Indian · Drink · All year
Masala Chai Latte
4.6 community
5m
Prep
12m
Cook
Easy
Level
160
kcal
Real chai: spices crushed and boiled WITH strong black tea and milk, not a syrup pump. Ten minutes to ruin café chai forever.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
2
2 tbsp
🍵 Black Tea ›
loose, strong (Assam)
400 ml
🥛 Milk ›
200 ml
💧 Sparkling Water ›
still water
1 thumb
🫚 Ginger ›
smashed
4
🟢 Cardamom ›
pods, crushed
1 stick
🟤 Cinnamon ›
3
🟤 Cloves ›
2 tbsp
🍬 Sugar ›
Add all to shopping list
Mise en place
Before you start
5m
Prep
12m
Cook
17m
Total
2
Serves
Equipment
Blender or shaker
Tall glass
Prep checklist
Black Tea
— loose, strong (Assam)
Sparkling Water
— still water
Ginger
— smashed
Cardamom
— pods, crushed
3 steps
Method
1
Boil the water with ginger and crushed spices 4 minutes — the kitchen announces it.
2
Tea in for 2 minutes, then milk and sugar; bring JUST to the rolling foam-up, pull off, return, repeat twice — the traditional aeration.
💡
The double boil-up ("bringing the chai up") froths and marries it. Watch the pot; chai's great ambition is escaping.
3
Strain into cups. Rainy-day law: serve with something fried or biscuity.
From the chef
Notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Best the day it's made; syrups and bases keep a week refrigerated.
Freezing
Freeze bases into cubes for instant future drinks.
Reheating
Serve as intended — hot drinks fresh, cold drinks over plenty of ice.
Make ahead
Syrups and bases keep a week refrigerated; freeze fruit for instant thick blends.
Wine pairing
This is the drink.
Beer pairing
This is the drink.
On the plate
Serve it with
Sides
·
Shortbread or biscotti
·
Salted nuts
Garnish
A citrus wheel
Fresh mint
A cinnamon stick for warm drinks
Taste map
Flavor profile
Sweet
Salty
Sour
Bitter
Umami
Heat
Per serving
Nutrition
160
kcal
5g
protein
22g
carbs
6g
fat
3g
fiber
16g
sugar
520mg
sodium
Just for you
My notes
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