Chai latte
Instructions
Tips
If you enjoy the spicy flavour profile of this spiced tea latte, we have good news for you. With a mortar and pestle, you can grind the cardamom seeds, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon to create a chai spice mix. While you can of course use this mix to make more lattes, you can also use it to make chai spice-infused baked goods, and you can also use it to flavour other delights such as a rich buttercream frosting or a homemade ice cream and give it delightful warming qualities. Just always remember to sieve the spice mix; if it is not ground enough, bigger pieces of these spices can be very bitter.
Questions about chai latte
Making a chai latte from scratch is quick and easy with a recipe like ours. If you are interested in knowing more about this deliciously spicy drink, keep reading to see some of the most frequently asked questions.
Ingredients
|
Water
|
500 ml |
|---|---|
|
Cardamom seeds
|
10 |
|
Whole clove
|
8 |
|
Whole star anise seeds
|
2 |
|
Cinnamon stick (approx. 5 cm)
|
1 |
|
Black tea
|
4 tsp |
|
Warm milk
|
200 ml |
Hot and flavourful chai latte
Chai is the Hindi word for tea, meaning that a chai latte is a tea made by combining spiced black tea with whisked warm milk. The best chai latte yields a rich, creamy hot tea with frothy milk foam and warm spices. Though you can use any type of milk to make your homemade chai lattes, you will gain a richer flavour and a creamier consistency with whole milk.
If this rich and warming drink is right up your alley, you might also like to try our recipe for turmeric latte which yields a beautiful golden latte drink with fresh turmeric and ginger as well as a spicy peppercorn mix.
Warm spices and rich black tea
The best black tea for a chai latte is a rich loose-leaf tea such as the intense Assam or the musky-sweet Darjeeling tea. You can, of course, also use staple black tea types like English Breakfast or the bergamot-infused Earl Grey as chai latte ingredients if you already have some in your pantry.
With the addition of spices like citrusy cardamom, warming clove, liquorice-like star anise, and fragrant cinnamon, even these regular types of black tea will be transformed into delicious rich chai latte.
Experiment with the recipe
Whether you enjoy your chai latte hot or cold, low or high in caffeine, there is a new favourite beverage waiting for you. Below, we outline the most popular chai latte variations to inspire you to fall in love with chai lattes.
Iced chai latte
Take inspiration from the delicious and beloved coffee drink iced latte and make a refreshing spiced but iced tea latte that is perfect for warm days or when you want to recreate that special summer feeling.
To make the iced version, prepare the spiced black tea and allow it to cool before combining it with whisked cold milk and pouring it over ice cubes.
If you would like to make a so-called chai ice blend which is almost like creamy slush ice with chai spice, simply blend the beverage with ice until the ice has been entirely crushed and the drink has a smooth and even texture. You might also like to experiment with freezing spiced black tea in ice cube trays and blending these with cold milk for an even more intense ice blend.
Dirty chai latte
This 'dirty' version of the spiced drink features coffee. More specifically the tea drink is infused with a refreshing shot of intense espresso.
Though this variety of the beverage was invented by accident when a barista added a shot of espresso to a tea latte by mistake, the coffee brings the drink a lovely earthiness as well as a slight sharpness both of which complement the flavours of the spices and the richness of the frothy milk well.
This rendition of the drink may of course also be iced if you have discovered you prefer it this way.
