Banana Chai Smoothie

I'm a bit of a chai snob. Okay, I'm a huge chai snob. I like my chai spicy and bold, not too sweet generally. I find Starbucks chai way too sweet, but Pete's chai very bland. Usually I will brew a cup with a spoonful of honey and a touch of almond milk. Mmm, perfect.

I've been looking for a good chai for a while. Some don't have a strong enough flavor and I end up having to brew 2 or 3 tea bags to taste anything. Some are just laden with cinnamon oil and taste like I brewed a pack of cinnamon gum, bleh.
On my trip to India this past January, I loved going to my brother-in-law's family's house and being greeted by their warm smiles, and hot cups of chai. It was bold, flavorful, not too sweet.. just right. I managed to find a can of loose chai tea in one of the shops, and couldn't wait to bring it home and start brewing! This one has good flavor, but also gets muted by the milk. Maybe I should just skip the milk!? Nah.. that's borderline blasphemy.

Today I had a ripe banana that my mom wouldn't eat (she's one of those crazy people who only eats green bananas... ewww) so I took it and thought, "why not?" and blended it with the cup of chai I had been thinking about all morning, and the result was nothing short of heavenly.

Banana Chai Smoothie:

- 1 ripe banana plus 1 frozen banana

- 1/2 cup brewed chai tea

- splash of almond milk (or other plant based milk)

- dash of cinnamon and ground ginger (optional, to taste)

Blend all together and enjoy! 

It was a nice pick-me-up on this warm and cloudy day. Went perfect with a piece of chocolate on the side! 

What is your favorite brand of chai? 

Amanda