Good Morning Madam, Good morning Sir, Would you like some coffee or tea?

Those were the words we heard every single morning from our server at the breakfast table of our resort in Phuket, Thailand. Imagine waking up to breathtaking scenery

and then being treated to a 5 star breakfast buffet followed by this ever smiling server who brings you your choice of caffeine for the day, steaming in a small cup.

In addition to the traditional coffee and bagged English Breakfast tea they also served Masala Chai. YUM! You don't need to pay $4 for one of these delectable drinks.. it can very easily be prepared right in your own kitchen. But it takes a bit of practice to get it just right.

- Water
- Milk
- Sugar
- Chai masala: or these fresh spices ground up in a spice grinder: cardamom, cloves, ginger powder, peppercorns, cinnamon
- Chai leaves

Now I buy the Chai leaves as opposed to the bags because they give more flavour and are much more potent. And you really need only a teaspoon for a cup of chai.

Add one teaspoon of chai leaves to a cup of boiling water. Add a 1/4 tsp of chai masala. Let everything combine and your nose will tell you when it's done. Add some cold milk , say 1/2 cup and let it come to a boil.

Strain the mixture into your favourite Chai mug and add sugar and enjoy.

That's it! really. You can customize it by increasing the amount of water or milk or masala to your taste once you get the hang of it.