Chai Latte Drink Mix

I'm a sucker for a good chai latte. There's something classically inviting about the smell of cinnamon, ginger, peppercorns, and cloves that is downright intoxicating. Since I tend to prefer tea over coffee, some variation of a chai latte is usually my number one pick if I'm choosing to be indulgent at a coffee house. I've probably tried over a dozen different variations of chai latte, and if I'm ever disappointed it's usually because the drink is too sweet. And because the vast majority of coffee houses use a premixed chai base, it's neigh impossible to get a less-sweet beverage that isn't less-chai.

Clearly, the answer was to make my own. I've gone through phases of making my own "chai latte concentrate" over the years with varying degrees of success. This latest version may very well be my favourite. It's equally delicious hot or iced, and will keep in the fridge for at least a week (if it lasts that long!), ready for use at a moment's notice.

One of the reasons this recipe worked so well for me was because all of these spices I used I already had on hand. Don't feel like you have to use everything in order to create a delicious drink. Though I used honey as my sweetener of choice, this recipe is easily adapted to be vegan-friendly by using another sweetener, such as maple syrup. I am personally not a fan of agave nectar, and there seem to be conflicting reports on the purposed health benefits, but I suppose that's an option too if you prefer. Traditional Indian chai often only uses one or two "extras" in addition to the black tea, like ginger or cinnamon, and traditional chai is still amazing. After all, "chai" literally means "tea." You can't go wrong with whatever you decide.

Chai Latte Drink Mix
Author: Amanda
Difficulty: easy
Serves: makes approximately 1 litre mix

Ingredients

• 4 black tea bags or 4 teaspoons loose leaf black tea leaves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin discs
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 whole star anise
• 3 green cardamom pods
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 heaping tablespoon honey or maple syrup
• 1 litre water

Directions
Place cinnamon, ginger, peppercorns, cloves, and star anise into a medium sized pot. Use the flat side of a knife to crack open the cardamom pods and add them to the pot with the water. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and add the tea bags. Simmer for five minutes, then remove from heat and strain out the tea and spices. Add vanilla extract and honey. Cool and store mixture in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one week. To make a hot chai latte, add two parts chai mix to one part milk/soy, and heat until steaming on the stove or with a milk steamer. For an iced chai latte, add two parts cooled chai to one part milk/soy over ice and serve.

Step-by-Step Photos

First, gather your players. I used cinnamon, ginger, cloves, peppercorns, star anise, and cardamom. Other possible ideas could be freshly grated nutmeg or mace, allspice, or even a bay leaf. Use whatever aspects you love in a chai tea or latte.

Crack the cardamom pods open with the flat side of a knife, and add everything to a medium sized pot with a litre of water. Cover, and bring the water to a boil.

Once the mixture has come to a boil, reduce it to simmering (bubbles barely breaking the water surface).

Add four black tea bags or four teaspoons loose leaf black tea and set a timer for five minutes.

After five minutes has passed, pour the mixture into another receptacle using a mesh strainer to catch all of the tea and spices. If you were using ground spices instead of whole, I would recommend lining the strainer with cheesecloth or a paper towel so the spices don't end up as sludge at the bottom of your chai.

Stir in one teaspoon of vanilla extract and one heaping tablespoon of honey. If you have a sweet tooth, you could even add a second tablespoon to bring this up to your liking.

For a hot chai latte, bring chai mix and milk (2 parts chai and 1 part milk or soy) to "steaming heavily" on the stove. I don't have a milk steamer at home, but if you do that would be great to use. You don't want to boil the mixture together because that could cause the milk to curdle. For an iced chai, simply pour mix and dairy of choice over ice.

Enjoy.