Lauren's Masala Chai Concentrate

Name: Lauren's Masala Chai Concentrate
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 6 1/2 cups, 8 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1656.13 ml water; 29.58 ml cut dried ginger (chunks, available at health food stores in the bulk spice department) or 1 inch fresh ginger; 10-15 whole cloves; 0 star anise pods; 3 inch cinnamon sticks; 7.39 ml black peppercorns; 7.39 ml cardamom seed; 29.58 ml black tea leaves; 73.94 ml brown sugar; 4.92 ml vanilla; milk

Submitted by laurenlikesfood

"I've spent so much money buying cartons of liquid chai concentrate and have tried many times to make it myself. Well, today I researched ruthlessly and this (which I made up on my own) is the concentrate I've been waiting for! Keep in mind everybody has a different masala chai preference and you should adjust it to your liking - I like a little spice, not too sweet, and an overall balance of flavors. Enjoy!"

Download

Ready In:: 15mins
Ingredients:: 11
Yields:: 6.5 cups
Serves:: 8

ingredients

1656.13 ml water
29.58 ml cut dried ginger (chunks, available at health food stores in the bulk spice department) or 1 inch fresh ginger
10-15 whole cloves
0 star anise pods
3 inch cinnamon sticks
7.39 ml black peppercorns
7.39 ml cardamom seed
29.58 ml black tea leaves
73.94 ml brown sugar
4.92 ml vanilla
milk

directions

special note about spices (If you have a bulk foods or Whole Foods or Vitamin Cottage kind of grocer nearby, get the spices from the bulk section. They often cost 25% what you'd pay for a jar! My total ingredients expense was around $1.50, not including the milk!).
In a medium-large saucepan, bring about 7 cups water to a boil.
Meanwhile, add the 6 spices (do not add the tea yet).
Once the water/spice mixture is boiling, add the tea.
Boil 5 minutes, then remove from heat. (I know you're never supposed to boil tea, but I found this works just fine. If you don't want to boil the tea, just boil the spices for 5 minutes and steep slightly longer.).
Stir in the brown sugar (or honey) and vanilla.
Steep for 8 minutes, then strain into a glass container.
While you wait for it to cool, pour a mug 2/3 full with your chai and add hot milk to the top. (If it isn't spicy or sweet enough, you can still add more spices to steep - just strain the mixture again before storing.) OR for a real treat, use hot evaporated milk (I wouldn't want this every day, because its a little sweeter and creamier than regular milk.).
Store in the refrigerator for 7 days (maybe longer, but all chai concentrate containers claim 7 days is best). Note: Normally you'd use 1:1 ratio of chai:milk, but I brew it a little weaker and save $ on milk since I drink so much chai.

Questions & Replies

Got a question? Share it with the community!

Reviews

I just have a question for Lauren. What does 1/4 star anise pod mean?

Becca The Baker
I tried this recipe and it was my first attempt at making my own chai concentrate. I loved it! I like my chai as spicy as possible and this was pretty spicy! I live in a small town so the grocery store has limited selection of spices, but I used ground ginger (instead of fresh/dried ginger) and anise seeds (instead of star anise). One thing I would recommend before you start making this to make sure you have a strainer that catches fine particles! I didn't have anything be a tea ball with a spring that made it snap shut, so I had to hold it open. It hurt my hand and was very tedious! But I still enjoy the chai very much!<br/><br/>Thanks Lauren!

kakurt