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A glass of dirty chai latte with white and brown layers.
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5 from 43 votes

Dirty Chai Latte

Dirty Chai Latte is sweet and spicy from the Chai but has a deep, roasted flavor from the coffee to make it more complex. Together with the frothy top, it's simply delicious! I show you how to make it in 3 ways: from scratch, using Chai Concentrate (along with a homemade recipe) and using tea bags!
Prep Time1 minute
Cook Time5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, Fusion
Servings: 2 people
Author: Zen

Equipment

  • Whisk, french press or milk frother

Ingredients

Method 1: using Chai Concentrate

  • 1-2 Tablespoons Masala Chai Syrup Homemade Chai Syrup can last in the fridge for 1 week to a few months. Substitute: shop-bought Tazo Chai Concentrate.
  • 1 Black Tea Bag If you're substituting with black tea leaves, use 1-2 teaspoons of loose leaves.
  • 1 Cup Hot water
  • 1 shot Espresso Substitute: strong coffee (i.e. ½ Tablespoon of coffee powder to ½ Cup of hot water.)
  • 1- 1½ Cups Milk I use whole milk or, when it's extra cold out, milk mixed with heavy whipping cream. (Starbucks uses 2% milk.) If on a vegan diet, oat, soy, almond and cashew milk work well.

Method 2: from scratch (using whole spices)

  • 12 green cardamoms
  • 6 cloves Although you can change the amounts of spices to taste, beware of cloves which can be overpowering.
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 star anise
  • ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns You can also add other spices such as ginger and nutmeg, if you like them.
  • 1 Black Tea Bag If you're substituting with black tea leaves, use 1-2 teaspoons of loose leaves.
  • 1 Cup Hot Water
  • 1 shot Espresso Substitute: strong coffee (i.e. ½ Tablespoon of coffee powder to ½ Cup of hot water.)
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Neutral-flavored Honey Substitute: sugar (preferably brown), maple syrup, brown sugar syrup or 1 of these alternatives to sugar.
  • 1- 1½ Cups Milk I use whole milk or, when it's extra cold out, milk mixed with heavy whipping cream. (Starbucks uses 2% milk.) If on a vegan diet, oat, soy, almond and cashew milk work well.

Method 3: using Chai tea bags

  • 2-4 Chai Tea Bags
  • 1 Cup Hot Water
  • 1 shot espresso Substitute: strong coffee (i.e. ½ Tablespoon of coffee powder to ½ Cup of hot water.)
  • 1-2 Tablespoons Neutral-flavored Honey Substitute: sugar (preferably brown), brown sugar syrup, maple syrup or 1 of these alternatives to sugar.
  • 1- 1½ Cups Milk I use whole milk or, when it's extra cold out, milk mixed with heavy whipping cream. (Starbucks uses 2% milk.) If on a vegan diet, oat, soy, almond and cashew milk work well.

Instructions

Method 1: using Chai Concentrate

  • Brew a strong cup of black tea by steeping 1 black tea bag (or leaves) in 1 Cup of hot water for 3-5 minutes.
  • Remove the tea bag. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of Chai Syrup to the black tea (or to taste.)
  • Pour in the espresso.
  • Froth the milk (See Notes) then pour into the Masala Chai Coffee.

Method 2: from scratch (using whole spices)

  • Add all the spices and the cup of water to a pot and boil for 5- 10 minutes (till spiced enough for you.)
  • Add the black tea and steep for 3-5 minutes. Remove the tea bag/ leaves and spices. (They can be used to make a 2nd batch of Spiced Masala Tea!)
  • Add the espresso. Sweeten to taste with the honey.
  • Froth the milk (see Notes) then pour into the Coffee-Black Tea mixture.

Method 3: using Chai tea bags

  • Steep the Chai tea bags in hot water for 5 minutes.
  • Remove the tea bags and add the espresso.
  • Sweeten to taste with the honey.
  • Froth the milk (see Notes) then pour into the Coffee-Black Tea mixture.

Optional cafe-art for all 3 methods

  • Sprinkle ground cinnamon or cocoa powder on the foam.

Notes

Frothing the milk
If whisking/ pressing, you'll need to whisk/press at least 100 times vigorously to get a more stable foam.
Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.