Vanilla Chai Tea Latte

I enjoy having a cozy chai tea latte on a chilly day. You can use whatever kind of milk you prefer. Sometimes I make my own milk, such as hemp seed milk! Photo by Jennifer Hutzel — I enjoy having a cozy chai tea latte on a chilly day. You can use whatever kind of milk you prefer. Sometimes I make my own milk, such as hemp seed milk!
Photo by Jennifer Hutzel

| Yield: 3 cups Chai Concentrate | Time: 10 min total |

Ingredients

1 whole cinnamon stick

8 green cardamom pods

1 tsp whole black peppercorns

2 star anise

4 whole cloves

2-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 5 pieces

3 cups water

3 Tbsp loose leaf black tea (or ~3-4 black tea bags. Use decaf as needed such as rooibos)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup dairy-free milk

Sweetener such as maple syrup, organic cane sugar, or coconut sugar to taste

Preparation

Chai Concentrate:

Slowly bring cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, ginger, peppercorns, cardamom, and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Once simmering, add tea bags. Turn off heat, steep 3 to 4 minutes; remove tea bags. Let cool, then push mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Add vanilla and stir. Pour concentrate into a bottle or jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Latte Instructions:

Warm 1/2 cup non-dairy milk in a small saucepan. While milk heats, pour 1/2 cup concentrate into a mug along with maple syrup or sweetener of choice. Then top with hot milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

You can also have an iced latte by pouring half concentrate and half milk over a glass of ice.