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I love my morning coffee for a number of reasons. Yes, I do like coffee. But I also like the ritual. I get up, stumble into the kitchen, and the first thing I do is make coffee. I grind my beans and steam my milk before relaxing for a few minutes to enjoy a hot cup. I rarely have more than one cup a day, so I tend to savor it.
That being said, I am a fan of cold brew, and like most things, prefer to make it myself over buying expensive versions that aren’t always as good. I know that there are fancy cold brew makers that supposedly make it better, but I prefer to make mine in a jar. Not that exciting, I know.
I don’t always make cold brew, but if I’m going to, I prefer to add something to it — in this case cocoa and chai spices. Both ingredients compliment the coffee, and make for a different kind of coffee.
I know it might sound strange, but I almost always drink this hot. If I want a caffeine kick in the afternoon, I’ll sometimes drink it cold, but not often. I mix equal parts coffee and hot water, and add steamed milk or half and half, no sugar.
Chocolate Chai Cold Brew
A delicious chocolate chai cold brew is an easy way to get your caffeine fix without spending big bucks on fancy coffee house drinks.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces coffee beans coarsely ground
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 star anise pod broken
- 1 cinnamon stick broken
- 6 cardamom pods broken
- 8 cups filtered water
Instructions
- Add the coffee, cocoa, star anise, cinnamon and cardamom to a jar and cover with the water. Shake lightly and cover with plastic wrap. I like to wrap a rubber band around the top to secure.
- Poke a few holes in the top.
- Refrigerate 12-24 hours.
- Strain through fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth twice and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
- To serve, mix with equal parts water and serve hot or over ice — add more or less water depending on how strong you like your coffee.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
