What is mocha?

Mocha or coffee mocha is a type of coffee made with a shot of espresso, steamed milk and chocolate syrup. Unlike latte, mocha is often served with whipped cream, rather than milk froth. If you like drinking lattes and you love chocolate, then this is a drink for you. The same is true for the tea mocha. It’s as tasty and as indulging and super easy to make.  

What is tea mocha?

There’s nothing unusual about tea lattes. They became a standard item on menus of many coffee shops and often include teas such as matcha, masala chai or earl grey (popular as London fog). But tea mocha isn’t one of them just yet. You are unlikely to see it on any coffee shop menu, and hence a reason more to try it at home. Besides, it tastes great. To make this delicious drink, you’ll need a strong tea, milk, water, whipped cream (optional) and chocolate syrup. To make a chocolate syrup you’ll need 3 ingredients, and you can even experiment with adding different flavourings.

How to make chocolate syrup?

To make the simplest chocolate syrup, use the same ratio of water, sugar and cocoa powder and a pinch of salt. Sift the cocoa powder into a clean saucepan, add sugar, a pinch of sat and water and simmer on low heat while continuously stirring. You can use your chocolate syrup immediately or store it in the fridge. To make a delicious tea mocha, you’ll need about 1-2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup per serving.

What tea is the best for making tea mocha?

Not all teas will be good for making this tea based drink. The first rule when choosing the right tea is to think is it suitable for drinking with milk. The next rule is to choose teas that go well with chocolate flavour, without citrusy or strong fruity notes.

Teas that are good for making tea mocha:

• Strong Indian Assam tea
• Chinese Keemun black tea
• Japanese dark roast hojicha green tea
• Dark roast oolong teas
• Kenyan black teas
• Some Darjeeling second flush teas
• Flavoured coconut black teas
• Masala chai blends

Regarding of the type, each tea will be different and have a slightly different flavour profile, so it’s worth trying it out with milk first.

Is mocha tea the same as matcha tea?

No, these are two different things. Matcha tea is a special type of powdered green tea from Japan, and it has nothing to do with mocha tea. Mocha tea will always contain chocolate syrup and it’s a type of drink, not a type of tea. 

How to make the best cup of tea mocha?

To make the best cup of tea mocha, not only you need to choose the right tea, but you need the right ratios of ingredients as well. Coffee mocha is made with only one shot of espresso which equals 30 ml or 1 oz of strongly brewed coffee. For a tea mocha, 30 ml of tea will not be enough. Choose approximately 2/3 of tea and 1/3 of steamed milk or ½ of tea and ½ of milk. Always add 2 teaspoons of tea leaves or, if using tea bags, 2 tea bags per serving. This will give a stronger flavour that won’t get overpowered by chocolate.

You don’t need a sweetener with this drink, as it will already be quite sweet.

Things to keep in mind:

• Choose good quality cocoa powder that’s not overly bitter.
• Choose broken tea leaves as they will give a stronger tea.
• Always dissolve all sugar and make sure there are no lumps by sifting the cocoa powder.
• This drink tastes best when it’s still hot.

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Easy Tea Mocha

Luxurious tea drink with milk and chocolate syrup

Course Drinks

Keyword Black Tea, Chocolate, Milk Tea

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Equipment

• small saucepan
• Kettle
• Serving glass

Ingredients

For chocolate syrup

• 35 grams cocoa powder 1/3 cup, you can reduce it to 25 grams
• 65 grams sugar 1/3 cup
• 80 ml water 1/3 cup

For tea mocha

• 1-2 table spoons chocolate syrup
• 2 teaspoons black tea leaves or 2 tea bags
• 120 ml water freshly boiled
• 100 ml milk steamed
• whipped cream optional

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, heat sugar, cocoa powder and water while stirring, until dissolved. This should take a couple of minutes only.
• Pour into an airtight jar and store it in the fridge.
• Bring fresh water to a boil.
• Steep tea leaves or tea bags in water for 5 minutes and strain or remove teabags.  
• Steam milk or heat it up in a small saucepan while whisking. Do not let it boil.
• Add 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup into a serving glass.
• Add tea and steamed milk.
• Top up with whipped cream (optional).

More chocolate teas:

The post How to Make Tea Mocha appeared first on All That Tea.

What makes iced tea good?

What makes is so good is the intensity of flavours, perfect sweetness and lots of ice. Iced teas are typically sweetened, although you can drink them pure if they are not bitter. To get the best intensity, you need to find the best tea to water ratio.

Do you have to boil water to make iced tea?

Yes, it’s always best to make an iced tea by steeping tea leaves in boiled water first. If you don’t have too much ice, you can steep the tea beforehand and let it cool in the fridge. This is not the same as cold brewing.

Is cold brew tea the same as iced tea?

Cold brewing is a different method of preparing tea. Instead of using hot water, cold brewed teas are slowly steeped in cold water over several hours in the fridge. You don’t need any ice for cold brewing, or a kettle. Cold brewing will significantly change the flavour profile and nutrient content of brewed tea. Iced tea will have the same flavour profile as regularly brewed tea, except it tends to be stronger.

Tips for making the best iced tea

Making an iced tea at home is easy, but it’s not always straightforward. This is especially true if you are used to drinking pre-made teas. Pre-made iced teas may not always contain tea leaves and may also contain lots of sugar and fruit flavourings. All this will impact the flavour that won’t be easy to replicate at home. However, that’s perfectly ok, as you can make delicious, super flavourful drinks at home using ingredients you already have in your pantry.  

So, how to make the best tasting iced tea?

Here are the 9 simple tips.

1. Choose the right tea

You can use almost any tea you want. However, just like when making a cup of hot tea, if you want to get the best flavour, you have to have the best tea. Best tea doesn’t mean the most expensive tea, but it should be fresh and flavourful.

What tea is best for iced tea? Traditionally, this type of tea has been made with mostly tea bags. Tea bags are a good option if you want to add sugar or honey and prefer an intense flavour. Some traditional tea bags may give a murky and bitter tea. Test it out before. If it tastes good without a sweetener, it will be great for making an iced tea too.

Loose tea leaves, especially pure, will often have less bitterness, and a more complex flavour. Flavoured teas are an amazing choice as well.

But if you want to use pure teas, you can add flavour with:

• Food flavourings
• Steeping it with fresh fruits
• Fruit juices
• Fruit syrups

2. Make a strong infusion

To make the best cup of iced tea, use more leaves than normally. Adding only 50% more will intensify the flavour significantly. 1 ½ or 2 teaspoons of tea leaves per serving will give much more flavour than brewing it for 10 minutes. Over brewing may also increase the bitterness, while adding more tea leaves will intensify the flavour. Furthermore, as the ice melts, tea will become diluted. That’s why it’s always a good idea to add more tea leaves.

So what is the ratio of tea to water for iced tea?

If you are using:

• loose tea, use 1 ½ – 2 teaspoons of tea leaves per serving.
• traditional tea bags, use 1 or 2 tea bags, depending on their strength. Most tea bags will contain dust and fannings that will infuse into a strong tea, so one will be enough.
• pyramid tea bags with loose tea, you may need to add two, rather than one, depending on how many tea leaves they contain.

Use 120-150 ml of water for steeping the tea, then top up with fresh cold water later.

