Homemade Chai Tea Latte

The first time I tried a chai tea latte was when a popular coffee and donut shop sent me a coupon to try it for free. I am not a fan of tea, hot or cold, I just have never gotten used to the taste. However, I do love my lattes and it was free so I decided to give it a try. I was absolutely shocked at how much I loved it. Since that first drink, I've had it a few more times at different places, with some being better than others.

One day after a very chilly and early morning race I knew I needed some form of hot coffee. I decided to try a coffee shop I've never been to and felt like a chai tea latte. I asked the barista about adding an extra shot as I typically do when I am extra tired and at a coffee shop. Then to my surprise she said that it has no coffee in it, but could made it a dirty chai tea latte and add a shot of espresso. I had just assumed since it was a latte it had coffee in it. The barista said most people think that, but the tea has caffeine in it and it is called a latte because of the milk added. Well I learned something new that day.

Then shortly after that I started looking for recipes to make a chai tea latte at home. The biggest problem I ran into was all of the recipes called for whole spices, not ground. But I really did not want to buy whole spices which I do not typically use just for this latte. So I kept looking and looking then I found recipes for an instant mix that used powdered milk and powdered instant tea. But again it was using ingredients I don't typically use. So I kept on looking until I finally found one that used mostly powdered ingredients and I substitute some whole for ground. The result was a drink that was so heavy in spices, I could not drink it. So the search continued and two more failed recipes. I then quit. I had tried 3 different recipes with no luck, I was done.

Then one day I decided to try again. I was going to make this drink at home and make it taste good. Bound and determined I searched again and found a recipe that had really good potential. So I figured one more try would not hurt and thankfully this fourth try was the winner. I could actually drink this entire chai tea latte and would make it again.

So, if you are a fan of the chai tea latte, give this homemade version a try and save yourself a trip to the coffee shop.

Homemade Chai Tea Latte

Ingredients:

Chai Tea

• 2 cups water
• pinch ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 2 black tea bags

Latte

• 1/2 cup chai tea
• 3 tablespoons half and half
• fat free milk, enough to equal 3/4 cup when added to the half and half
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Cooking Directions

Chai Tea

1. In a medium sized saucepan, whisk the water and spices together. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn off the heat and allow the spices to steep in the water for 5 minutes.
2. After 5 minutes, turn the heat back on and add the maple syrup and tea bags. Bring the mixture to a slight boil, then turn off the heat. Allow the tea bags to steep in the water and spices for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and pour the chai tea through a fine mesh strainer. Reserve 1/2 cup for the latte and pour the rest into a container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks for more chai tea latte's.

Latte

1. In a medium sized saucepan, stir together the half and half and milk mixture and maple syrup. Bring the mixture to a slight boil, just until the sides begin to bubble. Remove the pan from the heat and use an immersion blender to blend the milk mixture until frothy. Or transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until frothy.
2. Pour the reserved 1/2 cup chai tea into a mug and slowly pour the warm frothy milk mixture over top.