Homemade Chai Tea Drink Mix
This homemade chai tea drink mix is a spiced dry blend of Assam black tea, freshly ground cardamom, Ceylon cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper that stores for up to 12 months in a sealed jar. One rounded teaspoon stirred into hot milk gives you a rich, warming cup of chai in under 5 minutes -- no packets, no shortcuts, just real spices. Make one batch on the weekend and you will have the best chai tea drink mix on demand every single morning.
Servings 22 cups
Calories 155kcal
Cost $6
Equipment
- 1 Spice grinder or mortar and pestle
- 1 Glass jar with tight lid 16 oz or larger for storage
- 1 Small saucepan for brewing
- 1 Fine mesh strainer for brewing
Ingredients
For the Dry Mix (makes ~22 servings)
- 4 tbsp Assam black tea CTC grade, loose leaf
- 2 tbsp ground cardamom freshly ground from whole green pods -- do not use pre-ground
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon Ceylon preferred
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground
To Serve (per cup)
- 1 rounded tsp chai tea drink mix heaped slightly
- 8 oz milk whole milk or oat milk for dairy-free; 240 ml
- 1 tsp honey or maple syrup optional, to taste
Instructions
Make the Dry Mix
- Place whole green cardamom pods on a cutting board. Press the flat side of a knife firmly down on each pod to crack it open. Peel back the husks and collect the small black seeds inside. Discard the husks -- they add no flavor once the seeds are removed.
- Transfer the cardamom seeds to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Grind until you have a fine, fragrant powder. Work in short pulses to avoid overheating the spice. Do not use pre-ground cardamom -- it loses most of its volatile oils within 6 months of grinding.
- Measure the ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and freshly ground black pepper into a small bowl. Keep portions exact -- cloves in particular can overpower the blend if overdone.
- Add the loose Assam black tea, freshly ground cardamom, and all the measured spices into a clean, dry glass jar. Stir thoroughly with a long spoon for about 60 seconds, turning from the bottom up, until the tea and spices look completely uniform in color with no pockets of single ingredients.
- Close the jar tightly with its lid. Label the jar with the preparation date. Store in a cool, dry spot away from direct sunlight -- a pantry shelf or cabinet works well. The mix keeps at full flavor for up to 12 months.
Brew a Cup
- Give the jar a quick stir or shake to redistribute any settled spices. Scoop 1 rounded teaspoon of the dry mix into a small saucepan. This is the base for one 8 oz cup.
- Pour 8 oz (240 ml) of whole milk or oat milk directly into the saucepan over the dry mix. Stir once to combine. Using cold milk straight from the fridge is fine -- it will heat evenly with the mix.
- Set the saucepan over medium heat. Warm slowly, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reaches about 90 C (195 F) -- just before a hard boil. You will see small bubbles forming around the edges and a light steam rising. Do not let it reach a rolling boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for exactly 3 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Do not steep past 4 minutes -- the Assam tannins become dominant after that point and the cup turns astringent.
- Pour the brewed chai through a fine-mesh strainer into your mug to catch the loose tea leaves and spice particles. Discard the solids. Stir in 1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup if desired. Taste and adjust sweetness, then serve immediately while hot.
Notes
For iced chai: brew at double strength (2 tsp mix, 8 oz milk), let cool, then pour over ice. For caffeine-free chai: replace the Assam black tea with an equal amount of rooibos. If the mix clumps in the jar, add a food-grade silica gel packet inside and stir before each scoop. Buy whole cardamom pods and grind fresh -- pre-ground cardamom older than 6 months has little flavor left.