3. Don’t over brew it

Never over brew your tea when making an iced tea. Sure, both sugar and ice will reduce the bitterness, but ideally, you want a flavour that will taste good even without adding sweeteners. How long do you steep tea for iced tea? You can steep the tea leaves a minute or two longer than usual, but not more. This means, 4-6 minutes for black teas, and 3-5 minutes for green teas, 3-5 minutes for oolong teas and 5-10 minutes for herbal teas.

4. Add the right sweetener

If you want to make iced tea that will taste similar to drinks from supermarkets or restaurants, then you will need to add a sweetener.

White or brown sugar and floral honey are all great for sweetening iced tea. Always add sugar or honey before adding ice, so it can dissolve better. For making a calorie-free drink, you can use stevia or sugar alternatives. Iced teas are usually always sweetened.

Some sweeteners you can try:

• Honey
• White granulated sugar
• Brown granulated sugar
• Stevia (calorie free)
• Coconut flower sugar
• Simple syrup
• Flavoured sweeteners (calorie free)
• Xylitol (less calories than sugar)

5. Add more flavour with flavoured ice

You can add more flavour into your iced tea by adding flavoured ice or tea ice cubes. Because tea ice cubes are made with tea, they will not dilute your iced tea. Find the instructions for making iced tea cubes here.

Some wonderful combinations:

• Pure green tea with tropical green tea ice cubes
• Pure black tea with coconut black tea ice cubes
• Pure green tea with earl grey black tea ice cubes

6. Add citruses

Adding freshly squeezed lemon juice to green or black tea will always elevate the flavour. Lemon goes well with many tea types, but don’t add it to chocolate or nut flavoured teas. Other great citruses to add are oranges and limes.

7. Add fresh fruits

For a super fruity flavour, you can add washed and chopped fruit pieces, and steep them together with black or green tea for 5 minutes. Once ready, pour it into a glass, add sweetener and ice. Fresh fruits will make your black tea brighter and super flavourful, regardless of if you are using loose tea or tea bags.

8. Choose special iced tea blends

Many brands are offering special tea blends crafted specifically for making iced teas. These blends will have lots of flavour and usually smaller tea leaves. Although you can use any tea blend you want, special tea blends will usually always offer a desired strength and flavour. You can also use pre-made cold brew blends and brew them with hot water.

9. Use high-quality water

Water quality will significantly impact the flavour of any tea – hot or iced. Use colourless and odourless water that’s not too flat and not too hard. Avoid distilled water. Using tap water will usually be fine, unless it’s murky and smells of chemicals. If that’s the case, bottled spring water may be a better choice. Also, avoid re-heating the same water multiple times.

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How to make iced tea

The BEST homemade iced tea

Course Drinks

Keyword Iced Tea

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Equipment

• Kettle
• Serving glass

Ingredients

• 1/2 – 2 teaspoons loose tea leaves or 1-2 teabags
• 150 ml freshly boiled water
• 1-2 teaspoons sugar
• 50-100 ml fresh cold water

Instructions

• Bring fresh water to a boil.
• Measure 1 ½ – 2 teaspoons of tea leaves* and steep them in 150 of water.**
• Strain the tea into a serving glass.
• Add sweetener and stir until dissolved.
• Add ice.
• Top up with fresh cold water.

Notes

* If you want to make a whole pitcher rather than just a glass of iced tea, use at least 2 tablespoons of tea leaves per 500 ml of water, then top up with more cold water later. If you are using tea bags, add 4-6 tea bags per 500 ml of water, and top up with cold water later.

** Black tea – 4-5 minutes at 95-98 degrees Celsius
     Green tea – 3-5 minutes at 75-85 degrees Celsius
     Oolong tea – 3-5 minutes at 85-90 degrees Celsius
     Rooibos and other herbal teas – 5-10 minutes at98 degrees Celsius

The post How to make iced tea? appeared first on All That Tea.

What is Thai Iced Tea?

Thai iced tea is a milk tea originating from Thailand. It’s actually a very simple iced tea. Part of its charm lies exactly in its simplicity. It’s also one of the easiest milk teas to make at home that can taste as authentic as it would from a Thai restaurant. And the reason for this is very simple – you can use a Thai Tea Mix.

Thai Iced tea is made with black tea and milk, sugar and vanilla.

If you don’t have a Thai tea mix, you can still make an authentic tasting drink. However, it may not be as vividly orange. There’s a solution to that too, and we’ll come to this soon.

What makes Thai Iced tea different from other popular milk teas?

• It’s always served over ice
• It’s always made with vanilla and black tea
• It doesn’t contain a layer of froth
• There’s no pulling method like with chai, Hong Kong milk tea or Teh Tarik
• Unlike others, colour is enhanced with food colouring
• There’s a special pre-made mix, so you don’t need to make it from a scratch

Now that you know what Thai iced tea is, let’s see which ingredients you’ll need to make this delicious drink at home.

Two ways of making Thai Iced Tea

There are two ways you can make Thai Iced tea:

• With a pre-made Thai Tea mix
• Without a pre-made Thai Tea mix using pure black tea leaves

Whichever way you choose, you can get a perfectly delicious drink. Brewing method, temperature and steeping time will all stay the same, regardless of which basic ingredients you are using. However, having a pre-made Thai Tea mix can definitely save you some time and you can have it in a matter of minutes.

So, what exactly is a Thai Tea mix?

What’s in Thai Tea Mix?

Thai Tea Mix is a flavoured and sometimes sweetened black tea made specifically for brewing Thai Iced tea. It’s not an instant tea though, so you will need to steep it.

It’s made with very small broken black tea leaves, vanilla food flavouring and food colouring and sometimes sugar. Even the types that contain sugar, won’t be overly sweet and you will probably need to add more – unless you prefer unsweetened drinks.

What’s important to mention is that if you want to avoid artificial colourings, it may be better to make Thai milk tea from a scratch. Colouring used in Thai Tea Mix is Sunset Yellow FCF, also known as E110 in Europe that may be linked to some health concerns.  

Since tea leaves in Thai Tea mix are very small, they will infuse into a bolder tea than you would typically get from unbroken tea leaves. If you are using a substitute, choose teas that are small as well. These types of teas are quite common among loose tea leaves in supermarkets, while teas from specialty tea stores will mostly have larger leaves.

Thai Tea mix is available on Amazon and from many Asian grocery stores. One bag of tea will be enough to make at least 100-200 glasses of Thai Iced tea. This blend is also available in tea bags.

Is Thai Iced Tea the same as Thai Milk tea?

Thai Iced tea is always made with milk, so we can technically call is a Thai Milk tea too. However, what’s nowadays considered a milk tea is a tea served with boba pearls. To make Thai Milk tea, simply add brown sugar boba pearls into your tea – it will taste absolutely delicious.

How Much Sugar for Thai Iced Tea?

Thai iced tea is typically really sweet. Pre-made Thai iced tea mix already contains some sugar, but most of the sweetness comes from condensed milk and sugar that’s added later. Some recipes will require you to use almost 6 teaspoons of sugar per cup of tea, while others will recommend less. It’s likely that you will need to add more sweetness, but start with 1-2 teaspoons and adjust later.

Thai Iced Tea Calories

Given all the sweetness and milkiness, Thai iced tea may also be calorie rich. When making it at home, you can adjust the sweetness and add more or less condensed milk, thus change the calorie content.

