Stephanie Dennis

There’s nothing like a nice cup of chai tea on a chilly day. I’ve tried a variety of chai, from David’s Organic Saigon Chai, to Bigelow’s Vanilla Chai Black Tea. While those are good, my best chai award has to go to Teavana’s Maharaja Samurai Chai Tea blend.

Something to remember about loose teas is that storing them in tins, rather than the bags they come in at the store, really preserves their flavor and makes them last longer. Teavana has gotten some really cute tins in recently, with better working lids, and pretty designs to make tea storage fun. I keep my chai tea in this fabulous metallic-detailed bird tin.

To start, begin boiling your water. As with other teas, it’s better to not pour extremely hot water onto the tea, so I usually let it cool for about four minutes after it comes to a…