A chai latte at home usually means a bottle of sticky concentrate or a tub of sweet powder. There is a simpler way: strong black tea, hot milk, and sugar that already has the spices in it.
You need
- 1 black tea bag (Assam or a good English breakfast works well)
- 100ml just-boiled water
- 150ml milk
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Spiced Chai
Method
- Brew the tea bag in the hot water for four minutes. Chai needs to be strong, because the milk will soften it. Squeeze the bag and remove it.
- Stir the sugar into the hot tea until it dissolves. Muscovado melts quickly in hot liquid, so this takes seconds.
- Heat the milk in a pan or microwave until steaming, then froth it with a whisk or a jar with the lid on tight.
- Pour the milk into the tea. Finish with a pinch of the sugar on top if you like.
Tips for a better cup
- Brew the tea strong. Weak tea gets lost under milk and spice.
- Start with one teaspoon. Taste, then add more. The spice builds as it dissolves.
- Try oat milk. Its natural sweetness suits cinnamon and cardamom.
- Iced version: stir the sugar into the hot tea first, then pour over ice and add cold milk. Sugar will not dissolve properly in cold drinks, which is why we wrote about sweetening iced drinks.
Why use flavoured sugar for chai?
Concentrates and powders come with sugar, water and thickeners you did not ask for. Spiced Chai is just muscovado with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and clove. You choose the tea, the milk and the strength, and a 100g pouch makes around 25 cups at about 20p each.
Want it with coffee instead? Read how to make a dirty chai at home.
Pick up a pouch for £4.99, or see the whole range on the shop page.