Some Thai tea blends will already contain sugar, but that amount will usually be negligible. This means you may only get a couple of calories per 1-2 teaspoons of tea mix.

Next, each teaspoon of white granulated sugar will add 15-20 calories (depending on how much you scoop out) and a tablespoon of condensed milk will provide an additional 60 calories. A tablespoon of half and half will add 1/3 of that, same as evaporated milk. Since condensed milk already contains sugar, it will add more calories to your tea than evaporated milk.

The Ingredients You Will Need

To make this delicious, iced tea at home you will need either:

• Thai Tea mix + condensed milk + water + ice + sugar
• Black tea leaves + condensed milk + water + ice + vanilla flavouring + sugar

Following recipes are for one serving of iced tea, so multiply the ingredients with the number of glass you want to make.

How to Make Thai Iced Tea with Thai Tea Mix

To make Thai Iced Tea with Thai Tea Mix:

• 1-2 teaspoons of Thai Tea mix
• 2 teaspoons of sugar or more
• A cup of water
• 1 tablespoon of condensed milk
• 1-2 tablespoons of evaporated milk or half-and-half
• Ice

Instructions

1. Steep tea leaves in 200 ml of freshly boiled water for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can simmer the tea leaves in a saucepan, which is a preferred way of making Indian chai tea. It will give a stronger tea, but it may also extract more bitterness. If you don’t mind balancing out the bitter notes with extra sugar, simmering is a better option.
2. Fill a tall glass with ice.
3. Strain the tea into a glass.
4. Add sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Unlike honey, sugar will easily dissolve in cold drinks.
5. Add condensed milk and evaporated milk or half-and-half and stir.

 What if you don’t have a Thai tea mix or you don’t want to use a tea mix with colourings? You can still enjoy this delicious tea by using simple pure black tea and adding only one extra ingredient – vanilla.

How to Make Thai Iced Tea Without Thai Tea Mix

You can make Thai Iced tea without food colouring and still enjoy the same delicious drink. That’s because the food colouring will add the colour only, and not the flavour.

However, these tips will help you get a nicer colour:

• Choose broken Ceylon orange pekoe tea leaves or Nilgiri broken tea instead of Assam tea – they are likely to brew into a colour that’s closer to the original Thai tea
• Use condensed milk rather than regular milk – it will not dilute your tea like regular milk, keeping it vibrant and creamy
• Use more tea leaves – more tea leaves mean deeper colour

To make Thai Iced tea without the Thai tea mix you will need:

• 1-2 teaspoons of black tea leaves
• 2 teaspoons of sugar or more
• A cup of water
• 1 tablespoon of condensed milk
• 1-2 tablespoons of coffee creamer, evaporated milk or half and half
• ½ – 1 teaspoon of vanilla flavouring
• Ice

Follow the steps for making Thai Iced tea with a pre-made mix, and simply add vanilla flavouring once the tea is steeped.

Adding Milk Instead of Condensed Milk

While you can add different milk or milk-alternative, keep in mind that the result will be different. Condensed milk, evaporated milk, coffee creamer, canned coconut milk and half-and-half all have a much higher fat percentage than regular whole milk or barista style milk alternatives. You will need to add more for a creamy flavour and the drink will be more diluted. This, of course, doesn’t mean it will taste bad, just different. If you want to add milk, triple the quantity and use barista style milk or full fat dairy milk.

Additional Tips for the Perfect Thai Iced Tea

Here are a few additional tips to take your drink from good to great:

1. Steep your tea longer: To get the perfect bold tea base, steep tea leaves for 5 minutes and use more tea leaves. While the packaging suggests using 2 grams per cup of water, you can use two teaspoons instead of one.
2. Choose the right tea: Thai milk tea, or any milk tea, is usually made with stronger broken tea leaves, such as Assam or some types of Ceylon tea. Thai Tea mix has small broken leaves that infuse into a stronger base.
3. Mix two types of milk: Condensed milk is usually sweetened, so if you want to add more milkiness and creaminess, add some evaporated milk, coffee creamer or half-and-half instead. That is, unless you prefer a very sweet tea!
4. Make it vegan: To make a vegan Thai Iced tea replace condensed milk with a vegan coffee creamer. You can also use a regular non-dairy barista milk, or a creamy canned coconut milk.
5. Make it all natural: You can intensify the colour by adding organic food colourings that are made from natural ingredients. Try to avoid powders such as turmeric or saffron, because they will significantly impact the flavour. Also, you can use the real organic vanilla paste instead of regular vanilla flavourings.

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Homemade Thai Iced Tea

Recipe for a drink with or without Thai Tea Mix

Course Drinks

Keyword Black Tea, Iced Tea, Milk Tea

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 300 ml

Equipment

• Saucepan or a kettle + cup saucepan if you want to simmer it, kettle and a cup if you want to steep it
• strainer

Ingredients

• 1-2 teaspoons of Thai Tea Mix OR pure black tea leaves
• 2+ teaspoons of sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tablespoon of condensed milk
• 1-2 tablespoons of coffee creamer, evaporated milk or half-and-alf
•  ½ – 1 teaspoon of vanilla flavouring if you are using pure tea leaves
• ice

Instructions

• Steep tea leaves in a cup of freshly boiled water for about 5 minutes or simmer them for 5-10 minutes.
• Fill a tall glass with ice.
• Strain the tea into a glass.
• Add sugar and stir until fully dissolved.
• Add vanilla flavouring if you are using pure tea leaves.
• Stir in condensed milk and evaporated milk or half-and-half and serve.

Final Thoughts

Once you learn how to make Thai iced tea at home, you won’t need to search for Thai iced tea near me, ever again. With the right ingredients, you will be able to make a super delicious tea you will thoroughly enjoy – any time and every time. Whether you prefer to use Thai tea mix or make it from scratch, adding condensed milk or a dairy-free alternative, the ultimate result will always be the same — incredibly tasty and refreshing drink.

The post How to Make Thai Iced Tea – 2 Methods appeared first on All That Tea.

Find out:

• What’s the right water temperature
• How to choose the best teas for cold brewing
• Pros and cons of cold brewing
• Benefits compared to traditional hot brewing

And much more.

The best thing about this brewing method is that you can try it straight away. You don’t need any special equipment, any special teas or even a water thermometer. You can make the best cold brewed tea with what you already have at home.

Let’s start.

What is cold brewing?

Cold brewing is brewing tea in cold, rather than hot water. Cold brewing was invented centuries ago in Japan, and it was used for making coffee. Since then, it expended to tea and became enormously popular over the last decade. Today, there are even special tea blends intended for cold brewing that will allow you to have a cold brewed tea in a matter of minutes.

Another interesting brewing technique from Japan is ice brewing – used for pure, usually steamed green teas.

Unlike traditional hot brewing, cold brewing doesn’t require a kettle or a stove – but it does require a fridge. Tea leaves or tea bags are usually steeped overnight in the fridge, which allows them enough time to release flavour and nutrients.

Do you need any cold brewing equipment?

No, you don’t need any special equipment to make tea using this method. You can use a simple, clean jar or a jug, or even a regular cup. However, larger vessels are a slightly better option as it’s easier to make more tea at once. Cold brewed tea will stay fresh for 24 hours (including steeping time, or slightly longer if you strain it).

