Homemade Chai

1. Place the peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, and ginger slices in a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag and crush them lightly with a rolling pin or mallet (or you can crush them in a mortar, using a pestle).
2. Transfer the crushed spices to a medium-size saucepan. Add the orange zest and 3 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the tea bags. Allow the mixture to steep for 5 minutes, then discard the tea bags.
4. Add the milk and sugar to the saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
5. Strain the chai and discard the solids, Serve hot. If not serving immediately, allow the chai to cool to room temperature. It can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 7 ays. Reheat it before serving.

Note:  You can freely change spices to suit your taste. Try adding different ones, like star anise or nutmeg. You can also substitute low-fat milk or fat-free milk or soy milk for the whole milk, if you prefer.

Yields:  About 3 cups

From:  Food to Live By, p. 314