Description
Spice up your tea routine with this bold homemade chai! Rich black tea blends with warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger, balanced by just a touch of sweetness. Perfect for a cozy, flavorful cup any time of day.
Ingredients
- 10 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 4 cinnamon sticks, about 3 inches each
- 5 whole cloves
- 8 black peppercorns
- 2 cups water
- 2 grams (about 1 teaspoon) dried ginger powder (or a few slices of fresh ginger)
- 15 grams black tea leaves (1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons or more, depending on the shape of the tea leaves, or 4 or more tea bags) (see notes)
- 1 cup milk (whatever type of milk you prefer. Whole milk is my favorite.)
- 1 tablespoon sweetener, plus more to taste (sugar, honey, or maple syrup are all yummy choices) (see notes)
- Freshly grated nutmeg for garnish
Instructions
- Toast the whole spices (optional): If you want to bring out the flavors even more, lightly toast the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and black peppercorns in a dry pan over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Keep a close eye on the spices as they will quickly go from fragrant to burned.
- Boil the spices and tea: In a medium saucepan, add the water, all of the spices, and the tea. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Add milk: After the tea and spices have simmered, add the milk. Let it gently heat on low to medium-low until the first simmering bubbles begin to appear. Avoid bringing the mixture to a full boil.
- Sweeten and strain: Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of sweetener or more to taste. Strain the chai into cups, sprinkle or grate a dusting of fresh nutmeg over top, and serve.
Equipment
Harney & Sons Decaffeinated Ceylon, 16 oz loose leaf tea
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Harney & Sons Organic Assam Loose Leaf Tea, 16 oz
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Buy Now → Notes
It’s best to measure loose leaf tea by weight since the volume can vary significantly. For most tea preparations, I suggest using 4 to 5 grams of tea per 8 ounces of liquid. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, you can start with 1 1/2 generous teaspoons of leaves for every 8 ounces of liquid. In this recipe, that’s about 4 1/2 teaspoons or 1 1/2 tablespoons of tea leaves. On the other hand, tea bags are usually quite weak, so you’ll likely need at least 4 tea bags, or maybe more, to brew a strong batch of chai tea.
Sweetening chai is optional, but I find a touch of sweetness rounds everything out and helps bring all the flavors together. Use whatever sweetener you like. My recommendation is honey or maple syrup.
Variation Ideas – use this recipe as a base, experimenting with the variations to find your perfect blend
- Spicy Chai: Want more of a kick? Add extra ginger and black peppercorns to the mix. You can also toss in a dash of cayenne pepper for an extra spicy version.
- Vanilla Chai: A tiny splash of vanilla extract can add a warm sweetness.
- Licorice Chai: The addition of star anise or fennel seeds can give your chai a unique licorice-like flavor.
- Saffron Chai: Add a pinch of saffron for an extra touch of richness and color and a subtle honey-floral flavor.
- Iced Chai: For a refreshing iced chai, remove the spiced tea and water blend from the heat after step 2. Don’t add the milk yet. Strain the tea and spices, then allow to cool. Serve it over ice mixed with cold milk.