However, always cover the teapot, jug or mason jar when cold brewing to prevent fridge odours to get into your tea. Next, glass or transparent vessels will help you see if your tea is ready, so they make a better option than non-transparent vessels.

You can use:

• Tea infuser bottle
• Glass teapot
• Large mason jar
• Glass pitcher with a strainer
• Glass jug without a strainer

Can any tea be cold brewed?

The second question you may have if you have never cold brewed tea before is can any tea be cold brewed and which type of tea is best? The good news is, almost all teas will be great for cold brewing.

The best types for cold brewing are green, white, oolong and black teas, but you can cold brew tisanes too. Red and green rooibos, mint, chamomile and fruit teas can all be prepared using this method. However, you will need different brewing time for different tea.

You can use both loose leaf tea and tea bags. Tea bags that usually offer a strong brew may be especially good for this method, as the tea will be lighter and fresher.

How to choose the best teas for cold brewing?

Some teas will be better than the others. Green tea is usually the best type of tea for cold brewing, followed by white, twisted oolong and black tea. Flavoured teas are especially delicious and refreshing when prepared in the fridge.

What makes green tea such a superb choice? One of the reasons is that it will release less caffeine and preserve catechins, which will make it healthy, refreshing, less bitter and flavourful.

This method is amazing for teas that you don’t particularly enjoy hot, that are too bitter or too strong, or maybe even of a lower quality.  

Best teas for cold brewing:

• Pure green tea
• Fruity green teas
• Pure black tea
• Fruity black tea
• Floral black tea
• Twisted leaf oolong tea
• Fruity flavoured white tea

Best tisanes for cold brewing:

• Yerba mate
• Red and green rooibos
• Chamomile tea
• Mint tea
• Honeybush tea
• Moringa tea
• Fruit teas

But the list doesn’t stop here. You can try cold brewing any tea you want. However, keep in mind that especially tisanes may provide different benefits when prepared using cold or hot water.

Cold brew tea bags

Cold brew became so popular that many tea brands are now offering special cold brew tea bags. They may contain other ingredients and flavours and may be suitable for a super-fast brewing. You won’t need to wait hours for tea leaves to infuse, you can make an instant cold brew tea in a matter of minutes. While delicious, cold brew tea bags are slightly different from regular cold brewing as they won’t need hours to infuse. They are a wonderful option if you want to enjoy iced tea asap, and don’t want to go through trouble of making an iced tea. Plus, they are just amazing for travelling – no worrying about the kettle, no mess, and super easy to transport and enjoy anywhere you want.

Check out some of these:

• Twinings cold water infusions
• Whittard cold brew teabags
• Tea pigs cold brew taster pack
• Mission tea hot or cold brew
• Chaiwallah Margate caffeine free cold brew teas
• Seein Korean cold brew teas

Is cold brew tea safe?

Yes, cold brew tea should be perfectly is safe to drink. Always use clean vessels and tea from reputable sources, and water that’s filtered and safe to drink.

If the tea smells strange, mouldy or stale, don’t use it. Flavoured teas blended with other ingredients are more likely to go bad past their shelf life than real pure teas.

Also, drink it within 24 hours and don’t let the tea stand out in the sun. You will notice a significant different in flavour once the tea is not good for drinking anymore – it will become bitter, darker and heavier.

Pros and cons of cold brewing

Just like with any other methods, there are pros and cons to this method too.

Is cold brewing the same as iced tea?

While both these drinks are served cold, they are different. Iced tea is usually made with a stronger tea base, and steeped in hot water, then served over ice. It’s also mostly sweetened, and you can add fruits and citruses as a decoration and to infuse a bit more flavour. Cold brew tea is made without hot water, it’s often served unsweetened and fruits and other ingredients are usually added to steep together with tea.

How to cold brew tea

Water quality

Always choose good water for making any tea – cold or hot. Water will have a lot of impact on the flavour. Use either fresh bottled spring water or filtered tap water. It should have a neutral flavour and be neither too hard nor too soft.

Water temperature

For making cold brewed tea, use either lukewarm or cold water, but never hot or hot boiled water. The temperature will impact the flavour and nutrient profile. If you steep it first in boiling water, even if it’s for a minute, it won’t be a cold-brewed tea anymore.

Steeping time

Steep your tea in the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably longer. Green tea and white tea will take less time than black or darker oolong tea. For the best results, steep it overnight, regardless of the type. Black or dark teas, and herbal teas such as red rooibos and chamomile may be the best when steeped longer.

Black tea, lighter herbal teas, oolong teas and rooibos teas may need at least 8 hours to infuse. However, since flavour preferences are always personal, try your tea after steeping it overnight and infuse longer if needed.   

Straining the leaves

If you plan to drink the tea within 24 hours, there’s no need to strain it. You can simply pour the tea into the glass using a regular strainer. You can even top it up with more cold water.

How much tea to use

Use 2 tablespoons of loose tea per one litre of water or at least 3-4 tea bags. If you are using special cold brew blends, follow the instructions instead, as these blends are crafted specifically for this type of brewing. Did you notice that’s exactly how much you would use for making 4 cups of tea?

Do you need condiments?

You don’t need any condiments for cold-brewed tea as it won’t be bitter, and it will be much lighter than a regular cup of hot tea. If you still want to use a sweetener, add it to your glass, not to a teapot. You can add different fresh fruits or herbs and steep them together with tea leaves.

Benefits of cold brew tea

One of the reasons why cold brew is enjoying so much attention are the potential health benefits. Until recently, all studies suggested that to extract the most catechins, caffeine and other compounds, the hotter the water, the better.

However, recent studies showed that the truth may be more complicated. In fact, cold brewing proved to be a better choice than hot brewing if the catechins are what you are looking for, but for black tea, the values won’t be much different (1). Besides, cold brewing will extract less caffeine, which makes it even more convenient for making tea for all-day sipping, especially in spring and summer.

However, as always in the world of tea, there are exceptions. One study showed that after 12 hours of cold brewing, semi-ball shaped oolong (dong ding) released more caffeine and 4 times more catechins than when hot brewed (2). This actually showed that rolled oolong tea, if you don’t mind waiting for 12 hours and some extra caffeine, may be better cold than hot brewed. However, there’s a “catch”. Study tested rolled oolong brewed for 4 minutes at 85 degrees Celsius, which may not be enough for leaves to fully unfurl.

Cold Brewing Recap

Cold brewing is the easiest way to make tea at home. You can experiment with literally any tea to find out which flavours you like the most. For the best results, always leave it overnight.

Need an extra idea? You know that tea you have but seem you just can’t get to like? Try making it using this method – it will have a completely different flavour. Whichever Camellia sinensis tea you choose, it’s likely it will have at least a slightly higher catechin content and lower caffeine content than hot tea, with some exceptions.

Once is for sure, if you need a lighter, refreshing tea with no bitterness, cold brewing is a no-fuss and must try method.

