DIY Starbucks

Okay, I admit it, I don't even know if they make iced chai at Starbucks, but I feel pretty safe assuming that they do.  I am not much of a fan of coffee shops.  They are too noisy and too expensive for my taste.  A nice cup of tea at home suits me just fine.  However, as I was making up a quart of iced chai tea to take to the park I wondered how much they would charge for such an easy beverage to make.  Some day I will have to pay Starbucks a visit and find out. 

Matt and I drink iced chai regularly in the summer as there is something about it that is tremendously refreshing and cooling.  This week has been quite hot and I have been enjoying it even more than normal.

Plain tea over ice.

To make iced chai I brew up a pot of hot chai tea as usual, however I allow it to steep a long, long, long time.  This helps make the chai flavor stronger as well as allows the tea to cool so it doesn't immediately melt all the ice cubes I pour it over.  Sometimes I use twice the ordinary amount of tea if I want a super-strong batch, but generally I find a regular dose of tea is quite sufficient.  I frequently set a pot to steep overnight and fix it up iced the next day when I get home from work and really want the refreshment.  I try to have some ready for Matt after work on the super-hot days.  It really seems to rejuvenate him after sweating in the 90 degree heat all day. 

After adding the milk.  I get a kick out of watching the milk swirl around.  I think it looks really pretty.

After the tea is steeped I fill a quart jar with ice cubes and pour the tea over them leaving enough room to add a quarter cup of milk or so.  I spoon in sugar or honey and mix well.  Matt likes his rather sweet whereas mine is more lightly sweetened.  Vary the amount to your liking.

The finished product.

Ta Da!  Scrumptious iced chai tea, no plastic waste, and all on the cheap.