Homemade Chai Tea | 12 Days of Crunchy Christmas Day 4

Hey Everyone! Today I'm going to share my recipe for homemade chai. This was not going to be my post for the day, but my original post didn't work out, so this was a last minute plan B.... woops. But really, what's more christmassy than a hot spicy drink that will make your house smell amazing?

My recipe is inspired by the lovely Elsie at A Beautiful Mess. While I enjoyed her recipe, me and my little brother (we're the only chai drinkers) definitely felt it needed some tweaking for our personal tastes.
First off, the biggest problem for us that it was very gritty, secondly, it was WAY too spicy for us, so though it

took us a few batches to get it right, I think we've finally perfected it. You will probably have to adjust the spices to taste though, as I'm sure everyone has  different preferences. Try making half batch and figuring out the ratios.

5-6 Cups Water
2 Organic Black Tea Bags (I like Allegro Breakfast Blend)
1-2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 -1 Teaspoon Cloves 
1 1/4 Teaspoon Ginger
Pinch of Nutmeg
(you can also add allspice and cardamom but I don't have any cardamom and I don't usually use the allspice)
1/2 a vanilla bean pod (this can even be an old dried, used one. I pulled on out of my jar of vanilla sugar which had been scraped and dried up for a while, but it still made the chai nice and vanilla-ey...)

Put the water and a tea bags in a saucepan and bring to a boil. While this is coming to a boil, add your spices in an empty muslin tea bag or a coffee filter (grittiness problem solved!) place this bag and the vanilla bean to a tea
ball or a mulling spice ball. (I purchase mine from William Sanoma). When ready add the ball of spices, cover pan and reduce to a simmer, and simmer for about 5 minutes. (If the tea looks too dark remove tea bags.
Sweeten to taste. I use demerara sugar cubes, but honey is also great.
If it's still gritty, filter it again before drinking through a coffee filter or a clean muslin tea bag.

 Chai HoneyAlmond Milk Latte

I know it's unconventional, but I take my chai black. I don't like milk of any kind in my tea, and trust me, I've tried chai lattes made with cow's milk, sweetened condensed milk, and almond milk. If you like chai lattes though, heat up milk or milk substitute (and steam or froth if you have the equipment) and add at the end.
Little brother takes his with almond milk
Thanks for reading!
~Elissa