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How to cold brew tea

Instructions for cold brewing loose leaf tea or tea bags

Course Drinks

Keyword Cold Brew

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Steeping 8 hours hours

Servings 1 litre

Equipment

• Teapot, jug or a jar

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of loose leaf tea

Instructions

• Clean and dry your teapot/jug.
• Measure 2 tablespoons of tea leaves or take 4 tea bags and add them to a teapot.
• Add cold filtered tap water or bottled spring water.
• Add fresh herbs or washed and sliced fruits. (optional)
• Cover the lid.
• Let it steep in the fridge for at least 2 hours (green tea,white tea), 4 hours (black tea) or 8 hours (other tea types). For the best results, steep at least 8 hours for any type of tea.
• Pour into a glass and add sweetener if needed.

Sources

(1) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319352099_Evaluation_of_Antioxidant_Status_in_Cold_Brewed_Tea_with_Respect_to_Hot_Decoction_Comparative_Study_Between_Green_and_Black_Varieties

(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4648929/

The post How to cold brew tea appeared first on All That Tea.

What is a tea caviar?

Tea caviar is a “caviar” made using infused tea and agar agar. With the right equipment and paying attention to ratios and temperatures, it’s incredibly fun and easy to make. Caviar can be made with many juices, teas and liquors. The flavours must be strong though, so gentle teas are best left for drinking instead. You can use it as a decoration, incorporate into other desserts or simply eat with a spoon, and you can add it to tea cocktails too.

What is agar agar?

The best gelling agent for making tea caviar is agar agar. It’s suitable for vegetarians and vegans and it’s often used as an alternative for regular gelatine. Although you can make tea caviar with gelatine as well, the entire process is more complicated. Agar agar jellifies really fast, so you can have it ready in literally 15 minutes or even less once you try it out a few times.

Agar agar is a vegan-friendly product made from algae. It’s used for thickening and jellying as a replacement for gelatine that’s made from animal collagen. Agar agar powder is white in colour and flavourless. Once heated and cooled down, it turns into a transparent jelly. It sets quickly, which makes it a perfect choice for last-minute desserts.

How to choose the best ingredients?

To make the best tea caviar, choose your ingredients first. You can do a very simple caviar by using tea leaves only, or a mix of different ingredients and sweeteners.

Tea – This recipe is made with Mulled Wine tea blend from Whittards because it’s both festive and full of flavour. Tea was lightly sweetened with white sugar too. Some other teas you can try are flavourful fruit tea blends, strong and smoky black teas or chocolate and fruit flavoured Camellia sinensis teas. If you want to make an herbal tea caviar, teas such as mint, hibiscus, and lavender will be amazing too.

Some teas you can try using:

• Lapsang souchong black tea
• Yunnan black tea
• Apple and cinnamon fruit blends
• Deep-steamed Japanese sencha green tea
• Hojicha green tea
• Chamomile honey herbal tea blends
• Pure peppermint tea
• Lavender floral tea
• Rose floral tea

Agar agar powder – agar agar is available from speciality shops and some supermarkets, depending on your location. You will need only a small amount, approximately 1 gram per 100 ml of tea. 100 ml of tea will give enough tea caviar to decorate desserts.

Oil – choose regular vegetable oil with a neutral flavour. Oil will need to be cold or at room temperature to allow drops to settle as fast as possible. Use at least 200-300 ml of oil, depending on the glass shape. Using more oil will give better results as you will have more surface for squzeeing out the liquid from syringe and allowing pearls to settle.

11 tips for making a perfect tea caviar

To make a perfect tea caviar, pay attention to:

1. Start with less tea – 50 ml of infused tea and 0.5 grams of agar agar. Use a very small saucepan.
2. Wait for a few minutes until tea cools down to a slightly lower temperature to prevent drops from melting into each other. After turning off the heat, wait 2-3 minutes. You don’t want to use boiling liquid.
3. You will need to work quickly because agar agar jellifies quick, not like a regular gelatine. Using a larger 25 ml syringe will help you make them faster. If you are making pearls with over 200 ml of liquid, it’s likely that a part will jellify before you are done. If you need to make more pearls, it’s better to make two batches instead.
4. Choose tall rather than a very wide glass. This way pearls will have more time to cool as they are falling to the bottom of the glass. However, it should be wide enough to allow you enough surface to work with. Use at least 300 ml of oil, especially if you are making pearl for the first time.
5. Make sure you are squeezing liquid around the entire surface, not only in one place.
6. Do not touch the pearls or remove them from the glass before you are done.
7. If the first few drops are melting into each other, wait another minute until the liquid cools down more.
8. Do not add more agar agar than needed. You only need about a gram per 100 ml of liquid. This is less than 1 teaspoon.
9. Once you strain your pearls, they will be coated in oil. You can give them a quick rinse with lukewarm water. Don’t use boiling water and don’t let them sit in the water as they will start melting.
10. Don’t add tea caviar to hot drinks or to hot creams or puddings – they will melt.
11. If you want to use them later or day after, store them in the fridge in an airtight container.

Mulled Wine Tea Caviar

Now, when you know all the basics, try out the recipe below. These tea pearls are delicious on its own or you can add them to a New Year’s champagne.

If you don’t get a tea caviar from the first attempt, don’t give up. It’s likely to take a couple of attempts before making perfect pearls. However, the entire process is much easier than making a homemade caramel and you don’t need a thermometer.

Print

Mulled Wine Tea Caviar

Easy homemade caviar with sweetened tea

Course Dessert

Keyword Festive, fruit tea, mulled wine

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Equipment

• Syringe (25 ml)
• saucepan
• Kitchen strainer
• Tall glass
• Teaspoon
• Precise kitchen scale

Ingredients

• 110 ml of water (tea leaves will soak some of the water so you will end up with around 100 ml of tea)
• 1-1.1 gram of agar agar
• 1-2 teaspoons of sugar (optional)
• 3 teaspoons of Mulled Wine fruit tea blend
• 300 ml of oil

Instructions

• Bring water to a boil.
• Steep tea in 110 ml of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Some tea leaves soak in more water. You will end up with 10-20 ml less after straining them.
• Strain the tea into a small saucepan and heat it until it almost starts boiling.  
• Add agar powder and stir. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for a minute.
• Turn off the heat and let it cool for 2-3 minutes.
• In the meantime, pour oil into a tall glass.
• Fill the syringe with the tea liquid.  
• With gentle and fast pressure, start squeezing the liquid into the oil in circular movements. Pearls will settle at the bottom. If they are melting into each other, let the tea cool for a few more seconds.
• Once you are done, strain the pearl and give them a quick rinse under lukewarm water.
• Transfer them into a clean container.

The post How to Make Caviar with Tea appeared first on All That Tea.

What is ginger tea?

Ginger tea is an infusion made with fresh or dried ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale). Ginger is one of the most commonly used spices and herbal remedies around the world. It gives festive notes to Christmas cookies, warming note to Indian chai, and delicious aroma to many Asian dishes. Pickled ginger is used as a palate cleaner when eating sushi, and candied ginger is sold as a snack and as an herbal remedy for treating nausea. Reducing nausea may be one of the most known potential benefits of ginger, but there are many other benefits this amazing root has to offer.

What are benefits of ginger tea?

Ginger may offer many potential health benefits. The most important compounds in ginger are gingerols, paradols, shogaols and zingerone, and all of them are responsible for the unique pungent flavour (1).  

