Chai simply means tea, and in Australia a chai latte usually means spiced black tea with steamed milk. How you make it changes the drink completely, so it is worth knowing which version you are buying.
Three kinds of chai
- Powder. Spices and tea in a soluble blend. Dissolves in seconds, consistent every time, and the reason most cafes can serve chai during a rush. Usually sweetened already.
- Concentrate. A liquid syrup you dilute with milk. Richer, more expensive, and it needs refrigerating once open.
- Brewed masala chai. Whole spices and loose black tea simmered with milk. The best of the three and the slowest, which is why it rarely survives a cafe menu.
Making it from powder
- Put the powder in the cup: 2 heaped teaspoons for 240ml (8oz), 3 for 360ml (12oz), 4 for 480ml (16oz).
- Dissolve it with a little hot water first, stirring to a smooth paste. Straight into milk it will clump.
- Top with frothed milk, the same texture you would pour for a latte.
- Dust with cinnamon if you like, though a good blend does not need it.
Iced chai
Make the paste with hot water as above, but use half the water and stir until fully dissolved. Fill the glass with ice, pour cold milk over, then add the chai base. Adding it last gives the layered look, and stirring it through gives the stronger drink. Do not build an iced chai with hot milk and then ice it, you will water it down.
Which milk
Chai spices are assertive, so they hold up better than coffee does against plant milks. Oat is the easy default because it froths well and its sweetness suits the spice. Soy works. Almond is thinner and can taste slightly bitter against clove and cardamom.
Dirty chai
A dirty chai is a chai latte with a shot of espresso through it. Use a medium or medium-dark roast with body, because a delicate single origin disappears entirely under cardamom and ginger. Dose the chai slightly lighter than usual to leave room for the shot.
If it tastes weak
Almost always under dosing, or milk poured before the powder dissolved. Chai powder is sweetened, so people instinctively use less than the drink needs and end up with spiced milk. Measure it once with a proper teaspoon and you will see the difference.
For the whole tea picture, including where herbal blends sit, see types of tea.
