Homemade Coconut Chai Tea Latte Recipe

Just when you think that it doesn’t get any better than a cup of delicious hot chai, you stumble upon something even more delicious – a coconut chai. Coconut Chai is not only a drink, it’s a dessert meant to cheer up every tea & coconut addict even on the bluest days. It’s easy to make, takes very little time, and it’s the creamiest chai you will ever taste.

The best way of making chai

There are many ways of making chai. Some are authentic, some are a modernised version of this delicious drink, and some may even contain alcohol. The most simple but authentic chai recipe always includes strong black tea leaves, sugar and milk. But, wait, where are the spices? Spices are optional ingredients, and if used, the tea will then be called Masala Chai. Masala means spice mix, that can be powdered, or crushed, fresh or dried, or even in the form of a paste.

Chai tea with coconut milk

For a Coconut Chai tea, you will need coconut milk, sugar and strong black loose tea. It’s possible to make chai with tea bags too, but the best flavor will always come from loose leaf tea. However, the best loose leaf tea for making this drink is the one with smaller, broken leaves, or the CTC type. Smaller leaves will release stronger flavor, more suitable for mixing with milk and sugar. Tea bags will give a lot of flavor too, but sometimes that flavor may be inferior to the flavor of pure loose leaf. Alternatively, you can crush the tea leaves using a mortar and pestle. To get the most out of spices, crush them too. Even though simple chai doesn’t contain spices, we included them into this recipe for a very simple reason – to create a superbly delicious drink with a real character. Use real creamy coconut milk, rather than milk alternatives, as they are much more watery. Chai tea is different from regular tea with milk, and should always be rich and creamy, rather than watery. Light coconut milk is a good option if you want to reduce the total amount of calories. For a decaf version, simple red rooibos tea is a delicious alternative and blends well with spices and coconut. It’s lightly sweet and strong enough to hold all flavors. If you want to use rooibos, add an extra spoon of tea leaves.

You will need:

• 1-1/2 spoons of black tea leaves
• 1-3 teaspoons of sugar
• 1/2 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 - 1 cup of coconut milk
• 2 cups of cold water
• 1/2 -1 small cinnamon sticks, crushed
• 5-7 Cloves
• 5-8 green cardamom pods

Instructions:

Add water, tea leaves, cardamom cloves, cinnamon and ginger to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and let it simmer on a very low fire for about 20-30 minutes. In another saucepan heat coconut milk over low fire while using hand frother to create creamier frothy texture. Strain the tea and spices into a mug and add frothed hot coconut milk. You can adjust the ratios of tea, and milk based on your preferences. Coconut milk is much stronger and has more calories than coconut milk alternative, so less milk may be a good choice. However, if you really want to indulge in a real treat once a while and don’t care about calorie intake, we recommend doubling the amount of milk and using less water.

Coconut Chai the Fast Way

For a faster version of Coconut Chai you can use a pre-made tea mixute such as Simple Chai. Simply add 1-2 teaspoons of tea blend into a strainer and steep for 5 minutes in boiling water. Use blender to froth the cold coconut milk, add it into a saucepan, heat and add sugar. Heat over low fire with ocassional stirring. Strain the tea and mix with milk. Another great blend for making Coconut Chai i Coconut Black tea with coconut shreds. To save time, you can make a batch of your own homemade chai tea blend by crushing the spices and tea leaves and store them in an airtight container.