Chai Tea Concentrate Recipe

Chai tea latte is probably my favorite comfort drink of all time.  The blend of spices and tea and the creaminess of the milk is the perfect combination for a hot drink on a cool night, or a cool drink on a hot day!  We like to make our chai lattes at home because you could buy a whole carton of concentrate which makes 4-5 drinks for what you would pay for one at Starbucks.  Since we have recently started removing sugar from our diet, we have been much more savvy at looking at the sugar content on labels.  We did a comic double take when we checked out our favorite mix's sugar content. 16 grams for 4 ounces! Woof!!  I decided to make my own version based on what type of spices we like.  I've tried a few different combos and I finally got it right! Here's what you do:




Ingredients:
41/2 Cups of water
3T ground ginger (or 1 inch fresh)
1t. cinnamon
2 whole star anise
1/8 t. nutmeg
1 1/3 t. cardamom
1 1/3 t. cloves
Couple shakes of black pepper
pinch of corriander
1 T of vanilla
5 large black tea bags
3 small orange spice tea bags

Start by adding all of the spices and water to a pot.  Bring to a full boil, then turn down heat to medium low and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.  Add the tea bags and cover to steep for 20 minutes. Add the vanilla and stir.  Once cool, pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth.  I found a cheese cloth worked best to get the majority of the spice out for the perfect balance.

Use equal parts concentrate and your favorite milk.  I love mine with unsweetened coconut milk or goats milk. Jared likes his with regular dairy milk.  You can drink this heated or over ice for a nice cool latte.

If you prefer more sweetness, add some honey to taste.  If you find this too spicy, try running it through the strainer another time. This does best kept in the fridge so you can pull it out whenever you are craving a tasty treat.
You can find similar bottles to the one I used here:


Bormioli Rocco Giara Clear Glass Bottle With Stopper, 33 3/4 oz.