Chai Tea Concentrate
One of my favorite things to do with my sister when we’re together is get a chai latte and walk around shopping at our outdoor mall when the weather is brisk. We bundle up and warm our bodies with the comforting spices of chai tea and reminisce about the memories it conjures up. We’ve always called it “Christmas in a cup,” because no matter what time of the year it is, you can open the lid and the smells of the holiday season waft up in the air.
I see chai tea concentrate pop up on Pinterest from time to time and have made my own version to enjoy in the comfort of my home, but this year I wanted to spread the joy and give “Christmas In a Cup” to all of my family and loved ones. You better believe a jar of this will be traveling all the way to Denver seester! Miss you and can’t wait to stroll the streets with a cup in hand next time we’re together.
| Ingredients (makes 6 8oz jars) 10 cups filtered water 18 bags black tea (preferably darjeeling) 4 cinnamon sticks 4 star anise 3 teaspoons whole cloves 2 vanilla beans, split 3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger 1½ teaspoons whole cardamom pods, smashed with the butt of a knife 1½ teaspoon peppercorns 1½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon fennel seed zest from 1 orange 1 cup honey ¼ teaspoon lime juice |
Directions
Bring the water and tea bags to a boil in a large pot. Reduce heat to a simmer and add everything except the lime juice and honey.
Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove the tea bags and continue simmering with the spices for an additional 20 minutes.
Strain the tea into a large bowl and discard the spices. Stir in the honey and lime juice while the tea is still hot.
Fill sterilized jars leaving a 1/4 inch of head-space. Seal the jars and process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. Remove with tongs and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Lightly press the center of the lid with your finger. If it sealed properly, the lid will not flex up or down (or pop).
This concentrate will last in the fridge for 1 week, so if you want to skip the canning process, just pour it into clean bottles with lids and give them away with instructions to be refrigerated.
Spread the cheer!
To serve
Mix 1 part concentrate with 2 parts milk (I like using half coconut and half almond) and heat or serve over ice
Click the photo below for printable gift tags
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[...] Homemade chai tea concentrate. Yum. Perfect for the winter cold. [...]
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Oh my WORD! I’ve been longing to know how to make a good chai latte with actual whole spices – not just buying chai tea bags. I’m so thankful you did this post! I love the idea of giving it as gifts too. Thanks for another great post- Jen
I love chai tea and this is a GREAT gift idea!! I will be keeping this in mind for next year, I love it. Everyone loves chai tea, right? I have fond memories of my best friend gurbir making me traditional indian chai tea when we would go to her house after school. I’ve been hooked ever since!
OH I have been looking for a chai tea concentrate FOREVER!!!!! Thank you so much!
The instructions say to push the center of the lid with your finger after you’ve processed it. This is not a good idea. If for some reason the tea hasn’t properly been canned, your finger will make the lid go down but gives a false sense of being processed. Your best bet is to NOT touch it and force it to “be right”. If after it cools and it still hasn’t gone down then put in frig and use first. Just a note of canning safety.
thank you SO much for sharing this. total lifesaver. i love chai but hate hate hate all the garbage in it! Merry Christmas!
Thank you–as I’ve had to stop drinking coffee for a while, this is a perfect warm drink.
These look amazing. What a great idea. I really want to make one for myself
So glad I found this blog and this post. Chairman is a delight and i like this recipe and gift idea!
Will keep it in mind. I love all the recpies and my family is thankful for the sweet goodies.
Happy holidays to you and your readers
°Chai° means °tea° so writing °chai tea° is redundant. Nevertheless, this concentrate looks phenomenal and packed with flavor. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Yes you’re correct, but most people don’t know that plus not everyone knows that a chai latte is tea not coffee, so for clarity I chose to include both
While this sounds like a lovely recipe and I would probably use it for cases where it can be kept refrigerated, I’m wondering how you decided on the method and duration of processing for canning. I just haven’t seen any tea-based canning recipes from the tried and true sources.
I love your website and make many delicious things off of it. I was so excited to try this one. So I made this and followed directions perfectly and mine seems to be a little bitter, any suggestions to help that?
Hi Athena- it is very bitter on it’s own. When mixed with 2 parts milk though, it tastes just like a chai latte. If you plan to drink it on it’s own, I wouldn’t concentrate it so much. Half all of the ingredients except the water and only simmer for half the time.
I finally had the chance to make this tonight (with less honey), and it turned out just beautifully. Thanks again for all of the creativity of your recipes. Your blog was one of the first things I stumbled across when I began SCD 3 months ago, and it’s been an absolute blessing.
I have always called it Christmas In a Cup as well!
) I am going to try this concentrate as I have been struggling with my NEED for a nice warm chai tea and I don’t want the sugary mess that comes with the Starbucks!
I made this last week and shared it with a few people and we all loved it! Though I was so surprised how wonderful it really is. I work at a bookstore with a cafe that serves Chai and ours is not half as good as this is!! Thank you so much.
I have tried it with both water and milk, but I prefer it with the rice milk.
If you do the canning process correctly, how long will the chai concentrate last? And does it have to be in the fridge?
I wouldn’t keep it for any longer than a month. Yeah I would keep it in the fridge for an extended period of time!