Do-It-Yourself Gift Idea: An Elegant Chai Tea Kit

Wouldn't a homemade chai tea kit make a warm, cozy Christmas gift?

I'm envisioning a kit that is elegant, but useful, much like the one here:


[photo credit]

 It would be easy to do, and should cost you less than $5 each if you plan to make four kits and purchase some of your spices and containers in bulk.  For great containers (glass, plastic, or tin) you can shop around your local craft store, or order them very inexpensively from American Science & Surplus.  They have pretty little glass bottles, some in a 20 packs for only $2 or $3, and corks as well.  One 20 pack should make four gifts if you use five bottles or vials per gift.

Fill your little containers with:

Cinnamon sticks
Ground or dried ginger
Whole cloves
Ground or whole cardamom pods
Ground or whole nutmeg
Black tea or tea bags

And include a card, perhaps printed in a calligraphy font, with these directions:

In a saucepan, bring two cups of water to a simmer. Add three black tea bags. Season with one cinnamon stick, four cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon of ginger, and a pinch of nutmeg. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, slightly covered. Pour in two cups of milk, and return to a gentle simmer. Remove from heat, and strain through a fine sieve.  Add honey to sweeten if desired.

Arrange the items in a simple box or basket, and you have a beautiful, inexpensive gift!

I can often find the spices that are listed above near the international or Hispanic section of my supermarket.  They are sold in larger bags, and cost much less than the spices you may traditionally buy in the small containers.  For example, San Miguel Mexican Products sells 5" whole cinnamon sticks in an 8 oz bag for only $3 or so.  This would be enough to use in at least four kits.

I'll be sharing more inexpensive, do-it-yourself gift ideas in upcoming posts.  Now would be a good time to subscribe if you haven't already!

Do you have any favorite frugal gift ideas?  Share them in the comment section.  I'd love to hear about them!



            Warmly,




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{Shared at Nourishing Gourmet}