Just like with every other ingredient and tea, benefits will depend on how it was processed. The most commonly available types of ginger are fresh ginger, ginger powder and dried ginger, which may be processed further. The unprocessed fresh ginger has the highest content of gingerols, while dried ginger is higher in shogaols and zingerone (2). How much these ingredients influence the taste is clear when making a tea from either fresh or dried ginger – one will be spicier, fresher and more complex, while the other will be milder, spicy, but less pungent.  

The most common use of ginger is to reduce nausea and vomiting, especially since it’s safe to consume in pregnancy (3) and during chemotherapy (4). Other benefits include treating arthritis (5), cancer prevention (6) and reducing blood sugar levels, especially dried ginger (7). In winter, ginger, lemon and honey tea is often used for reducing symptoms of common cold and flu and for calming cough (8).

5 ways of making ginger tea

Ginger tea is easy to make at home, and there are different methods to use. You may enjoy the benefits regardless which method or type of ginger you choose.

1. Dried ginger

The easiest way of making ginger tea is with dried ginger. Dried ginger is available as a whole root, in slices and in smaller chunks. Dried ginger will be easy to strain, will give a clear infusion and it will be less pungent than tea made with fresh ginger. Another benefit of making tea with dry ginger pieces is that you can easily blend it with other ingredients – black, green and white tea, or tisanes such as dry mint, chamomile flowers or dried berries to create your own tea blend. Drying methods will have a different effect on compounds in ginger and make it more or less potent (9). However, all types will contain beneficial compounds. Try not to use ginger that’s been stored for long, as the potential health benefits will decrease over time (10).

2. Fresh ginger

The best and the most aromatic way of making ginger tea is with fresh ginger. It will be more pungent and spicier than dried ginger, but light and refreshing at the same time, too. If you want to make pure ginger tea, this method may be the best choice. It requires some peeling, cutting and steeping or simmering, so it’s also the most time-consuming. Use about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of ginger root per cup of water, peeled and cut into thin slices. You can either steep it in boiling water for about 10 minutes or simmer it.

3. Ginger juice

A great way to add fresh ginger to any tea is to juice the ginger first, then add it to steeped tea. Pure concentrated ginger juice is quite strong and spicy, and a great way to add both the benefits and a peppery warm note to your tea. If you don’t have a juicer, simply peel the ginger first, grate it, and squeeze out the juice using a cheesecloth or a gauze swab. Even 1 teaspoon will add a lot of flavour, so add it carefully.

4. Ginger powder

If neither dried nor fresh ginger is available where you live, you can make tea using ginger powder as well. However, this method is creating a concoction, rather than infusion. Powder is very difficult to strain, so it’s best used for lattes and creamy drinks, rather than making a clear tea. Use about 2 teaspoons of ginger powder per cup of water and steep or simmer in boiling water. You can blend it with other powders too, such as cinnamon or nutmeg. If you have a fine mesh strainer or a cheesecloth, strain it after 5 minutes.

5. Ginger paste

Using ginger paste is both convenient and easy way of making tea. Since ginger pastes are usually intended for cooking, choose those without ingredients such as oil or garlic. You can also make your own ginger paste and store it in the fridge. Use 2 teaspoon of paste per cup of boiling water, let it steep for 5-10 minutes and strain.

Sources:

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3665023/

(2) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10942912.2015.1084633

(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019938/

(4) https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/ginger-benefits

(5) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11710709/

(6) https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/12/6599

(7) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4277626/

(8) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1044579X19302135

(9) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4571220/

(10) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665927121000630

The post How to make ginger tea? 5 Methods to Try appeared first on All That Tea.

What is milk tea?

Milk tea is a drink made with tea, water, milk, usually a sweetener and sometimes spices or other ingredients such as tapioca pearls or jellies. While a typical cup of tea with milk is made by adding a splash of milk to a regularly brewed cup of tea, a typical milk tea is made with more than just a splash. There are many types out there, but lately, the word  became a synonym for boba tea. However, you can make a regular creamy tea with as little as 4 ingredients – plain black tea leaves, whole milk, white sugar and water. And it will still be absolutely delicious.

Making milk teas often includes specific methods, such as pulling or simmering too. We’ll get to that in a second, but let’s first see what the perfect water to milk ratio.

How much milk to use for milk tea?

You can use different ratios of water and milk or make it with milk only. Some recipes will only ask for one tablespoon of milk, while others will require more milk than water. Malaysian Teh Tarik is made using only a small amount of condensed milk, while a typical Indian chai may contain the same amount of milk and water.

Which milk can I use?

You can use any type of milk you want – whole, semi-skimmed, skimmed, plant-based, condensed, evaporated, or powdered. But if you are looking for a classic flavour, regular whole milk is the best choice. If you are adding condensed or evaporated milk, add only a tablespoon or two, not more.

Which teas can I use?

Many teas will be great for making milky teas, including some tisanes. The  classic cup will contain plain black tea leaves such as Assam or Ceylon. A caffeine-free tea will usually be made with red rooibos. The simplest rule would be, if it tastes good with a splash of milk, you can likely use it for making a proper milk tea too.

How to make milk tea at home

The first step of making a good tea is to make a strong and flavourful base. To make a tea base, use more tea leaves than you would normally use. That means 2-3 teaspoons per serving, depending on the type of tea. Teas with broken leaves will usually be the best choice, but you can make a delicious tea with some whole leaves too. Steeping tea leaves longer doesn’t necessarily mean getting a better tea base – using more leaves and slightly prolonging the steeping time is often a better way.

There are two methods you can use for making a tea base.

1. Steeping tea leaves

Steeping means infusing tea leaves in freshly boiled water. It’s the most common way of making a regular cup of tea. When making milk teas, it’s good to adjust the steeping method slightly:

• use double or triple the amount of tea leaves
• use teas or blends with smaller broken tea leaves or tea dust
• use strong teas and strong blends that infuse into a dark coloured and hearty infusion
• cover the leaves while steeping
• steep the tea leaves for 5-10 minutes depending on the type

2. Simmering tea leaves

Simmering method is a preferred method for some teas, and a common method of preparing many herbal infusions. Simmering means boiling tea leaves in water over (usually) low heat until they release flavour. This method usually results in a stronger brew, and it’s suitable for teas that can tolerate high water temperatures such as black, dark oolong, pu’erh, or rooibos.

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How to Make Milk Tea at Home

Simple 5 step guide for classic milk tea

Course Drinks

Keyword Black Tea, Milk Tea

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Equipment

• saucepan
• cup

Ingredients

• 2-3 teaspoons of tea leaves
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of whole milk
• 1-2 teaspoons of sugar or honey

Instructions

• Add water and tea leaves into a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium heat.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• Add milk and sugar, stir until sugar is dissolved, and bring it to a boil again.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• Strain into a cup and serve.

The post How to Make Classic Milk Tea in Only 5 Steps appeared first on All That Tea.

What is chocolate milk tea?

If you ever made hot chocolate at home, you probably know that you can make it using different techniques. Once of them is melting milk or white chocolate in milk. And that’s what chocolate milk tea is really about – adding a bit of hot chocolate taste to a regular cup of tea. Many pre-made chocolate blends contain chocolate drops for the same reason – to add creaminess and delicious chocolate flavour. That’s what this recipe is all about – to make a true chocolate in milk tea feast.

Which tea should I choose?

You can choose different types of tea for making chocolate tea, but pure teas or tea blends with a similar flavour profile will work the best.

