Recipe: Oh, How Civilized's masala chai

The photography at the Oh, How Civilized blog is fantastic. The recipe for masala chai was so well staged that I had to try recreating it in my kitchen. My photos are less lovely but the tea was delicious.

I was forced to modify the recipe as I only had three - not five - cardomoms (I only used three cloves, too) and no star anise or appropriate substitute.  Steep it!

Tea Review: S. D. Bell's Natural Leaf Tea

Some times it pays to follow the directions on the tea tin!  Preparing different types of teas for many years, I usually do not follow the provided instructions.  I eyeball the amount of tea leaf based on experience with the type of tea (ex: Sencha versus Dragonwell or Tie Guan Yin versus Wu Yi).  I am more likely to use a thermometer when preparing a white tea or delicate green tea.

I have been enjoying the S. D. Bell teas sent by Best International and steeping them with my usual methods. This morning I followed the brewing directions for the Natural Leaf Tea and the result was excellent.  With milk, the tea was smooth and malty, strong without any harsh flavors.

Do you follow directions when steeping your tea?