
Had to like on FB to just for a 2nd chance. :)
I love iced tea!
that was a sweet story.
Wow, this looks really delicious! Flavored tea cubes are a great idea in the summer months.
I love your idea of cold chai tea drink. I have to try this.
I love hot tea, this is a great way to drink it cold!! A must try for sure!
You’ve got me drooling!!!! Can’t wait to try this! Pure genius!
I love Chai Iced Tea.
this recipe looks so delicious! i can’t wait to try it out!!
I’m so excited to try this recipe! And thanks for sharing your favorite tea place!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I LOVE chai!!
I’m so excited to try this! I’ve frozen coffee into cubes before, but I’ve never thought of freezing tea in the same way. I’d love to toss a few of these with some almond milk in the blender.
I love Chai tea any way I can get it but this looks insanely good. I can totally picture 16 year old Willow at the mic nervously reading her poem. What a sweet story :)
I can’t wait to try this recipe it sounds amazing!
nurse_mommy(at)live(dot)com
I “like” you on Facebook (Stephanie Grant)
nurse_mommy(at)live(dot)com
I follow you on Twitter @sgrant2005
nurse_mommy(at)live(dot)com
I added you to Google+ as Stephanie Grant
nurse_mommy(at)live(dot)com
I just found your blog from a post on pintrest, I’m very excited to try the tea cubes because I love new variations on Indian foods but even more excited reading about the stainless steel tea filter! I cant wait to get one of these :)
I love chai teas, and can’t wait to give this a shot! Going to make a batch up tomorrow! Should be excellent in vanilla almond milk!
My husband LOVES chai ice tea – this will be nice treat. thanks for the recipe!
Looks fantastic
I love Chai tea. I will check out Arbor Tea and order some. Thanks for the tip.
Sounds yummy! Looking forward to making it!
Arbor Teas gets very high marks from me. They are environmentally conscious, efficient, communicative, and every tea I have tried from them has been of exceptional quality.
What a great idea! Making it this weekend!
I had never read your blog before, and I have never known how to make chai tea. This is a happy day!
Iced tea cubes!! What a gorgeous idea! I tried it with store-bought chai tea as soon as I finished reading your post… as you could see in one of my posts…
http://not2latetocraft.blogspot.com.es/2013/08/posagots-de-ganxet-crochet-coasters.html
Thanks a lot!!
it makes me really happy……
I gave this a try and it was a-m-a-z-i-n-g!
this sounds delish! making this!
This is ingenious. Definitely going to give it a try.
A friend just shared your blog with me – love it! The cubes are a great idea!
Liked you Fbook!
And following on Tweeeeeter :)
This is awesome and I LOVE chai tea! I wonder if this would work for Thai Iced tea as well
Yum ! Looking forward to a chance at the giveaway !
What a great idea. I always want the flavor of tea in the summer without the hotness. And starbucks is just mostly ice! I’ll try this in the coming months :)
Following you on facebook. Love the idea of Chai Iced Tea Cubes, will be making these for summer. Thanks!!!
Yummy sounding recipe! I can’t wait to try it!
Love chai tea!! It’s a tea time favorite! :)
What a great idea! I do this with iced coffee – never thought to do it with tea.
I adore chia tea, it’s my winter go to.I can’t wait to try this scrumptious summertime treat! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Fb liked!
Following on Twitter!
Love the recipe!
Liked you on Facebook and following you on twitter!!
Did someone say, “tea time”
I love this recipe! Now that I’ve read your interest in teas, I am dying to try the Chocolate Pu-Erh!!
Hope I win!!
This sounds delicious, I can’t wait to try it!!
Your creation transports me to my Happy Place. Namaste.
Thank you, Elaine!
Oh I hope to try new tea that’s all I drink is tea love chai tea lattes can’t wait to try this recipe
Thanks Tambra, I hope you like this version! Chai tea is one of my favorites!
Can’t wait to try it out!
Thanks, Saubira, I hope you like it!
Yum! Iced chai is my favourite… Will definitely give this a try :)
Yay — I hope you like it!
I love chai tea. My favorite.
Thanks Socorro, I hope you try this recipe — one of my go-tos!
I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks Lorie — I hope you like it!
I really liked this recipe. I will definitely be going to try this. Thank you so much for sharing.