At this time of year I want nothing more than to wander through the woods. With the leaves on the ground, the satisfying rustle they make underfoot, the sharp scent of pine and apples, and the brisk air, a walk in the woods brings a kind of contentment that feels like one of life’s simplest pleasures. I find myself preparing to hunker down with the bears, groundhogs, squirrels and other woodland creatures as the season cools.
After last week’s snowfall I felt a little like Robert Frost’s speaker in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” — even though the snow has already melted, there is something in the air that feels quietly contemplative.
When I return from those walks, I reach for warm fires, family, a good book, an old movie, soft music and comforting food: roasts, mashed potatoes, pie, cookies and a steaming cup of tea.
Tea often gets overshadowed by coffee in popular conversation, but there’s something about tea that slows you down. If you’ve read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books, you may recall how tea helped take the edge off long, hard winters. Watching the gnarly dried leaves unfurl in hot water — the way you stretch and relax after a long day — is almost meditative. That simple unfolding and the care that goes into every cup — hand-picked leaves, careful drying and packing — makes tea feel like a tiny, intentional ritual.
This Spiced Orange Chai Concentrate blends citrus brightness, gentle sweetness and warming spices to do exactly what chai should do: fill your belly and warm you from the inside out. The recipe yields a generous batch, keeps up to a month in the refrigerator and can be frozen for up to three months.
I love chai but rarely buy it out because it can be hard to find where I live, it’s often expensive, and many commercial versions are overly sweet. Excessive syrup masks the tea’s flavor; some chai lattes taste more like spiced sugar water than tea. Making your own solves that: you control the sweetness and can tweak the balance until it’s just right. I suggest starting with less sugar, tasting the chai in milk, and adding more if needed until it’s “just right.”
I prefer chai hot, with steam rising on a chilly day, but it also works beautifully over ice, poured on ice cream or stirred into yogurt. I’ve even mixed a tablespoon or two into apple pie or a galette — a Chai Apple Pie is dangerously good and almost rivals a walk in the woods.
This concentrate contains caffeine, but you can still share chai with children using an old-fashioned trick: cambric tea. In Laura Ingalls Wilder’s time, a little tea was often stirred into hot milk for children so they could enjoy the warmth and ritual without strong stimulation. Serve mostly milk with just a splash of concentrate to create a cozy, grown-up-feeling drink for little hands after a cold hike — a small memory in the making.
Spiced Orange Chai Concentrate
Rebecca Lindamood
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups water
- 1 stick cinnamon broken into large pieces
- 1 piece fresh ginger root 2–4 inches long (to taste), unpeeled and roughly chopped
- 8 whole cardamom pods
- 2 whole star anise pods
- 10 whole cloves
- 8 whole black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
- 1–3 slices fresh orange according to taste, peel and all
- 10 teaspoons green or black tea leaves — or 10 tea bags — or a blend of both
- ½ cup brown or raw sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
To Make the Concentrate:
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Bring the water to a boil in a pan with a tight-fitting lid.
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Add the spices and tea, remove from heat, cover tightly and steep for 15–20 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea.
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Strain the mixture into a large container. Stir in the brown or raw sugar, honey and vanilla until combined. Transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator for up to one month.
To Serve:
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Combine equal parts concentrate and milk (steamed or cold). Heat together or serve over ice. Adjust the ratio to taste.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using your actual ingredients with your preferred calculator.
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Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Eveningby Robert FrostWhose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
