Meyer lemon chai

I've been wanting to make chai concentrate for a while, and now that i've run out of loose leaf black tea I can't make my own chai mix (crushed cinnamon sticks and cardamon pods mixed with tea leaves). Taking advantage of what I thought [maybe wished] was a happy play time for Penelope, I made some this afternoon. Only instead of following a normal chai recipe as planned, i totally winged it. 

It's Meyer lemon season again, so of course I had to buy some. And now that I know Bergamot, aka the flavor of Earl Grey, is a citrus fruit then it doesn't seem weird to experiment with lemon. Especially the queen of them. 

Here is how to make Meyer lemon chai concentrate:

- pour four cups of water into a saucepan. 

- thinly slice about 1/8 of a Meyer lemon and add that and a 1" stub of ginger (cubed into a few pieces), 7-8 cardamon pods, a 1" piece of vanilla bean (or vanilla extract), and a sprinkle of anise seeds to the water. 

- cover and simmer for about ten minutes, then bring to a light boil and add 7-8 tea bags. 

- turn off the burner and let the tea steep for 4-5 minutes. (Add a little honey or sugar here, as you prefer.)

- strain and enjoy - with a little milk, of course!