Last Updated on December 22, 2024 by Michelle

It’s no secret that I love tea.

In fact, I love tea so much that even my “coffee” is actually tea. (P.s. my NOT coffee tea was even featured on Fox News!)

But liking chai lattes is a new one for me. Once I realized I liked chai, there’s been no going back. I now make my own chai lattes from scratch, with all real ingredients. Cue this homemade masala chai concentrate. Basically, I got sick of needing to brew my chai tea every time I wanted a chai lattes. So I realized–duh–it would be so much easier to make chai concentrate.

Therefore I’m sparing you the agony of waiting for your chai to brew all the time, and sharing my favorite (easy) way to make a chai latte–with homemade masala chai concentrate.

What is chai concentrate made of?

Most traditional chai concentrates (*cough* like the one really huge coffee shop, ya know, with the green logo–uses?) are made with some teas and spices for flavor, but mostly just loads and loads of sugar. In fact, real chai lovers know that the best chai–the ones you can’t stop thinking about–are a balance of sweet and spicy. Too much sweetness and the whole drink is off-balance. Plus, nobody needs to start their day with almost 50 grams of sugar! That’s more than we should have in a whole day! I’ve compiled a list of the sugar content of popular chai concentrates to help convince you that you really need to make your own.

Sugar amounts in popular chai concentrate brands:

Starting off strong, Tazo chai concentrate has a whopping 24 grams of sugar per serving (and who’s drinking just ONE serving anyways?).
Oregon Chai concentrate (this is the brand my local bagel/coffee shop uses!) has 19 grams added sugar per one serving.
Trader Joe’s brand chai concentrate (used to be my favorite chai to make lattes at home with!) had 20 grams per 4 oz of concentrate.
Oregon Chai latte powder contains 33 grams of sugar per serving. Granted, the powder is a bit different from liquid concentrates, but still. Crazy.

So basically the answer to “what is chai concentrate made out of,” is–basically–sugar. Some concentrates are made from real tea and spices, too, but plenty are also made with just “natural flavors” + sugar. We can do better.

Why is my homemade masala chai concentrate not flavorful?

Funny enough, chai pretty much needs to be sweetened to taste good. But finding the right balance between just-sweet-enough to bring out the flavor and not too sweet to overpower the spiciness can be tough sometimes. Bringing out the flavor of your chai is mostly about finding that sweet spot (pun intended). If you’re sweetening your chai just right and it’s still not as full-bodied as you’d like, here are some tips for making the most flavorful cup of chai you’ll ever drink.

Try a different chai tea blend, or better yet, make your own. Not all chai teas are created equal, and some have an emphasis on a certain spice that might not be your preference. Making your own blend allows you to tailor it to exactly how you like it. For instance, I’ve found I prefer more black pepper in my mix and some folks do. And I tend to not enjoy chai that includes anise because I don’t love the licorice flavor. Find what you like.
Use black tea as your base. This offers a robust, strong base for the strong spices but isn’t overpowering. Some chai doesn’t include a tea base at all, and some use green or rooibos as a base, but for that classic chai flavor you’ll want black tea.
Don’t be afraid to boil your chai to make a concentrate. It won’t get bitter, but it will allow the flavors of the spices to actually come out and create a bold, flavorful chai.

How to make homemade chai lattes taste as good as a coffee shop

First, understand that most coffee shops simply use a pre-made, super sweet chai concentrate to make their chai lattes. So when you make your own, authentic, perfectly-sweet, perfectly-spicy chai at home, it will taste different than most coffee shop chai lattes. But I personally think that chai lattes I make at home are better than any coffee shop chai I’ve found.

Tips for making homemade chai lattes more flavorful:

Don’t use tea bags. Instead, loose leaf tea allows the flavors to seep into your latte really well, creates a more robust flavor, and, not to mention, avoids the toxins in tea bags. Steeping the loose leaf tea directly into the water rather than using tea bags (where the tea never really makes contact with the water) was such a game-changer for my chai lattes. I personally think my homemade masala chai tea blend is the best ratio ever. But find a good loose leaf tea that works for you.
Use high-quality, fresh spices from reputable sources. It’s easy to find bland, cheap versions of spices. But it’s rare to find truly flavorful, aromatic spices that make your tastebuds dance. When I’m making my chai tea blend, I source most spices from Azure standard and I’ve had pretty good luck with them. And I source as much as I can from Positively Tea and botanicals because they simply have the highest standards and, as a result, the best-tasting spices. Not to mention they also have the best prices and bulk options for even better pricing. Plus my code “soulyrested” saves even more. Their dried ginger literally makes my chai taste better than and other ginger I’ve used.

Print Recipe

Masala Chai Concentrate

Ingredients

For a quart of concentrate:

4 tablespoons masala chai tea blend*
4 1/2 cups water

For a half gallon of concentrate:

8 tablespoons masala chai tea blend*, or roughly 3/4 cup
9 1/2 cups water

Instructions

Add your tea and water to a pot.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to make sure all the tea gets incorporated
Allow the water to boil pretty rapidly for 1-2 minutes, before turning the heat to med-low or low, to where the water is slowly and gently simmering.
Allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes, covered.
Remove from heat. If you have time, allow the tea to continue to soak in the water for 2-3 hours. When done, strain well and store in the fridge.