A steaming mug of chai

I'm always on the lookout for a good chai tea recipe. I'll settle for chai in a tea bag if I have to, but usually it tastes too bitter for me. I prefer tea made from whole spices. Last year I posted a recipe for chai tea, and while it's certainly the most delicious chai I've ever tasted (involving bunches of whole spices, Darjeeling tea, and dried orange slices), I haven't yet worked up the motivation this year to assemble everything I need for it.

That's why I was delighted to find a new, simpler recipe the other day involving things I already have on hand in my kitchen.

Ingredients (for one large mug of tea):

4 cardamom seeds

4 cloves

2 black peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup milk (we drink whole milk, as we like the richer flavor, but any other milk would work)

1 cup water

2 black tea bags (English breakfast is what I use, but you could use almost any other black tea, although I wouldn't recommend Earl Gray)

Sugar, to taste

1. Place the cardamom, cloves, and peppercorns in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a heavy skillet. (I made the tea with the spices crushed one day, and un-crushed the next, and I can tell you that it tastes better if they're crushed.)

2. Place the crushed spices in a medium saucepan, along with the cinnamon stick, milk, and water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add the tea bags, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes.

3. Strain into cups. To each cup, add 2 teaspoons sugar or more, to taste.