Chai Concentrate

Before you start

A chai concentrate is a double-strength, sweetened brew of black tea and whole spices. Instead of simmering spices and milk every morning, you make a jar on the weekend and pour it into hot or cold milk in seconds. The concentrate is deliberately strong, because it will be diluted roughly one to one.

Two things decide the flavor. First, the spices get a long simmer on their own, since cinnamon bark, cardamom and peppercorns need time to give up their oils. Second, the tea goes in only at the end, off the heat, for a short steep: boiled or over-steeped black tea turns harsh and tannic, and that bitterness becomes obvious once it sits in the fridge. Keep milk out of the jar entirely; adding it only when serving is what lets the concentrate last a week.

Ingredients

• Spices2 cinnamon sticks — about 8 cm (3 in) each
• 10 green cardamom pods — lightly crushed
• 8 whole cloves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 star anise
• 30 g (2 in piece) fresh ginger — thinly sliced
• Brew1 L (4¼ cups) water
• 20 g (about 7 tbsp) loose black tea — Assam or a strong breakfast blend; or 8 tea bags
• 100 g (½ cup packed) light brown sugar — or to taste
• 1 tsp vanilla extract — optional

Method

1. Crack the cardamom pods and peppercorns lightly with a mortar and pestle or the bottom of a pan. You want them split open, not powdered, so the concentrate strains clear.
2. Put the crushed spices, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and ginger in a saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes. The liquid will turn amber and smell strongly of cinnamon and pepper.
4. Turn off the heat, stir in the tea, cover again and steep for exactly 5 minutes. Set a timer; longer steeping makes the concentrate bitter.
5. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a jug, pressing the spices lightly. You should have about 800 ml.
6. Stir in the brown sugar while the liquid is hot until it dissolves, then add the vanilla. Taste; it should be sweet, spicy and noticeably strong.
7. Cool for about 30 minutes, pour into a clean jar, seal and refrigerate. To serve, mix equal parts concentrate and milk, then heat or pour over ice.

Tips for success

• Toast the whole spices in the dry pan for a minute before adding water for a deeper, rounder chai.
• Make it unsweetened if several people share it, and let each person sweeten their own cup with honey or syrup.
• For a frothy latte, heat the milk separately and froth it before pouring over warm concentrate.

Substitutions

Black tea

Rooibos makes a caffeine-free version; steep it 8 to 10 minutes because it does not turn bitter as easily. Decaf black tea also works.

Brown sugar

Honey or maple syrup give their own flavor; stir them in after the liquid has cooled slightly. Jaggery is traditional in many homes.

Fresh ginger

Use ½ tsp ground ginger, added with the tea. It is less bright and leaves a slight sediment.

Variations

Iced dirty chai

Pour 120 ml concentrate and 120 ml cold milk over ice and add a shot of espresso.

Chai syrup

Double the sugar for a sweeter syrup that keeps a little longer and works in cocktails and baking.

Troubleshooting

The concentrate is bitter and drying

The tea steeped too long or in boiling water. Remove the pan from the heat before adding tea and strain at 5 minutes.

The latte tastes weak

Use less milk, closer to 2 parts concentrate to 1 part milk, or simmer the spices 10 minutes longer next time.

Sediment settles in the jar

Fine spice particles passed the strainer. Shake before pouring, or strain through a paper coffee filter.

Storage

Refrigerate the concentrate without milk in a sealed jar and use within 1 week. Once mixed with milk, treat the drink as perishable and do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Safety notes

Each latte made with 100 ml of this concentrate contains caffeine from black tea, roughly comparable to a strong cup of tea. FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most healthy adults, but sensitivity varies.