I’m a sucker for hot drinks. Especially on a cool, blustery day. What’s even better is if I can make it myself, and make it just as good as if I spent a bunch of money on it. The thing I’ve figured out to having it look and taste, like $15, is froth. Froth brings any drink up 100,000 levels. But you can only get frothed milk from either a fancy pants coffee shop, or an expensive machine. WRONG! (Though, those options are completely fine as well.) And I’ll tell you my tip below.
Hot drinks for me are linked with comfort. I often go to a warm drink after a rough morning, afternoon, or evening and feel the stress start to melt away. The first sip gives me goosebumps when it’s made right. Perfectly hot, just under the temp where it burns the tastebuds off your tongue. The Chef calls my tea hot lava because he’s a wuss and likes his drinks tepidly warm. What’s the point?! He also just told me to describe the tea like it’s getting a warm hug, but without the creepy person. I don’t know if I should be offended or weirded out… ( P.S. this is the Chef for a sec, I feel like this gives me a bad image. I actually do like hugs for the most part… )
Lets dive into why I chose coconut milk. To be clear, I used the coconut milk from a can. This has the cream of the coconut that gives the silky, buttery mouth feel that you would get from half & half. It carries the essence of coconut but without the fake intense flavor that you might get from a tropical drink with an umbrella dangling from the top. (Ugh, now I miss Mexico…)
Why this works with chai. Simple. Chai is delicious. It’s the mulled cider of teas. It has layers of flavor that make each sip interesting. It doesn’t have as much caffeine as coffee, but yet it’s just as fun. I have a difficulty drinking anything highly caffeinated, so I need to find other drinks to divulge my need for an afternoon pick-me-up. Chai is commonly my go to. Especially if it’s combined with a sweet little treat.
So how do you get that wonder froth without spending the boocko bucks? A stick milk frother. That is. That’s all. It’s a tool that you look at in the store and you think “would I ever use that?” The answer is an enthusiastic YAAASS! If you want to up your drink game, get your self one of these. The air bubbles it produces are so minuscule and dainty and they make every drink feel fancy. If you’re by an Ikea you can find a great one for like $3. (And they deliver to most places too.) I bought ours on a whim and thought that same “are we ever going to use this” thought. I use mine multiple times a week. The easiest way to froth is warming the milk up (the microwave even works really well), putting it in a glass jar and frothing it for 20 seconds. Get a tall enough glass because the velocity that comes out of those little things is pretty spectacular.
You’re probably wondering what that strange little guy is hanging out on the side of tea cup right? My sister gave to The Chef these little asian fishermen figures with a pole to hold my tea bag sting so it doesn’t fall in. Is that just the cutest? I love them.
I would LOVE to hear from you and hear about either what you think of this recipe, or you’re favorite hot drink and when if your favorite time to curl up with one? Comment below!! Also, could you do me a favor? I want to make sure I have direct contact with you so you never miss out on any recipes or updates. We are sending out a personally designed email notifying when we have a new blog post up, when we’re have giveaways happening, or special events we don’t want you to miss. If you haven’t already, subscribe here to be put in our VIP email list so everything gets sent directly to your inbox! (There’s also a sweet freebie for you too!)
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Here’s some links to some of my favorite tools used here in this post! Clicking the link will cost you no money, but if you buy off the site, they send a few pennies our way for adding a link 🙂 (Or you can order the milk frother straight from Ikea for cheaper here)
Remember, a bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than a steak with someone you hate. -Proverbs 15:17 -The Everyday Chef and Wife-
- 1/4 cup coconut milk (the one in a can with the cream**)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 teabag of organic chai tea
- 1-2 Tbsp sweetener of choice (cane sugar, agave, honey, maple syrup) depending on preference of sweetness
- Cinnamon for garnish
- Tea kettle (electric or stove top)
- Milk Frother, stick frother is my favorite! (see link if you want to order one)
- Bring water to a boil in a tea kettle. In a medium size mug, place tea bag in, and slowly pour water overtop. Steep for 3-5 minutes.
- In the meantime, in a glass jar, pour in coconut milk and microwave for 45 seconds, or heat up thoroughly. Using the milk frother, froth for 15-20 seconds. The milk will go up the sides quite a bit, so make sure you have something tall enough so it doesn't spill over. It will also "grow" since we're forcing air into it and making tiny, adorable, delicious air bubbles. Who know air bubbles were delicious?? They are in drinks. Why is that??
- In the mug with tea, after its properly steeped, take out tea bag squeezing it gently. (**Weird tea tip** the more you agitate the tea bag or squeeze it, the more tannins are released which can give tea a bitter taste. The more you know right?**) Stir in desired sweetener. Add in milk and froth. Sprinkle top with cinnamon. Enjoy!
- Best ate with a cookie or treat... obviously. 😉
remsiekmann says
I’m a lovin’ honey or maple syrup for that Chai sweetness that I need, but if I want to kick up the sweet level without the calories, sometimes I’ll go halvsies with Stevia. More sweetness with less honey or maple syrup commitment. Just a thought.
The Everyday Chef and Wife says
Good thought!! Stevia is a great sweetener! I unfortunately don’t have it at my house a lot. I might try to plant some though and play around with muddling the leaves in drinks. Have you tried this?