4 tablespoons loose leaf Assam black tea (or 6 teabags)
1 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled
8-10 cardamom pods
10 cloves, whole
¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
3-4 star anise
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 heaped teaspoons palm sugar (or regular sugar)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
To make the chai latte:
Milk, of your choice (regular, soy, almond, oat all work well)
Optional: whipped cream, cinnamon powder and star anise for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
To a deep bottomed pot, add 2 cups of water and the black tea. Lightly smash the ginger using the back of the knife, and coarsely pound your whole spices in a pestle and mortar. Add all the spices to the pot of water along with the palm sugar, and it to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and let the spices and tea infuse for about 3-5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add the vanilla extract. Strain and discard the solids. What you now have is the chai concentrate that’s good for four servings. This keeps well in the refrigerator for 10 days, and can also be frozen into ice cubes.
To make a hot chai latte, heat the chai concentrate with the milk of your choice over a medium flame until warmed through and simmering. Pour into mugs, and top with whipped cream if desired. Dust some cinnamon powder and garnish with a star anise if you wish.
To make an iced chai latte, fill up a tall glass with ice. Pour the chai concentrate and top with milk.
Recipe by Sprig & Vine at http://sprigandvine.in/spiced-chai-latte/