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Homemade Chai Concentrate

This homemade chai concentrate gives you café-quality chai in seconds. Mix it with milk and water for a delicious beverage that's far cheaper than store-bought versions. The concentrate stores in your fridge for two weeks and makes 8 to 10 servings.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Drinks and Beverages
Cuisine: Indian
Calories: 45
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main
  • 2 cups water
  • 4 strong-brew black tea bags or 3 tablespoons loose black tea
  • 6 to 8 cardamom pods lightly crushed
  • 1 cinnamon stick about 2 inches long, broken into pieces
  • 5 to 6 whole cloves
  • 6 to 8 black peppercorns
  • 1- inch piece fresh ginger peeled and lightly crushed
  • 1/4 cup sugar or to taste
  • 1 small pinch salt

Equipment

  • Medium saucepan with a lid
  • Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth
  • Wooden spoon for stirring
  • Measuring spoons and cups
  • Glass storage bottle or jar
  • Mortar and pestle (optional but recommended for crushing spices)

Method
 

  1. Lightly crack the cardamom pods by pressing them with the flat side of a knife or your mortar and pestle. Break the cinnamon stick into 2 or 3 pieces and leave the peppercorns and cloves whole.
  2. Add the crushed cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and peppercorns to a dry saucepan over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant and slightly darkened.
  3. Pour 2 cups of water into the saucepan with the toasted spices. Add the crushed ginger piece and bring everything to a boil over high heat, about 3 to 4 minutes.
  4. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and let the spiced water simmer uncovered for 5 minutes to allow the spices to infuse.
  5. Remove the saucepan from heat and add 4 strong-brew tea bags (or 3 tablespoons of loose black tea). Stir gently to submerge the tea bags, then cover the saucepan with a lid and let it steep for 3 to 4 minutes.
  6. Add 1/4 cup sugar and a small pinch of salt to the hot tea mixture. Stir constantly for 30 seconds until the sugar dissolves completely.
  7. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into a clean bowl or measuring cup. Press gently on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract any remaining liquid. Discard the spices, ginger, and tea bags.
  8. Let the concentrate cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes, before transferring it to a glass bottle or jar. Once cooled, cap the jar tightly and refrigerate immediately.
  9. To serve, pour 1/4 cup of chai concentrate into a mug, add 1/2 cup hot water and 1/4 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy), and stir well.

Notes

Store chai concentrate in an airtight glass jar in the fridge for up to two weeks. You can also freeze concentrate in ice cube trays for convenient single-serving portions that last up to three months. Toast your whole spices in a dry pan before simmering for deeper, more complex flavor. Use fresh spices less than six months old for best results.