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!
Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate
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.
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