One of my favourite things in winter is a hot, steaming cup of tea. Now I’m the type of person to wear a tank top right until it’s absolutely freezing, so there’s only a small window of cold where I can truly enjoy a hot cuppa.

So in celebration of the cold, I decided to make a steaming, creamy pot of chai.

“Chai”, literally just translates to tea, and in this case it refers to a particular kind of spiced tea. With a heady mix of cardamom, cloves and other spices, the welcoming scent of the tea brewing on the stove is almost as delicious as the tea itself.

Homemade Chai Latte
(Serves 4)

4 tsp assam tea leaves (or two bags of black tea)
4 cardamom pods
1.5 tsp ground ginger
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon (or 1 whole quill)
1 star anise
3 tbsp honey
0.5 tsp whole black pepper
0.5 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean)
2 cups milk (I used soy)
1.5 cup water

Bring the water to the boil.

Add tea and spices into a medium pot, cover with the boiling water, and simmer over low heat for 3 minutes.

Add vanilla, the 2 cups of milk, and simmer for 4-5 minutes, or infused to your liking.

Stir through the honey.

Two glasses of chai with some leftover in a tea pot.

Use a stronger honey if you like to add a floral note to your cup of chai. I strongly urge you to play around with the mix till you find your sweet spot – I’m a cinnamon girl, myself.

7 Comments

  1. Lucy @ Bake Play Smile July 5, 2014 at 12:00 pm

    Wow yum! Chai latte is my favourite drink to grab at a coffee shop! I’ll definitely try making my own at home. Thank you for linking up with our Fabulous Foodie Fridays party! Xxx

    Reply
  2. Pearl - Pretty Mayhem July 5, 2014 at 1:18 pm

    I used to love the Starbucks Chai but this looks soooooo much better. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply
  3. Hetal October 4, 2014 at 10:42 am

    Yum! My family was addicted to chai growing up (typical Indian family) . I need to make me a mug of this right now!

    Reply
  4. Chelsea @ eat with chelsea October 4, 2014 at 1:44 pm

    oh my gosh, this homemade chai looks great! Love that you used honey to sweeten and that it’s not overly honey-laden. I have a masala chai recipe as well, made with coconut milk. I urge you to try coconut milk sometime- it adds great flavor! xox

    Reply

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