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How to Make a Chai Latte with Loose Leaf Chai

There's a world of difference between a chai latte made from syrup or powder and one brewed properly from loose leaf chai. The café versions are often little more than spiced sugar — but when you simmer real spices and black tea, you get something rich, warming and genuinely aromatic. Here are three ways to make it at home, from a five-minute latte to the traditional stovetop brew.

Tea By The Bay Organic Spiced Chai loose leaf pouch

What You'll Need

  • Loose leaf chai — we use our Organic Spiced Chai, a blend of organic black tea, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, cloves, ginger root and black peppercorns
  • Milk of your choice — dairy or plant-based both work beautifully
  • Honey or sugar, to taste
  • A small saucepan and a fine strainer (a milk frother helps for Method 1)

Three Ways to Brew It

1

The Quick Chai Latte

5–10 minutes

The easiest way to a café-style chai latte at home:

  1. Steep 1–2 teaspoons of loose leaf chai in 100ml of boiling water for 5–7 minutes. Make it strong — this is your chai concentrate.
  2. Strain into your mug.
  3. Top with steamed or frothed milk — dairy or plant-based, whichever you love.
  4. Sweeten with honey or sugar to taste.
2

Traditional Simmered Chai

the full experience

This is closer to how chai is made across India — the spices are simmered, not just steeped, which draws out far more flavour:

  1. Boil 200ml of water in a small saucepan.
  2. Stir in 1 tablespoon of spiced chai mix.
  3. Simmer for 5–7 minutes — you'll smell the cinnamon and cardamom open up.
  4. Add 50–60ml of milk and simmer for a further 2 minutes.
  5. Strain into your cup.
  6. Add honey for sweetness, and enjoy.
3

All-Milk Stovetop Chai

the indulgent one

For the richest, creamiest cup, skip the water entirely:

  1. Add 1 tablespoon of chai to 1 cup of milk in a saucepan.
  2. Simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes without boiling — keep it gentle; boiling milk scorches and dulls the spices.
  3. Strain, then sweeten with honey or sugar to taste.

Tips for a Better Chai

Don't skimp on the tea. A weak chai latte is a sad thing. If your first cup is too mild, add more chai rather than steeping longer.
Sweeten while hot. Traditional chai is served sweet — the sweetness balances the pepper and ginger — and honey or sugar dissolves properly only in a hot cup.
Fresh spices matter. Chai relies on the essential oils in cardamom, cloves and cinnamon.
Try it iced. Let the strained concentrate from Method 1 or 2 cool, then pour over ice with cold milk.
Tea By The Bay Organic Spiced Chai gift bottle with cork lid

Organic Spiced Chai

Made entirely from certified organic ingredients — real black tea and whole spices, hand-blended in Melbourne, with no flavourings or syrups. Comes in a 100g pouch, a 250g pouch for the devoted, and a 160g gift bottle for the chai lover in your life. Free shipping on orders over $75, Australia-wide.

Shop Organic Spiced Chai See the Gift Bottle