Chai

I'm a bit of a tea fanatic! I've always liked traditional 'English' tea - black tea served with milk and sugar, and drink one to three cups a day. And I'm kind of fussy about tea, so if I come to your house, be sure to make good quality strong tea then add full cream milk :)

Actually, I'm probably addicted to tea because if I can't drink it for a few days, I begin to really crave it. Of course I always have tea (several kinds!) at my house, but my parents in law only have green tea. After a few days I go to a convenience store to buy tea bags .... I don't care if I don't have coffee for a few weeks, but I MUST have tea!

Australians think it is weird but I also like cold tea. I often used to let a cup of tea go cold so I could drink it later and my family members would almost always try to tip it down the sink. I was so surprised when I came to Japan and found that cold tea with milk is sold in bottles! Wow! I like the Kirin brand but it is a little too sweet. Another nice tea is by Lipton and is carbonated.

Another thing I discovered in Japan is 'royal milk tea' or 'tea au lait'. It is made by simmering tea leaves or bags in some hot water, then adding milk and bringing the mix to the boil again. I'm sure most people know about coffee milk but I had never heard of 'royal milk tea'. Now I love it and make it quite often.

My latest discovery is Chai I can make at home. I always choose chai when I go to Indian restaurants but could never make the same taste at home. But a few weeks ago I found 'tea marsala' spice powder at New Mira. It has spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, pepper, black pepper, cardamom and bay. You can add it to regular tea or for a richer taste, to 'royal milk tea'.