Homemade Chai Recipe (With Aphrodisiac Additions)

Turning Up the Heat in the Middle of Winter

Today the snow has been off and on and the last time I checked it was 22 degrees Fahrenheit out. Come the middle of February—and well into a long, cold winter—it is time for something warm. Not to mention, next week is Valentine's Day.

So irregardless of whether or not you are celebrating Valentine’s day with a loved one, when it is still over a month away from the first day of Spring (Monday, March 20 ^th, in the Northern Hemisphere) it is irrefutably time for something warm and delicious.

In the following you will find our best-yet homemade chai recipe (technically it is a variation on the traditional massala chai drank throughout the more northern areas of India).

After that, we have included the recipe for adding the  Eros' Arrow Aphrodisiac Elixir Tincture to the tea, and a recipe for making a spiced aphrodisiac chai using whole (cut and sifted) herbs, as well as and a basic introduction to preparing this recipe as a gift.

The Best Homemade Chai Recipe

• 1 full star anise;

• 1 tablespoon fennel seed;

• 2 whole cinnamon sticks;

• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, cut into thin rounds (or grated);

• 2 teaspoons whole, black peppercorns;

• 6 green, whole cardamom pods;

• 12 whole cloves;

• 6 cups cold water.

• 6 bags of black tea (preferably Darjeeling), or 2 tablespoons loose leaf black tea (again, preferably Darjeeling);

• 2 cups whole milk (or your milk of choice);

• 1/2 cup golden brown sugar. Use the sweetener of your choice and sweeten to your own liking.

Preperation

Before adding the tea, milk, or sweetener, you’ll want to make a strong decoction of the spices. To do this, combine the first 7 ingredients in an appropriately sized sauce pan, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

Next, turn off the heat (or remove from heat) and add the tea. Let this steep for 5 minutes, and then add in the milk and sweetener of your choice, strain, and serve.

Flavor Adaptations

The following can be added as desired for enhanced taste:

• Vanilla bean: The inside scraping of one whole vanilla bean, added after the tea has been removed from the heat (alternatively, you may add 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract, again added after the heat has been removed.

• Cayenne pepper: A pinch of cayenne pepper added at any point. Spicy is good, but too much of a good thing is bad—so tread lightly with the cayenne.

• Allspice: Add six whole allspice along with the first ingredients.

Aphrodisiac Adaptations

For an easy, fun, and effective option, add one teaspoon of  Eros’ Arrow Aphrodisiac Elixir Tincture per serving of tea to restore and increase sexual energy. Add the tincture to the pot along with the tea (after simmering the spices and herbs).

The vast majority of the alcohol will dissipate from the tincture and the flavor of the tincture will be largely unnoticeable.

If you have the whole herbs (or if you are making a chai mix as a gift (highly encouraged), using the following will be similarly effective as using the tincture:

• 1 tablespoon kava kava;

• 1 tablespoon damiana;

• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (in addition to the ginger above);

• 1 teaspoon horny goat weed;

• 1 teaspoon yohimbe;

• 1 teaspoon muira puama;

• 1 teaspoon ginkgo;

• 1 teaspoon milky oat seed pods.

These herbs are to be added at the beginning of the decoction when adding the first ingredients. Whole or cut and sifted herbs should be used so that they are able to be strained out. The flavor of these herbs will influence the flavor of the chai, so be forewarned.

If you have these as tinctures, add them as you would add the Eros’ Arrow Aphrodisiac Elixir Tincture, alongside the tea after the heat has been removed.

Making a Chai Mix as a Gift

If you would like to make this as a gift, it is best to separate the spices and herbs from the tea. This is because boiling the tea alongside the spices and herbs would turn the tea bitter. 

If including vanilla bean, chop into half inch segments and include with the loose leaf tea. Add the flavoring and aphrodisiac (if desired) ingredients to one canister and the tea to another. Include hand written instructions and a list of ingredients.

Recipies and instructions have been adapted from:

Epicurious.com

Foodnetwork.com

Rawforestfoods.com