Do You Like Chai Latte?

My daughter in law Deborah, introduced me to chai latte when I was in Boulder a few months ago. I knew what it was, but had never tasted it until I bought it at Whole Foods in Boulder. I couldn't believe that the 32 ounce concentrate that they sold was more than $8. Yes, it makes a lot of drinks, but that's pretty expensive. I recently found a brand at Trader Joe's called Oregon Chai. It's half the price, and very good. To go one step further, you can make your own blend of chai tea. It's nothing more than a blend of herbs, spices and tea. I found a recipe which I modified a bit to get it just the way I like it, and below is the result. You can make this blend for about $1.50, from which you will get 8 servings.
                                          Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate

    I used a 1 1/2 quart crock pot for this Ingredients: 4 1 1/2 inch slices fresh peeled ginger, use vegetable peeler for the slices. 2 2 inch cinnamon sticks 8 whole cloves (I get mine in bulk bins) 15-20 green cardamon pods or 2 heaping demitasse spoons powdered cardamon 2 6 inch vanilla beans, cut into 1 inch pieces OR 2 cap fulls non alcohol vanilla extract 1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg (dried if fresh is not available) 3 T. sugar, or equivalent amount of agave 1/2 cup honey 4 cups water 6 black tea bags, decafe if you prefer Put all ingredients except the tea bags into the crock pot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Add tea bags. Let steep for 5-10 minutes. Remove tea bags and press with spoon to get all water out. Strain contents of the crock pot, then place in 1 quart beverage container. Add water to make 1 quart. Now you have your chai tea concentrate ready for use. I have not tried this yet, but if you want to reduce the calories, you might cut the honey in half, and use a little artifical sweetner. Just a thought. The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it once, then tweak it to your personal taste, a little more cinnamon or a bit more ginger, your choice. I hope you enjoy this money saving recipe. I prefer it hot, but it's great cold too. Enjoy.