tea for two

"throughout india, chai wallahs can be found serving up steaming cups of sweetly spiced chai to wandering souls. you're with them now."

i have discovered my favorite tea. really, i enjoy many teas...i am not picky as i am with coffee. coffee has to be perfect to my specifications. i am not saying that i would send it back - i wouldn't do that! but tea and i have a somewhat love/hate relationship.

i'm from the south (obviously) so tea loving is as much a birthright as it is a social responsibility! we love tea in alabama, where i grew up, and here in tennessee, where i abide now. i am just not sure that i would survive without sweet tea. and, just so you know, every southern woman worth anything, knows how to make the perfect pitcher of sweet tea.

i digress. i was talking about my new favorite tea, and by this i mean hot tea. tazo chai tea is made with organically grown black tea, ginger root, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, cloves and star anise. it is medium-flavored, yet full bodied, with a sweet spicy aroma that is in the style of the "hill-dwellers of the himalayas"...yup, that's direct from the website, which is really fun i might add. you can even have your tea leaves read. mine said that i should stay away from taking a bath and listening to the radio at the same time. maybe someone is trying to kill me?

my serving suggestion ~ i like to use non-dairy creamer or soy milk (some might like creamer but i am lactose intolerant). add a packet of sugar (i like equal or splenda). i let mine steep for about five minutes.

a note on all ingredients ~ a little bit goes a long way, so don't go crazy, don't ruin chai's natural flavors.