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 outside. As we find ourselves in the middle of February—and well into a long, cold winter—it is time for something warm and comforting. Not to mention, next week is Valentine's Day.

Whether or not you are celebrating Valentine’s Day with a loved one, with the first day of spring still over a month away (March 20th, in the Northern Hemisphere), it is irrefutably time for something warm and delicious.

Here, you'll find our best homemade chai recipe, a variation on the traditional masala chai enjoyed throughout the northern regions of India.

Following the recipe, we've included instructions for adding our Arrow of Eros Vital Fire Tincture to the tea, a recipe for making a spiced aphrodisiac chai using whole herbs, 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 (or sweetener of your choice, sweeten to taste)

Preparation

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 saucepan, bring to a boil, 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, then add 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 Arrow of Eros Vital Fire 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, which is 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 Arrow of Eros Vital Fire 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 handwritten instructions and a list of ingredients.

Recipes and instructions have been adapted from Epicurious.com, Foodnetwork.com, and our own Rawforestfoods.com