Try it with:

• English Breakfast tea
• pure Assam tea
• broken leaf Ceylon tea
• ripe pu’erh
• dark, heavily roasted oolong teas

You can also try:

• Mint flavoured black teas
• Orange flavoured black teas
• Strawberry flavoured black teas

This recipe is made with Chinese Dian Hong tea.

Why Dian Hong?

Dian Hong tea is a Chinese black tea with a flavour profile unlike any other teas. It has natural but light maltiness and smokiness and chocolaty notes. This tea is usually drank pure, rather than with condiments. If you are looking for a tea base with natural chocolate notes rather than flavoured blends, this tea is a perfect choice. Of course, there are many Dian Hong teas out there, and each of them will have a slightly different flavour. Choose teas with beautiful leaves and lots of golden buds.

Another excellent alternative for making this tea is Assam tea, which may sometimes have dark chocolate notes too.

How to make Chocolate Milk Tea?

This tea is super easy to make – you can make it within 10 minutes. Any dairy milk will work great with this recipe – even a skimmed milk as chocolate will add texture to tea. You don’t need extra sweeteners for this tea unless you are using dark chocolate.

Can you just melt chocolate in brewed tea?

Absolutely. You can make a cup of tea, strain it, add hot milk and shredded chocolate. However, either simmered or steamed and frothed milk will give a much nicer texture and flavour. This is actually great for sweetening your tea with something unique, rather than using regular sugar or honey. When making milk teas, simmering is the best method, although the best doesn’t mean you have to use it, especially if you are short on time.

Explore more:

• 12 Milk Teas You Can Make at Home
• Charlie’s Dream Chocolate Tea
• The Heroine – chocolate and caramel matcha latte

Print

Chocolate Milk Tea

Simple milk tea with white chocolate

Course Drinks

Keyword Black Tea, Chocolate, Milk Tea

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Equipment

• saucepan
• Kitchen strainer

Ingredients

• 150 ml of water
• 150 ml of milk
• 2 teaspoons of Dian Hong tea leaves
• 20 grams of while chocolate, cut into small chunks

Instructions

• Add water and tea leaves into a small saucepan.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and continue simmering for 3 minutes.
• Add milk, bring to a boil again, reduce and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat, add chocolate and stir until fully melted.
• Strain into a cup or glass.

The post How to Make Chocolate Milk Tea appeared first on All That Tea.

And a long one? Keep reading.

So, what’s Dirty Chai?

Dirty chai, dirty chai tea latte or dirty chai latte is a drink that was invented by an accident. It’s made with an Indian masala chai tea base and an Italian espresso coffee shot, all served in a latte style. A result? Creamy and frothy, spicy and strong, but sweet drink. Sometimes, this tea can be made from a tea concentrate, just like regular chai lattes. It’s easy to make at home from a pre-made chai blend too.

Does Dirty Chai taste good?

Dirty Chai is a latte and not a traditional Indian milk tea, but this doesn’t make it any less delicious. If you love flat white or cappuccino and spiced milk tea, you will love this latte too. At first, it may seem like a rather odd combination, but once you try it, you will want definitely to drink it again.

Does Dirty Chai have caffeine?

Dirty chai has more caffeine than a shot of espresso or a cup of chai latte. A shot of espresso will have approximately 60 mg of caffeine, although this will depend on many factors, such as how much coffee was used. A cup of chai tea could contain different amount of caffeine – from 30 or less to 60 or more milligrams. This will ultimately depend on the type of tea, amount of tea leaves and brewing technique.

On average, you could expect around 100-150 mg of caffeine per one serving of Dirty Chai.

Unlike coffee, there are no standardized methods of making tea, at least not in western countries – a shot of espresso will always be made in a similar way from ground coffee, usually using coffee machines. Besides, there’s no such thing as a coffee concentrate. And tea, tea can be made from a tea concentrate, tea bags, whole leaves, by simmering and steeping, or from instant tea powders.

Does Dirty Chai have sugar?

Yes, Dirty Chai will usually contain sugar. Even if it’s made without sugar, you will probably need some sweetener to balance the flavour. If you are making your own home-made Dirty Chai using a simmering method, adding some sugar is highly recommended. However, if you are making it by steeping a pre-made tea blend that brews into a mellow infusion and you are using medium roast coffee with little bitterness, you may not even need a sweetener. When making tea from a tea concentrate, check the label to see the sugar content.

Does Dirty Chai have alcohol?

No, Dirty Chai doesn’t contain any alcohol. However, you could try adding brandy, whiskey or even a cream liqueur. If it blends well with spiced milk tea and it blends well with coffee with milk, it will blend well with a Dirty Chai, too.

Are Dirty Chai Lattes healthy?

Since Dirty Chai latte is made with the same ingredients as a regular coffee latte and regular spiced milk tea, it will have the same potential benefits as these drinks. However, keep in mind that it may contain a lot of sugar and it will provide quite a few calories from milk.

When making it at home, you can:

• choose tea leaves and coffee beans you enjoy the most,
• use milk with less fat (although whole milk is the best for lattes)
• use less sugar or a calorie-free sugar alternative
• control the caffeine content and flavour

Where to buy Dirty Chai?

You can get Dirty Chai from some coffee shops, but usually only if you ask for it and if they serve both chai latte and espresso coffee. Ready-to-drink Dirty Chai is available too, although it’s far from a common drink. Pre-made loose tea blends that contain both coffee, tea and spices are available too, and so is a chai latte flavoured instant coffee.

Depending on where you live, maybe the only way of trying it is if you make it yourself. So, how to make one at home?

How to make Dirty Chai?

To make this drink you will need to make two separate drinks – masala chai latte and a shot of espresso. The best way to make masala chai tea is by simmering spices and black tea leaves in water and milk, but for making a Dirty Chai, making a chai latte from a chai concentrate or a pre-made chai blend is a preferred method.

Find out how to make a cup of masala chai tea here.

You can make an espresso using either an espresso machine, Moka pot or a Turkish style coffee pot. One shot of espresso usually equals 30 ml of coffee – strongly brewed.

Some ways of making Dirty Chai at home:

• Make a chai latte using a pre-made tea blend and add a shot of espresso
• Make a chai latte using a pre-made tea blend and add two shots of espresso
• Make a proper chai by simmering spices and tea leaves in water and milk and add a shot of espresso – although technically this drink is not a latte anymore
• Make a chai latte using a chai concentrate and add a shot of espresso
• Or you could even use an instant chai mix, blend it with instant coffee and serve with frothed steamed milk – although this is far from an usual way

Get inspired – 7 ways of making chai at home.

Which coffee should I use?

The flavour of any drink will always depend on the flavour and quality of ingredients. Where possible, use freshly ground coffee. Espresso is usually made with stronger medium or dark roast coffee, but you can experiment with different coffee beans to find a perfect match. The best way to choose coffee or tea for making a latte is to choose types you like drinking on its own. Both milk and sugar will enhance the flavour of tea and coffee, but the idea is to get a well-balanced flavour and a good texture.

Which tea should I use?

The best tea for making this latte is the same tea you would usually use for making a regular chai. CTC black tea blends, tea dust or teas with smaller broken leaves will release more flavour and caffeine than teas with whole long unbroken leaves. Coffee is a strong ingredient, so it’s a good idea to use a strong tea too. Pre-made chai blends are a great option for making this tea latte fast – without simmering fresh spices.

