Descafeinada

As you may or may not know, I have been forced to give up coffee (to an extent). I have drunk (yes, drunk is the past participle, and drank is only the past simple form, I had to look it up. If that were in Spanish I would have known it but I apparently have yet to master English) coffee since the fourth grade. Well, it's not like I was drinking it on the reg back in my preteens, but I was an early starter. And maybe it is because of this that I am having such a time with the beverage as of late. When I drink coffee on the weekends, it doesn't seem to affect me negatively at all. However, when I drink during the week, I am a ball of nerves by the time I teach. My heart starts pounding hard and fast as I start to think about facing the 20+ students from the front of the classroom. Usually when I get in the room and start instructing, the anxiety goes away. But since I teach at 5pm, the anxiety and stress usually carries on all day.

So I decided to switch to tea. And I love tea, especially iced. But as a coffee replacement, I still wanted the thickness I get with coffee. I don't want a watery broth, I want something with substance! So I decided to go with chai so I can mix it with milk and all that goodness. But chai mixes can be expensive and if I'm giving up something as monumental as coffee, I want to make my tea a little special. So I have been making this chai that I think is pretty delish.

<-Note the ominous espresso maker taunting me in the background.
Oh Mai Chai!
1 Lipton's tea bag (nothing else will suffice! Lipton's is the shit.)
5 whole cloves
1/4 cinnamon stick (can be saved and reused for future chai endeavors)
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. honey (I use a local Cantrell honey, yum yum. I also hear that using local honey helps abate allergies, which is much needed this season!)
Add some boiled water (I swear by my electric kettle) and let the ingredients steep in your favorite mug.
After it's done steeping, add some vanilla soymilk to your taste.

Spices can be expensive, but there's usually a cheaper store brand you can buy. Of course you can always opt for ground cinnamon as well. I usually spoon out the cloves and cinnamon stick for another round or two of chai-making to make it last.

In case you are wondering, this is, in fact, my favorite mug. Well, at least second favorite. And doesn't the chai at least look like coffee? I think that is part of the battle for me. I have to trick myself into thinking it is coffee. Bottoms up and buen provecho!