A Lady in Waiting magazine

Welcome to the Tea Room!

Grab a cup of your favorite blend and stay for awhile. This section of A Lady in Waiting is devoted to all things tea. We'll rotate recipes and tea party ideas, as well as articles and other information. From time to time we may even post reviews of tea rooms across the country!

We welcome contributions, so send us a note if you have tips, articles, recipes, or reviews to share.

Indian Chai

"Chai," which is just the Hindi word for "tea," has become used worldwide to describe most teas spiced with a combination of cardamom, black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, anise, cinnamon, etc. True Indian tea (which is only called "chai" in parts of the country where Hindi is spoken), is made with milk instead of water and is served very hot, and in small portions. Here's a basic idea of how to make Indian tea...play with the amounts of the ingredients and the combination of spices until you find the blend that you like best.

In a saucepan, bring one cup of milk to a boil. Add approximately 3 teaspoons of. black tea leaves (I suggest Darjeeling), one cardamom pod, a stick of cinnamon, one clove, two black peppercorns, and half a vanilla bean (sliced lengthwise). Bring back to a boil and remove from heat. Immediately mix in two teaspoons of sugar. Let the mixture steep for three to five minutes, then strain. Enjoy!