Chai is best when it’s both balanced and intentional. This guide shows you how to brew a rich, flavorful cup using Yatri Chai blends.
Standard chai brew
To brew a delicious cup of chai, take the following steps:
- First, combine the 1 cup water and 1 cup milk (or alternative) in a sauce pan and bring to a simmering boil.
- Add 1-1.5 Tbsps of chai blend, depending on the blend (see table below).
- Boil the mixture for 5 - 6 minutes until it becomes a nice, rich caramel color. The mixture while boiling should become quite foamy and bubbly. Make sure you stir and spoon the chai a lot so it doesn't boil over (or burn).
- Remove from heat and add sweetener of your choice.
- Strain into a cup and enjoy!
Yields: ~2 cups.
| Blend | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royal Masala Chai | 1 Tbsp per 2 cups liquid |
| Cardamom Chai | 1 Tbsp per 2 cups liquid |
| Turmeric Ginger Chai | 1 Tbsp per 2 cups liquid |
| Lavender Rose Chai | 1 Tbsp per 2 cups liquid |
| Royal Masala Rooibos | 1 1/2 Tbsp per 2 cups liquid |
| Pumpkin Spice Chai | 1 1/2 Tbsp per 2 cups liquid |
Experimenting with your chai
Even for something like brewing chai, there are a lot of knobs you can tweak to find the perfect cup of chai for yourself.
- Want stronger chai? Use more tea mix - don't boil longer. Boiling too long can make the chai bitter. We don't recommend boiling chai longer than ~7 minutes.
- Want thicker chai? Try fuller fat milk or a splash of cream. Fat and protein make a big difference in the texture. If your chai is coming out very thin with milk alternatives, try adding coconut cream or coconut milk.
- Want to experiment? Add more fresh spices and herbs like fresh ginger and mint. If you like an extra zing, you can grate fresh ginger into your chai. Mint leaves also add a great flavor. Make it your own!
- Making a huge batch for friends/family? Scale up the amounts. If you want to make more chai to serve more people, you can scale this up to about 8 cups (4 cups of milk/alternative, 4 cups of water, 4 tablespoons tea mix). Anything beyond that and things start getting very funky. The rest is a trade secret 😉
Recommended Liquid Amounts by Type (per 2-cup batch)
| Milk Type | Cups of Milk | Cups of Water | Other Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole, Full Fat Oat | 1 | 1 | * Classic, creamy taste |
| 2%, Regular Oat, Pea, Soy | 1.5 | 0.5 | * A little thinner than whole milk, but still ok |
| 1%, Skim, Almond, Rice | 2 | 0 | * Add a little cream or coconut cream if it's too thin/watery |
Steeped Chai
- Add 1 rounded tsp of chai blend (2 tsp for Rooibos or Pumpkin Spice) to a tea ball or tea steeper.
- Add 1 cup/8 oz of boiling water and steep for 3-5 minutes depending on desired strength.
Alternatively, you can also sun-brew or cold-brew teas as well - these will yield different flavors because of the stark temperature differences of the water and how it extracts flavor.
You can adjust the amount of tea and the steep time up or down according to your taste preferences, but the above is a good general starting point.
We're excited to finally have filmed this video and put out this article for all of you to find the perfect cup of chai with Yatri's chai mix! If you have any questions or concerns, you are always welcome to reach us via the Contact page or by emailing us at support[at]yatrichai.com.
Enjoy!