Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate

I love autumn when the weather turns chilly and you feel like drinking spicy hot drinks all day long. Chai has been one of my favorite hot drinks since I was a teenager. We had some friends that had a little coffee shop and after my violin lessons we would often go in and get something to drink. I always ordered the chai latte.

Then I got married, moved away, and money was tighter, so I didn’t get chai lattes at coffee shops very often. I had to satisfy myself with the chai teabags from the grocery store, which can be good but kind of flat tasting. A few years back I found a recipe for chai concentrate which I made and have tweaked a bit over the years. It is delicious!

Of course it is still not quite the same as going to a coffee shop and getting a chai latte that is all foamy, but I think the flavor is actually better than most I have tried. You can make your milk foamy with a whisk or in a jar if you want to, but I am usually too lazy or in too much of a hurry to bother. So here is my recipe for Chai Tea Concentrate! Enjoy!

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 25 mins Serves: 1 quart +

Ingredients

4-½ cups Water
1-2 sticks Cinnamon
1 piece Fresh Ginger Chopped
7 whole Cardamom Pods
2 whole Star Anise Pods
10 whole Cloves
¼ teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ teaspoons Freshly-ground Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Grated Orange Zest
10 teaspoons Black Tea Or 10 Black Tea Bags
1/4-1/2 cup Brown Sugar, Honey or Sweetener of choice
1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Instructions

Bring the water to a boil. Add the spices and tea, remove from heat, cover, and let steep 15-20 minutes, depending on how strong you want it. Strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth and add the sweetener and vanilla. Whisk well to combine. Pour into a quart jar and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. This recipe makes just over a quart of concentrate. I usually like to take the extra add some milk and drink it right away!
To serve mix equal parts concentrate and milk(or any non dairy option you like, coconut milk would be delicious!), heat and enjoy or pour over ice.