How To Make A Chai Latte At Home That Tastes Like It Came From A Coffee Shop

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A chai latte is a warm hug in a mug, and this order of comfort can be made even more cozy right at home, instead of having to head to the neighborhood coffee shop. You'll save money, time, and be able to pour the perfectly spiced cup of chai while wearing your favorite sweatpants. We spoke to Claire Chan, founder and owner of The Elk specialty coffee shop for tips on how to make a professional-tasting recipe without needing to clock hours as a paid barista.

"Fresh spices and proper simmering time make all the difference," instructs Chan. As tempting as it might be to sprinkle powdered spices into a pot, Chan directs chai lovers to first simmer your chosen whole spices with black tea. Use all or some of an assortment of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and peppercorns and warm them up in a pan with the tea, then steamed milk and sweetener can then enter the picture. We recommend using about ¾ cup of the spiced tea with 1¼ cup of heated milk. If you can't be bothered to collect the spices or doubt your ability to brew a delicious cup of chai from scratch, Chan reassures aspiring chai makers that there is no shame in using ready-made store-bought concentrates (rather than powders). "Find a great concentrate (like Dona Chai, which is what we use at the cafe)!" encourages Chan.

Whether you're setting out to make big-batch chai concentrate or are making an oat milk chai latte for one, consider which spices you invite to your tea-making party. Chan suggests that a cardamom pod and cinnamon stick is all you need to coax out deeper, more nuanced flavors in your next milky cup of spiced tea.

As with any recipe, sweeten the finished drink to taste. Chan prefers natural sweeteners to pair with steamed milk. Maple syrup, agave, and honey all lend unique profiles to a chai latte. When you make your own recipe at home, you can adjust the amount added to suit your palate. For those who'd like to try gentle sweetness mixed into chai, date syrup or coconut sugar can be the natural addition your cup calls for. Finish poured drinks with a quick pass of nutmeg over the microplane, and you'll have a chai latte that will rival the orders passed across the counter at your local coffee stop.