The chai latte recipe
for your table
Crush four green cardamom pods, break a cinnamon stick in half, and add them with two cloves, one star anise, and two slices of fresh ginger to a saucepan with 10 cl of water. Bring to a boil and let the spices steep gently for three minutes.
Add the black tea and let it steep for another two minutes. After more than three minutes, the tannins in the tea make the whole drink bitter, especially because the tea is boiling here rather than merely steeping.
Add 12 cl of the milk, stir in a teaspoon of honey or brown sugar, and heat everything until just below boiling point. Don’t let it boil, as the milk will taste boiled and the spice flavor will disappear.
Strain the chai through a fine-mesh sieve into your glass, so no cardamom husks or tea leaves remain floating in it. Froth the last 3 cl of milk, spoon the foam on top, and sprinkle with some cinnamon. If you add a shot of espresso, it’s called a dirty chai.
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The story
In India, chai is simply the word for tea, so anyone ordering chai tea is essentially asking for the same thing twice. The spiced version is called masala chai: black tea cooked with spices, milk and sugar instead of being steeped, and sold throughout India at street stalls by the small glassful. The chai latte as we know it is a later, Western interpretation, with much more milk, a layer of foam and often a ready-made concentrate instead of loose spices. The same flavour, a completely different ratio and a completely different glass.
The right glass
A chai latte is one-third tea and two-thirds milk, so you quickly need twenty to twenty-five centilitres. The glass must be heat-resistant, and it helps if it has a handle, because the drink is poured in boiling hot. Glass has the advantage over porcelain that you can see the warm amber colour and the layer of foam. A double-walled glass keeps the chai warm for the longest and remains hand-warm on the outside; you can find them among the double-walled glasses.
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The right tools
For a chai latte, in addition to the glass, you use a fine strainer to keep the spices out, a muddler to crush the cardamom pods and ginger, and a grater for adding a little cinnamon or nutmeg over the foam. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
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Which splash goes into a chai latte?
A chai latte is naturally alcohol-free. If you want to turn it into an evening drink, a splash of rum pairs best with the spices; Baileys makes it creamier and amaretto sweeter. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs well with and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Leave out the spices except for the cardamom and you will have the most widely consumed version from northern India. A few black peppercorns or a piece of fennel make it sharper, while extra ginger makes it more intense. Replace the honey with palm sugar for a rounder sweetness. Add a shot of espresso to turn it into a dirty chai, and if you prefer it cold, pour the strained, cooled chai over ice and top it up with cold milk. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Pour out the chai latte immediately, because the foam sinks within a few minutes and the spices continue to infuse in the jug. Serve it with a spoon rather than a straw: you drink it through the foam. A small cookie or a piece of almond paste is enough, because the drink itself is already sweet.
Good to know
Chai simply means tea
The word chai comes via Hindi from the Chinese cha and means nothing more than tea. In India, ordering chai simply means ordering a cup of tea, while the spiced milk version is called masala chai, with masala referring to the spice blend. In Dutch, chai latte has become established as the name for this spiced milk tea, but chai tea is strictly speaking redundant.
Brew it yourself or use syrup from the bottle
Brewing it yourself takes ten minutes, and you decide how much ginger or clove goes into each glass. A ready-made chai syrup or concentrate takes thirty seconds: add a splash to the milk and froth it. The main difference is in the sweetness and the spiciness. Syrup is almost always heavily sweetened and relies on cinnamon and vanilla, while freshly brewed chai brings out more cardamom and ginger. If you want to taste the difference, serve them side by side.
Dirty chai: add espresso
Pull a 2.5 cl shot of espresso through the prepared chai latte and you have a dirty chai. With two shots, it is usually called a filthy chai. The coffee covers up some of the spices, so make the chai a little more robust: an extra cardamom pod and a little more ginger keep it balanced.
The ice-cold version
Brew the chai as above, but let it cool without adding the milk. Strain the concentrate, refrigerate it, and later pour it over ice cubes, topping it up with cold milk. Because cold suppresses flavor, brew the concentrate a little stronger for the cold version and sweeten it a bit more generously than you would the hot version.
Which milk froths best
Whole cow's milk produces the creamiest foam and holds the spices well. Semi-skimmed milk gives more volume but a drier layer. Of the plant-based milks, barista oat milk suits chai best, as the sweetness of oats complements cinnamon and cardamom; almond milk remains thin and can curdle with sour spices. Always start with cold milk, so you have more time before it gets too hot.
Why the tea must not boil for too long
With masala chai, the tea cooks in the milk, which is precisely why you need to watch the time. After three minutes, tannins are released and the whole drink becomes astringent. Keep the tea steeping briefly and let the spices infuse for longer: they need the heat to release their oils.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between chai and chai latte?
Chai is the ordinary word for tea in India. The spiced milk tea is called masala chai there and is served in small glasses, with much more tea than milk. A chai latte is the Western version: the same spices, but in a large glass, with lots of milk and a layer of frothed milk on top.
Which spices belong in a chai latte?
The standard base is green cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and star anise. Cardamom is the flavour you recognise most clearly, while ginger provides the bite. Black pepper, fennel seeds and nutmeg are common additions. Crush the whole spices just before use, as ground powder does provide colour but much less aroma.
Can you make a chai latte with syrup?
You can, and it is much faster: add a splash of chai syrup or chai concentrate to warm, frothed milk and you are done. Keep in mind that syrup is almost always heavily sweetened and relies mainly on cinnamon and vanilla, so do not sweeten it further. Brewing it yourself with whole spices gives you more cardamom and more bite.
Which glass do you use for a chai latte?
A heat-resistant glass holding twenty to twenty-five centilitres, preferably with a handle, as the chai goes in boiling hot. Glass shows off the amber colour and layer of foam. A double-walled glass keeps the drink warm for longest and remains warm to the touch on the outside, so you can hold it without a cloth.
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