Chai is a spiced black tea, an Indian black base blended with cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and a touch of vanilla. It brews strong and warming, sweet spice up front and a body full enough to stand up to milk and sugar the way a good chai should.
We built it for the classic preparation, a splash of milk and a little sweetener, though it holds its own poured plain. Unlike many Indian chai recipes, we leave out the peppers, so the cardamom and cinnamon lead instead of the heat.