Rating: 4.9/5
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
As far as tasty and calming, you just can’t beat a really good chai tea latte. This popular comfort drink combines the bitter-sweet taste of black tea with an excellent mix of spices including cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves served with steamed milk.
The Origins of Chai Tea
Before we go embracing the challenging recipe of preparing the chai tea, let us look at the background info on chai tea. Here are a few key points about its origins:
- Ancient Beginnings: It is commonly referred to as masala chai, has its origin more than five thousand years back in India; the beverage was invented for its healing properties.
- Ayurvedic Roots: The mixture of spices was considered as curative and it was a known form of Ayurveda.
- Global Popularity: British brought black tea as part of its culture to India which was eventually added to the traditional chai masala creating the tasty drink we know today. Years later the chai tea latte has become popular in cafés from the United States to Australia to the Great Britain.
Read more: Zesty Tea Salad Recipe
Ingredients for Chai Tea Latte
To make a delicious homemade chai tea latte, you’ll need a handful of aromatic ingredients that bring warmth and flavor to your cup.
For the Chai Concentrate:
- 2 cups water
- 2 black tea bags or 2 teaspoons loose-leaf black tea
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cardamom pods
- 4 cloves
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
- 2 black peppercorns (optional for added spice)
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (to sweeten)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
For the Latte:
- 1 cup milk (dairy or any non-dairy option like almond, oat, or coconut milk)
- ½ cup chai concentrate (prepared above)
Step-by-Step Instructions
It’s very easy to make a chai tea latte recipe at home, even though there are numerous ingredients used in the making. Here’s how:
Step 1: Prepare the Chai Concentrate
- In another small bowl, heat 2 cups of water until they boil.
- Next to it add cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, whole cloves, ginger slices and whole peppercorns. Allow the spices to cook for 5 minutes and can easily turn into 10 to get the best flavors out of them.
- Pour in the black tea bags or the loose tea and then lower the heat. The tea is ready to be served when boiled for about 3-5 minutes for it to produces that strong and rich flavor.
- Pull it off the heat, pour it through a cup and add honey and maple syrup before adding the vanilla extract, if used. Set the concentrate aside.
Step 2: Steam the Milk
- In another small pot warm the milk on the medium heat. In case you would like it foamy, you better whisk it or froth it with the help of frother in order to make it creamy.
Step 3: Assemble the Latte
- On the cup you like most, add ½ cup of the chai concentrate.
- Pour sparingly with steamed milk and, if milk was frothed, then spoon the foam on top to give it the café look.
- If desired, add a little more of cinnamon on the top and your chai tea latte is good to go.
Nutritional Value (Per Serving)
- Calories: 150 (based on whole milk)
- Protein: 5g
- Fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Sugar: 15g
- Fiber: 1g
Note: These values will vary depending on the type of milk and sweetener you use.
Why You’ll Love This Chai Tea Latte Recipe
- Customizable: That is why one can increase or decrease the portion of spices or sugar, replace regular milk with skimmed or fat one.
- Cost-Effective: This notes that you can save your money by making this drink at home instead of you buying from the shops.
- Aromatic and Comforting: This casserole contains warm spices in whose prepared dish milk is incorporated which makes it appropriate to be consumed during cold weather.
The next time that you are itching for a hot and spicy drink mix something similar to this at home. The combinations of spices and milk are appetizing and what you need to help you calm down and get full.
Drink your chai tea latte and remember that it is okay to play with the spices to get the kind of taste that you want.
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