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A clear glass bottle of dark amber chai concentrate next to a freshly poured iced chai latte with cream swirling into tea
TrendyTadka Editorial

Refrigerator Masala Chai Concentrate (Better Than Oregon Chai)

A slow-simmered spiced black tea concentrate infused with crushed cardamom, cinnamon, fresh ginger, and brown sugar. Mix 1:1 with hot or iced milk.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 8 (yields 32 oz concentrate) servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Indian-inspired
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ingredients
  • 4 cups filtered water
  • 2 inches fresh ginger sliced and smashed
  • 10 green cardamom pods cracked
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • 8 strong black tea bags Assam or English Breakfast
  • 1/3 cup dark brown sugar or maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method
 

Instructions
  1. Lightly crush cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves, and black peppercorns using a mortar or knife flat.
  2. Add crushed spices, smashed ginger, and water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently on low for 15 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat. Add black tea bags, brown sugar, and vanilla extract; stir to dissolve sugar.
  4. Cover and steep off the heat for 7 minutes.
  5. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean glass jar, pressing spices gently. Let cool and refrigerate.
  6. To serve, combine equal parts concentrate and milk (1:1), heat in a mug or pour over ice.

Notes

For an iced latte, stir equal parts cold concentrate and whole milk (or oat milk) in a tall glass over ice.