How to Make Chai Tea: Traditional Chai Recipe and Brewing Guide
Like strong chai? Let's talk about how to make it properly. Coming from Nepal, I grew up with tea-making as an essential skill, whether for serving guests or just for yourself. After many years of practice, here's how I make chai.
Chai is the Hindi word for tea
"Chai" is the Hindi word for tea, so "chai tea" is a bit like Canadians saying "toque cap": the second word is redundant. It's a cultural thing, and now it's famous all over the world.
What's in chai?
Chai is a blend of tea leaves, Indian spices, milk, and sugar. Everyone's taste is different, but the basics stay the same. Chai isn't chai without spice and milk, while sugar is optional.
Most chai is made with C.T.C. tea, which is strong and bitter and gives the golden-brown to dark-brown colour. Loose leaf tea works too; just use a malty tea rather than whole leaf (OP or Orange Pekoe style). Our Muscatel Black Tea makes an excellent chai base, and its honey-grape character takes on a lovely new flavour with spices and milk.
Common chai spices
Green cardamom
Known as the "queen of spices," these are small green pods with black seeds inside. The flavour is strong, sweet, and aromatic, with hints of mint and lemon. It's the most essential chai spice.
Black cardamom
Bigger and darker than green cardamom, with a strong, smoky flavour and a cool, menthol undertone. It adds depth, especially in Nepali and North Indian chai.
Cloves
Dried flower buds with a strong, pungent, slightly sweet flavour, known for their aroma and long use in traditional medicine.
Black pepper
Sharp and pungent, it adds heat and depth. In chai, it leaves a warming finish in the throat.
Ginger
Warm, slightly sweet, and peppery, and good in both sweet and savoury dishes. It's especially popular in tea for digestion and immunity. Fresh ginger always beats powder in chai.
Optional spices
Nutmeg (warm and slightly sweet, a pinch at most), cinnamon (sweet and woody), and bay leaves (a subtle herbal depth).
Picture: Spices used in chai
How to make chai at home (1 cup)
Ingredients
- Milk: 150 ml
- Water: 150 ml
- Green cardamom: 3 to 4 pods, opened and crushed
- Black cardamom: 1 pod, opened and crushed
- Cloves: 4 to 5, crushed
- Black pepper: 4 to 5 peppercorns, crushed
- Nutmeg: optional, a pinch (1 to 2g max)
- Cinnamon: optional, a pinch (1 to 2g max)
- Bay leaf: optional, 1 leaf
- Ginger: optional, 3 to 5g fresh, sliced
- Put the water in a pot and heat it until warm.
- Add the milk and bring it to a boil.
- Add 5g of CTC tea and the spices (or a small amount of loose leaf black tea instead of the CTC).
- Boil until a skin forms on the milk, then add sugar to taste.
- Keep boiling until it turns golden brown, tasting as you go and adjusting the sugar or spice. When you're happy with the taste, turn off the stove.
- Strain and serve.
No more buying pre-mixed chai blends. This way you can make chai exactly the way you like it. Happy sipping!
Make loose leaf chai with Nepali black tea
Our Muscatel Black Tea makes an excellent loose-leaf chai base, with honey-grape character and natural smoothness. Or try all our black teas in the Black Tea Lover Pack ($47.40). Ships across Canada, the USA, and select regions around the globe.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tea should I use for homemade chai?
Traditional chai uses CTC (crush-tear-curl) black tea, which is strong and bold and gives a dark colour. For loose leaf chai, use a malty, full-bodied black tea. Our Muscatel Black Tea makes an excellent base, and its honey-grape character works beautifully with cardamom, ginger, and milk.
What are the four essential chai spices?
Green cardamom (sweet and aromatic), black cardamom (smoky and cooling), cloves (pungent and deep), and black pepper (heat and a warming finish). Ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and bay leaf are popular additions, but they're optional in traditional Nepali-style chai.
Can I make chai without milk?
Yes. "Seto chiya" (white tea without milk) is traditional in Nepal's tea-growing regions. Brew strong black tea with spices in water, strain, and serve without milk, adding honey to taste. For a dairy-free chai latte, oat milk or coconut milk both go well with the spices.
Authored By:
Bhaskar Dahal
2nd Generation Tea Entrepreneur
Founder and C.E.O, Nepal Hills Tea Inc.
