How to Make the Best Chai Tea Concentrate: Hot or Iced Chai Tea Latte
Elevate your chai game with this homemade chai tea latte concentrate, crafted with real, aromatic spices like cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cardamom—guaranteed to outshine any store-bought version you've ever tasted!
Serving Size 5 Servings
Equipment
- medium saucepan a medium sized saucepan is a versitale size and can be used in many other recipes.
- Fine Mesh Sieve Use a fine mesh strainer to strain out the spices.
- Milk Frother This is a key piece of equipment that will steam and froth milk to get that coffee house style beverage at home.
- Handheld Milk Frother If you'd like a lower price point, you can use a handheld milk frother. You'll just need to warm your milk in another saucepan.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown sugar maple syrup or honey (I prefer light brown sugar)
- 2 inches knob of fresh ginger root. Peeled and cut into small slices.
- 6 Cinnamon sticks
- 3 star anise pods
- 15 whole cloves
- 10 allspice berries
- 6 cardamom pods
- 8 tea bags of black tea
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 6 cups water filtered
- Milk of your choice Whole milk, coconut milk, almond milk, oat milk, or any other preference.
Instructions
- Add 6 cups of filtered water into a medium sized saucepan and place on stovetop.6 cups water
- Over low to medium heat, stir in the brown sugar, or maple syrup or honey until dissolved.1/2 cup brown sugar
- Add the ginger medallions, cinnamon sticks, star anise, whole cloves, allspice berries, and cardamom seeds to the saucepan.2 inches knob of fresh ginger root. Peeled and cut into small slices., 6 Cinnamon sticks, 3 star anise pods, 15 whole cloves, 10 allspice berries, 6 cardamom pods
- Increase heat to medium-high heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn heat down to the lowest setting, and add the tea bags. Steep for 10 mintues.8 tea bags of black tea
- (Water shouldn't be simmering or boiling. If your stove is too hot, just remove the pot and place it on the counter with a hotpad to steep the tea.)
- Strain the tea bags and spices out by placing a medium sized bowl on the counter, place a fine mesh sieve on top of the bowl, and pour the contents of the saucepan through the sieve to strain.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- Makes about 4 cups of concentrate.
- Store the finished concentrate in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks.
- To make a hot or iced chai latte, use the concentrate in a 2:1 ratio with milk of your choice. See notes for more details.Milk of your choice