Asheville Tea Co.’s hickory milk chai

2 cups hickory milk (see instructions below)
2 tablespoons mixed sweet spices (such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and clove)
2 tablespoons strong black tea leaves (such as assam)

Bring hickory milk to a simmer. Add spice mixture and simmer for three to four minutes. Remove from heat and add black tea leaves. Steep for three to four minutes. Strain and serve. Garnish with a cinnamon stick, a dusting of nutmeg or star anise, if desired.

“I love to use spices I’ve grown in my own backyard. Chai does not have to include the above spices; you could create your own unique infusion using fennel, coriander and local ginger from one of our great tailgate markets. You could also sweeten this tea to taste, ideally with local honey or maple syrup. I did not add sweetener or additional milk to this tea and found it to be very satisfying: creamy mouthfeel, inherently sweet, slightly brothy and full of flavor notes like almond, vanilla, maple, pecan, honey and a nice, spicy finish and low astringency. But a spoonful of honey or syrup would also go down nicely.” — Jessie Dean, Asheville Tea Co.

Hickory nut milk

Combine 1 cup cracked hickory nuts (shells and all) with 3 cups of water in a saucepan and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. The nut pulp will float to the top. Allow mixture to cool. Skim off the nut meats and reserve for another use. Strain milk through cheese cloth or a fine mesh strainer and put back into the saucepan or into jars for later use. The milk will be light and brothlike. (Recipe adapted by Cathy Cleary from instructions provided by Jessie Dean and Bill Whipple.)