Chai Tea Latte

Before I began the HMR diet, I bought some lovely, beautiful, gorgeous tea from a foo-foo place in a big city mall.  I went way overboard on the purchase, but now I do have some pretty tea that smells and tastes incredible.  I haven't prepared any of it in the last six months, because I was disgusted that I couldn't put real sugar or real honey in it to sweeten it.  Zero-calorie sweeteners were absolutely not an option for me.  I didn't like the way they tasted and thought they cheapened and drowned out the taste of the tea.  Okay, so I have to admit that with this single purchase of tea, I may have turned into a tea snob.

But I miss this tea.  And the weather has turned chilly just for a few days, and I am absolutely craving it at night, which is when I used to drink it before.  So I had to figure out how to get it back into my life.  And out of this figuring came this simple recipe, and an odd revelation which I'll get to later.

So, my favorite tea is a chai/oolong mix.  But it's the chai flavor that I love, and that's the one that comes through the strongest.

Like I said, pretty.

So I steeped a batch of tea.  I have a small pot.  It makes 22 ounces of tea.

Then I put the tea into my blender, closed my eyes, threw in a shake, and prayed that I hadn't just ruined it.  I didn't ruin it.  It was frothy and lovely and tasted like it had milk and sugar in it.  And I was full afterwards. 

See the line between the tea and the foam?  That, my friends, is beautiful.

For those of you that don't have a chai tea mix, I've included an alternate recipe using regular tea and spices to give you a similar effect.  Simple.  Filling.  Warm.  It feels like fall.

Gourmand tip:  Then there was the revelation.  I tried the tea straight before mixing in the shake.  And it was truly good.  The lack of sweeteners didn't affect my enjoyment of the hot tea at all.  Conclusion?  My taste buds have well and truly changed.  Now that I am no longer consuming mountains of sugar, my palette is finding joy and interest in tastes I would have missed before.  I plan on drinking tea regularly, with or without a shake.  On those days when you don't want to eat anymore meal replacements but find yourself hungry, or bored, or wanting something in your hands, try a pot of hot tea.  It just may get you through.

Chai Tea Latte

22 - 24 oz. of chai tea, brewed/steeped according to directions
1 vanilla shake

Put the hot tea into your blender.  Put the lid on, put a dish towel over the lid, hold it all securely down, and turn your blender on its lowest setting.  Be careful!  Your tea should be hot, and I don't want anyone getting burned.  After the blender is merrily whizzing away, remove towel and lid and add the shake.  Replace lid and towel, and turn the blender up to high speed to get a good froth on top.  Pour into a coffee cup/travel mug, sprinkle a little cinnamon on top, and enjoy.

If you want to use regular tea:
22 - 24 oz. of tea, brewed/steeped according to directions
1 vanilla shake
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

Follow blending directions above, adding the spices when you add the shake.

I think the flavor of the latte made with the regular tea is a little stronger, the spices more prevalent than the flavor of the latte made with chai.  Experiment with the spice measurements until you find something that makes you smile.  Or, you know, just buy some chai.