I love tea.
Tea has a unique power to transport me to another place or time. Whatever stress, boredom, or weariness weighs on me seems to fall away in the time-honored ritual of brewing and sipping a cup. In the ideal moment this is an unhurried process: measure the tea into a strainer, wait for the water to boil with a book in hand, gently pour boiling water over the leaves and, yet again, marvel at the simple alchemy that turns water and leaves into something comforting and restorative.
Even when conditions aren’t perfect for a quiet brewing ritual—as often happens in a home with five young sons—tea still alters my mood simply by being present. A cup of tea at hand becomes my buffer against whatever the day throws at me.
After the holidays this household has been, in one word, noisy. The kids have reluctantly returned to school, the weather has been relentlessly dreary, and the glow of the festive season has faded. In those circumstances tea moves from luxury to necessity. Although there’s less time to linger over a perfect cuppa, my desire for it hasn’t diminished. My solution is tea concentrate.
Tea concentrate lets me pull together a Chai Latte capped with whipped cream and dusted with cinnamon in under two minutes. It’s a fast, reliable way to get the flavors and warmth of a cafe-style drink without the time or price tag.
While I’m usually a loose-leaf tea person, bagged chai is my shortcut when I’m making concentrate. If you don’t have a favorite brand yet, Stash and Bigelow make solid chai blends, but use whatever you prefer. You can also substitute rice milk, soy milk, or almond milk for dairy in both the brewed concentrate and the finished latte.
With a Chai Latte in hand I can face the long winter days, tune out the boys wrestling two feet behind me, and, perhaps, tackle that pile of laundry in the basement—though I might have another latte before attempting that last part.
Chai Latte Concentrate
Ingredients:
- 12 chai tea bags
- 4 cups cold, fresh water
- 1 1/2 cups milk (dairy or plant-based)
Method: Place the tea bags, cold water, and milk in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, squeeze the tea bags to extract as much flavor as possible, discard the bags, and transfer the concentrate to a heat-safe container. Let cool to room temperature, secure with a tight-fitting lid, and refrigerate for up to 12 days.
To prepare a Chai Latte
You control the flavor, sweetness, and creaminess. For a richer latte, use chocolate syrup for sweetening and substitute half-and-half for the milk. For fewer calories, use low-fat milk and a noncaloric sweetener. My preference is a latte lightly sweetened with half agave and half raw sugar, made creamy with whole milk. The advantage of making it at home is you can tailor it exactly to your taste.
Ingredients for one serving:
- 1/3–1/2 cup milk
- 1/2–2/3 cup Chai Latte Concentrate
- 1–3 teaspoons sweetener, to taste (I use a mix of agave nectar and raw sugar)
Optional toppings:
- Whipped cream
- Cocoa powder
- Ground cinnamon
Instructions: Pour the milk and concentrate into a small saucepan or a microwave-safe measuring cup. Heat until just steaming, then pour into your serving glass and sweeten to taste. Top with whipped cream if desired and dust with cinnamon or cocoa.
Sip. Relax. Repeat.