Final Thoughts

What makes Dirty Chai dirty is not alcohol, but a shot of espresso instead. It’s a high caffeine, tea, spices and coffee drink that’s usually served in latte style, and is often quite sweet. Dirty Chai is not a common item on coffee shop’s menus, but if you have a chance, definitely try it. It makes for a wonderful cup of morning tea-coffee latte – warming, spicy, creamy and strong.

The post What is Dirty Chai? appeared first on All That Tea.

In western countries, there’s no wrong or right way to make or drink chai, as the word itself became a synonym for spiced tea. And, there are many ways to make it.

What is Chai?

Chai is an Indian tea made with black tea, sugar, water, and milk. Rather than steeping the tea in water and just adding a splash of milk, tea leaves are simmered in a pan together with milk. It’s highly aromatic, creamy and complex. It can’t be compared with a regular black tea with milk, although that’s exactly what it is – a sweetened black tea with milk.

Read more: Making Chai You Will Love – 2 methods compared

Proper traditional chai can be made (and often is) with black tea bags. Although it has an amazing flavour, it usually contains lower quality tea leaves. But low-quality tea leaves doesn’t mean bad or stale tea. Teas with broken leaves and tea dust will give a stronger flavour and are more suitable for making a milk tea than high quality gentle tea leaves.

What is Masala Chai?

Masala chai is a black tea with milk and spices. The most common ones are cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, fennel seeds, star anise, aniseed, black pepper, nutmeg and cloves. Each masala chai tea will be different, with a unique blend of spices and of a different intensity. The best tea is usually made with freshly crushed ingredients, to release flavour more easily.

Today, the word chai can mean:

• Black tea with milk made using traditional methods – authentic chai
• Black tea with milk and spices used traditional methods – authentic masala chai
• A drink made with an instant chai powder
• A drink made with chai concentrate where you only need to add milk
• Spiced black tea with steamed and frothed milk – western chai latte
• Tea made by steeping spiced black tea blend in water only
• Tea made by steeping spiced black tea blend in water and adding a splash of milk

And, it can mean much more. If you order a chai in any western country, you may need to be more specific about your preferences. But if you get chai from chaiwallah in India (a person who makes and sells it), there won’t be any misunderstandings – you will know exactly what to expect – a creamy, aromatic and delightful tea.

 Learn how to make masala chai from a scratch in only 10 minutes.

How to make Chai tea – 7 ways and their pros and cons

1. Make it by boiling black tea and fresh spices

If you are looking for an authentic experience, there’s only one way to make masala chai. Boiling black tea leaves and fresh spices in water and milk is the traditional way of making masala tea. Fresh spices are crushed, added to water, brought to a boil and then tea leaves are added and simmered together with spices. Milk comed next, and the tea is further simmered and finally aerated. Sweetener is rather mandatory than optional and it’s used to balance the flavour and improve the texture.

Ingredients:

• Black tea leaves or tea bags
• Fresh whole spices
• Milk
• Water
• Sugar

Pros of this method: the authentic way to make it, complex flavour, intense aroma and a very creamy texture

Cons of this method: requires time and patience and fresh spices

2. Make chai from a concentrate

Making it from a concentrate is the second-best method of making chai at home, providing you have a good tea concentrate. Tea concentrates usually already contain sugar, and you will only need to add milk. They are often used for making lattes, too. You can make your own concentrate or buy a pre-made one.

Ingredients:

• Pre-made chai concentrate
• Sugar if the concentrate is sugar free
• Milk

Pros of this method: saves a lot of time and it’s easy to use

Cons of this method: flavour and ingredients will differ from a brand to a brand

3. Pre-made chai blends

If you don’t know how to make chai and you never tried it before, it’s likely that your first encounter with this tea will be with pre-made masala blends, either loose tea or tea bags. There are hundreds of teas to choose from, containing different teas and different spices. Pre-made chai tea bags or loose tea is usually intended for steeping in hot water for 3-5 minutes, but you can simmer them in a saucepan too. You can drink them pure or add milk.

Ingredients:

• Pre-made chai blend, loose tea or tea bags
• Water
• Milk (optional)
• Sugar (optional)

Pros of this method: you don’t need to worry about different spice ratios or choosing the best tea base, they are easy to steep, suitable for office

Cons of this method: flavour may be weaker, especially if you only steep it in water, quality and flavour may differ.

4. Mixing instant powders with milk or water

Instant powders and latte powders are easy to use, and you can be mix them with both water or milk. They usually contain sugars and powdered milk and may be very sweet. One of the major benefit is the ease of use. There are many delicious instant  tea powders out there, but the texture and flavour will differ from the authentic chai. Many powders contain non-traditional ingredients such as vanilla or chocolate.

Ingredients:

• Instant chai powder
• Water OR milk, or both
• Sugar (optional, usually already highly sweetened)

Pros of this method: Very easy to use, often a decadent drink with no bitterness

Cons of this method: Other ingredients and potentially lots of sugar, the furthest from an authentic chai of all methods

5. Using steamed milk

Chai with steamed milk is called chai latte. It’s an alternative to regular milk tea, but with a very different texture and flavour. It’s great for making a cup of spiced tea fast, especially if you have a milk steamer and a loose tea blend or tea bags. Latte will have a better texture than regular cup of tea with milk, but it will still be less rich than the proper authentic chai – even if you start with the same ingredient ratio. Furthermore, it will have a layer of milky foam that’s not spiced.

Ingredients:

• Pre-made blends or chai concentrate
• Water
• Steamed and frothed milk
• Sugar

Pros of this method: easier to make than the authentic tea, usually made with pre-made blends

Cons of this method: texture will be less creamy and more watery than an authentic tea, requires a milk steamer or an electric hand frother

Read more: Chai tea vs Chai latte

6. Adding powdered spices to black tea

Another way of making chai tea is by adding powdered spices to steeped tea. While this may be convenient, if you don’t have any whole spices and want to make a cup of spiced tea fast, it will have downsides, too. Powders don’t really dissolve and have a less intense flavour than whole spices. This method works well when making lattes, but it may not be a great choice for making a regular cup of tea without milk or with only a splash of cold milk.

Ingredients:

• Black tea leaves or tea bag
• Powdered spices
• Steamed milk
• Sugar (optional)

Pros of this method: easier to use than whole spices, suitable for making lattes

Cons of this method: not suitable for making authentic chai or for adding to tea without milk

7. Using chai pods

The fastest and newest way of making a milky tea is by using tea pods. Just like coffee pods, tea pods will offer an ease of use and will usually already contain sugar and milk. While you can’t use chai pods to make an authentic chai, you can use them to make a delicious cup of spiced drink. Pods are easy to use, provided you have a pod coffee machine, but the price per cup may be higer than using fresh ingredients. However, it’s probably the most conventient way of enjoying spiced tea in the office.

Ingredients:

• Chai pods
• Water

Pros of this method: easy to use, great for offices

Cons of this method: cost, some may be more watery than the others

Final thoughts

The best way will ultimately depend on your preferences. If you want an authentic experience, there’s only one way to make it – by gathering all ingredients and simmering it to a perfection. But if only want to enjoy a spiced drink, there are many ways you can try. Experimenting with different methods will help you find the perfect one.

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