Thanks a lot, Pinky Toe Chai.
For real though – thank you.
Three weeks ago, I did some volunteering at a local festival and picked up a tasty bag of Pinky Toe Chai Awakening One at the recommendation of my friends. As a former barista, I’m always down to try new drinks.
The next day, I took the plunge and tried out the simple stovetop recipe on the back of the package, and it was delicious. Even unsweetened, this milky yummy chai was warming me from head to pinky toe and took my taste buds on a world journey once it was cool enough to drink.
I’ve been absolutely spoiled, and I’ve been making every coffee and tea drink with this method since. Yes, it takes more time than pressing a button. But don’t all good things take a little time and effort?
I’ll drop the deets below, and I’m calling it the “Universal au Lait” because no matter what tea or coffee I use it turns out very tasty and very au lait. My favorite!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A stove top vessel
- A scale that does ml, if you’re fussy like me
- 1 cup of water (236ml)
- 1 cup of milk of choice (236ml), I use barista oat milk.
- 2 teaspoons of tea/coffee/whatever. I generally use a little more for coffee though – about as much fits in my little hand crank grinder. So basically as much as you’d normally use for one cup of coffee, I guess.
- A vessel such as a teapot to strain out all the chunky bits at the end.
First, measure out your water and milk, and pop that on the stove. Get it boiling, but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t boil over and create a messy au lait first.
Once it’s boiling, bring down the heat to a simmer and pop your brewing item of choice into the milky depths and let it cook for about three minutes.
After three minutes, take that puppy off the stove and pour into your straining vessel. Serve immediately in a cozy mug or wait a few minutes for it to cool. It’s up to you.
The longer you wait, the stronger the flavor gets, but that also means more tummy aching tannins if you’re using black tea. You’ve been warned.
In any case, I hope this recipe brings you as many steaming cups of joy as it has for me. Let me know if you had a good time with it in the comments.
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