“MY CHAI"

B-R-R-R-R- ...  Heavy snow mixed with ice pellets and freezing rain means that I need an  invigorating tea blend to warm and spice up the temperatures ...  that’s why ....

I LOVE MY  “ CHAI ”.

Luckily, I had two bags stashed in the tea cupboard from the now, extinct " Teavana "  shop here in Fredericton... OOPS... I forgot that my daughter claimed the "Opera Winfrey Chai" ...  but fortunately, she didn’t find the the "Samurai Chai".  It is best described as a sweet and spicy infusionof cinnamon and citrus with soft undertones of papaya. 

H-m-m-m. It’s perfect on such a cold and wintry day? 

In Hebrew, ‘ Chai” means “ Life”  and  depending on the brew, there are various benefits to our health. 

“Chai” is a traditional Indian Tea that has been used for centuries in Eastern Medicine. I have heard, that it strengthens the immune system ... PLUS ... It tastes GOOD. 

I found this strange little celadon pottery teapot in Japan ... I believe that it is Korean in origin , but celadon pottery is highly attainable in Japanese Antique stores simply because it is Korean ( Ha Ha) I’m wondering if it may even be a saki vessel. Wouldn't that be a twist to our teatime!!!

Anyways , I’m making tea in it today. I do hope that you ENJOY it !!!

 T
 


To make eight  fluid ounces of tea, the merchants recommended 1.5 scoops into an infuser of boiling water,  then steeping it for five minutes.

 Unfortunately,  eight fluid ounces  is hardly enough for us all ...  Soooo .... Let’s be naughty and triple the recipe ... OK

One other oddity to our teatime is that the chosen cups are a little on the small side. So, by adjusting the recipe, we could probably have two cups each... which is PERFECT !!!!

Now, Ladies ... the daunting task, is to choose which cup that you want. YES ...  It is a very hard decision, since they are  all identical  !!!( Ha Ha)

I’m certain that you would enjoy drinking from these half sized vessels, because the tea set has been created from a very light weight porcelain, which means thin sipping rims ... MY FAVORITE.

When I lived in Japan, second hand items were very inexpensive, regardless of their original value. I noticed that most Japanese  people love new items, infact, they rarely keep old furniture and china ... THAT ...  is a great buying feature for tourists, however the attitude and markets may have changed since I was there.

Funnily enough, this particular teaset doesn’t have any markings, which I guess, isn’t all that unusual for antique items. I was just so attracted to the  artistic story board of the china which displayed three very exotic  geishas, meandering  in and about  the beautiful  garden scapes of this artisan ware. They
are  almost medieval style.

                      It is really quite an lovely pattern that just might have a special story to tell.

Maybe It is a story of unrequited love !!!!

I shall have to ponder  the cups while drinking my tea ... I ’m sure that you and I could all come up with a good story line since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner ...  In the meantime ... Here is a  “ Chai “ Tea recipe that you might want to try. Please know that for the black tea, you may use English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Earl Grey, Orange Pekoe or any other loose leaf tea for this recipe.


                                                   BASIC  “CHAI “ TEA RECIPE

                                                Boil in saucepan over medium heat.
                                                3 cups water
                                                5 green coriander pods( crushed )
                                                1/2 tsp. cinnamon
                                                3 pieces star anise
                                                2 tsp. fennel
                                                1/4 tsp ground  nutmeg
                                                1/4 tsp ground ginger
                                                1/4 tsp. ground cloves
                                                8 black peppercorns

                                               ADD,then return to boil
                                               1 1/2 cups milk

                                               ADD, then simmer for two minutes
                                               6 tsp  black  tea

                                              STRAIN, and serve with sugar
                                              cinnamon stick and star anise.

                                                    ENJOY YOUR TEA LADIES !!!!

                                           I am sharing with: Sandi: Rose Chintz Cottage
                                                                          Ruth:  Tuesday Cuppa Tea
                                                                          Bernideen: Teatime Blog