HTeaO Texas Chai
Eh bubby, abeg listen.
You know say I be caterer. I cook for white people, black people, Mexican people, everybody. One day, some woman come to my booth for a food market. She say “do you have Texas chai?” I say “chai? Like masala chai?” She say “no, the one from HTeaO. The mint one.”
I never hear am before. So I go buy am. I taste am.
My friend. That one na not chai. Chai get ginger, get clove, get cardamom, get milk. This one na just sweet tea with mint and lime. But the thing sweet. And my customers keep asking for am. So I learn how to make am.
Now I don make am maybe fifty times for parties. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad. I go tell you how I do am now.
First, the tea
Put water for pot. Two cups. No measure am too much. If you put three cups, e go weak. If you put one cup, e go strong like medicine. So two cups.
Put am for fire. Medium heat. Not high. If you put high, water go boil too fast and the tea go taste like metal. I don’t test am.
When water bubble, turn off the fire. Off. Not low. Off.
Drop two tea bags. Black tea. The one wey dey call English breakfast. Or orange pekoe. Not Earl Grey. Earl Grey na perfume water. I try am one time because I no get other tea. The thing taste like my grandmother’s drawer. So no.
Now wait. Five minutes. Use timer. I no dey use timer before. I go just leave the tea dey go do something else. One time I forget am for thirty minutes. The tea come black like tar. Bitter well well. I pour am down sink. Waste of tea and water.
So use timer. Five minutes. When timer ring, remove the tea bags. Squeeze am small. Small. No squeeze am like you dey fight with somebody. Gentle.
Now the tea hot. You no fit pour am on ice because ice go melt and the thing go weak. So cool am. I put the pot for freezer. Eight minutes. Ten if I dey do something else. Just no forget am. I forget am one time and the tea start to freeze for top. I just scoop the ice out. E work but e was annoying.
If you no dey hurry, leave am for counter. Go watch TV. Come back when e cool.
Second, the glass
Take lime. Half of one lime. Squeeze am for glass. Fresh lime. I beg you. No use bottle lime juice. Bottle lime juice get preservative and taste like metal. I don test am. Fresh lime better by far.
Now mint. Fresh mint. If you no get fresh mint, close your phone and go buy am. Dried mint no good. E no get oil. E no get smell. Dried mint na for tea bags wey old people drink. Not for this one.
Take five or six leaves. Put am for glass with lime juice.
Now press the mint. But no crush am. I use the back of spoon. Press once. Small press. You go smell mint. That’s enough. If you press too hard, the leaf go break and the green bitter thing go come out. Your drink go taste like grass. I don do am before. Na mistake wey I no repeat.
Third, sugar
Two tablespoons. Powdered sugar. Not granulated. I go explain why.
Granulated sugar no dey dissolve for cold liquid. E go just sit for bottom of glass like sand. When you drink, you go hear crunch crunch for your mouth. That one na not sweet. That one na punishment.
Powdered sugar dissolve fast. E mix well. So use powdered sugar.
Add am for glass. Stir with the lime and mint. E go become green paste. That’s good.
Fourth, ice
Ice. About one cup. I use cube ice because e no melt fast. If you use crushed ice, e go melt and water your drink. But if you drink fast, crushed ice fine. Na you know your speed.
Fifth, pour tea
Pour the cold tea for glass. Stir. Taste.
If e sour, add more sugar. If e sweet, squeeze more lime. If e bitter, add small salt. Small small. Like three grains. Salt no go make am salty. E go just kill the bitterness. I learn that one from an old cook for Lagos.
If mint weak, too bad. You no fit add mint now because cold water no fit pull the oil from mint. Next time use more leaves or press small harder. But no press too hard. You see? Na balance.
Sixth, drink am
Now. Drink am immediately. No wait. If you wait, mint go turn brown. Lime go fade. Ice go melt. The thing go just become sad sweet water.
If you want make for crowd
I don make this for party of fifty people before. This na wetin I do.
I brew big tea. Eight cups water, eight tea bags. Still five minutes. Cool am. Keep for fridge.
Then when people come, I put lime, mint, sugar, ice for each glass fresh. I no mix mint inside the big pitcher. Why? Because I try am one time. I put mint leaves inside the pitcher with the tea and keep for fridge. After two hours, the mint turn brown and look like dead leaf. Nobody drink am. I throw everything away. Since that day, I no do am again.
So do am fresh for each glass. E take time but e worth am.
Wetin you fit eat with am
Light food. Breakfast taco. Croissant. Banana bread. Fruit salad – watermelon good. Turkey sandwich.
No eat am with pepper food. The mint and lime go fight the pepper and your mouth go confuse. I serve am with jerk chicken one time. Everybody dey say “this tea taste weird” but na the chicken wey dey fight the tea. So no.
How long e fit last
The plain tea – the one wey no get mint or lime – e fit stay for fridge three or four days. Keep am for closed container.
But after you add mint and lime, drink am within two hours. Overnight no good. The mint go turn brown. The lime go taste different. Not poison but not nice.
And never store am with ice inside the pitcher. Ice go melt. You go wake up and see watery mint water. Na waste.
Common wahala
Why my own bitter? You leave tea bag too long. Or you squeeze am too hard. Or water still dey boil when you add tea bag. Next time: five minutes, gentle squeeze, fire off.
I no get fresh mint. Then no make am. Make lemonade instead.
Can I make am hot? You fit. No use ice. But e no be Texas chai again. E be just mint lime tea. I still like am but e different.
Can I use honey? Yes. One tablespoon honey. But stir am when tea still warm. Cold honey no dissolve.
My last last
Bubby, I don make this drink for myself when I tire for HTeaO line. I don make am for my family. I don make am for party where people drink am like water.
E no be real chai. But e sweet.
You go mess up the mint first time. Everybody dey mess up. Press too hard or not hard enough. That’s fine. Make am again. Adjust.
