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Homemade Chai Concentrate Recipe

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4.2 from 6 reviews

This Homemade Chai Concentrate recipe blends a robust mix of whole spices and Assam black tea to create a flavorful base for chai lattes. With warming notes of cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, nutmeg, and fresh ginger, this concentrate can be sweetened to taste and mixed with a variety of milk options for a customized hot or iced chai experience.

  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: Approximately 5 servings of chai concentrate

Ingredients

Spices

  • 3-4 tablespoons Assam black tea
  • 2-3 cinnamon sticks
  • 2-3 star anise
  • 12 whole cloves
  • 8 green cardamom pods
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Other Ingredients

  • 5 cups filtered water
  • 1/3 cup chopped ginger root
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)

Instructions

  1. Crush Spices: Use a mortar and pestle to crush all whole spices coarsely. This releases their essential oils and aromas for the chai concentrate.
  2. Toast Spices: In a saucepan over low heat, dry toast the crushed spices for 2-3 minutes until fragrant, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
  3. Add Water & Ginger: Pour in the filtered water, add the chopped ginger root and ground nutmeg to the saucepan containing toasted spices.
  4. Simmer Spices: Bring the mixture to a boil then immediately reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes to extract flavors deeply.
  5. Boil & Remove from Heat: After simmering, bring the mixture briefly back to a boil and remove from heat.
  6. Add Loose Tea: Stir in the Assam black tea leaves into the hot spiced water.
  7. Steep Tea: Let the tea steep for 3-5 minutes; avoid oversteeping to prevent bitterness.
  8. Strain Concentrate: Immediately strain the chai concentrate through a fine strainer into a large bowl or pitcher to remove all solids.
  9. Prepare Sweeteners: While the chai concentrate is still warm, stir in the granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, honey, and maple syrup if using.
  10. Add Vanilla: Mix in the vanilla extract thoroughly for added aroma and flavor depth.
  11. Cool Concentrate: Let the concentrate cool to room temperature. Refrigeration is optional but may cause slight cloudiness.
  12. Store: Pour the cooled chai concentrate into a glass bottle and refrigerate until ready to use.
  13. Make Chai Latte: For a hot or iced chai latte, combine equal parts chai concentrate with your choice of milk.
  14. Prepare Iced Latte: For iced chai latte, add chai concentrate to a glass filled with ice and pour in milk.
  15. Prepare Hot Latte: For hot chai latte, warm the chai concentrate and mix with steamed milk. Optionally, top with milk foam.
  16. Milk Options: Use any milk variety such as 2% dairy, skim, whole, half and half, sweetened condensed milk, almond or oat milk according to your preference.

Notes

  • Do not over steep the tea as it will cause bitterness in the chai concentrate.
  • Adjust sweetness by adding or omitting honey and maple syrup as per taste.
  • Cooling the concentrate in the refrigerator may cause slight cloudiness but does not affect flavor.
  • The concentrate can be stored refrigerated for up to 1 week.
  • Use fresh ginger root for the best flavor impact.
  • For stronger chai flavor, increase the quantity of spices slightly.
  • The concentrate can also be diluted with water instead of milk for a lighter chai tea.
  • Author: Olivia
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Beverage
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Indian

Find it online: https://iamstarved.com/homemade-chai-concentrate-recipe/