Chai Latte Recipe for Cafes: Spiced Black Tea, Milk and Service Prep
“Chai” means tea in many languages, and recipes for spiced tea vary across households, regions and cafés. A café chai latte should therefore be described by its actual ingredients rather than presented as one definitive traditional formula. This starting recipe uses black tea, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and milk. Adjust the spices to suit the tea and the menu, then write the approved version by weight.
The method separates spice extraction from tea steeping. That helps limit harshness while giving the drink enough aromatic character to stand up to milk. It also makes the recipe easier to repeat during service.
What controls a chai latte
The result depends on the tea, spice freshness, water-to-milk ratio, steep time and sweetness. Whole spices give a different aroma from pre-ground blends. Crushing them lightly helps expose their surface without turning the preparation into a cloudy powder. A strong tea base can become astringent if it is simmered for too long, so taste the actual product and keep the extraction controlled.
Milk can soften spice and add body, but it also changes the balance. A dairy or plant-based substitution may need a different tea strength or sweetener. Test the finished drink in the exact cup size served by the café.
Starting chai latte recipe
Purpose: a hot spiced black-tea latte.
Yield: one serving, approximately 280 ml before minor transfer loss.
Active time: about 8 minutes.
Equipment: small saucepan, scale, timer, spoon and fine strainer.
Recipe status: a starting specification to test with the venue’s tea, spices and milk.
Ingredients
160 ml water
3 g Assam or another full-bodied black tea
2 g fresh ginger, sliced or lightly crushed
2 green cardamom pods, lightly cracked
0.5 g cinnamon stick
1 clove
120 ml milk
8 g sugar, or adjust after tasting
Method
Add the water, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and clove to a small pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and hold for about 4 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the tea and steep for 3 minutes. Taste a small spoonful near the end of the infusion.
Add the milk and return the pan to low heat. Warm gently while stirring; avoid a vigorous boil that can cause a skin or overflow.
Strain into the serving cup. Stir in the sugar, taste and adjust in small measured increments.
Record the final tea, spice and sweetness specification. Serve promptly.
These quantities are a development starting point, not a universal chai standard. If the tea is too sharp, shorten the steep or reduce the dose. If spices disappear in milk, adjust the spice extraction rather than simply increasing sugar.
Planning a new café or improving its operating setup? Explore Coffee Shop Opening Consulting.
Continue learning with Premium
Subscribe to Premium for access to the exclusive TDS article library and continue exploring beverage techniques, recipes and bar operations. Check the membership page for current access details.
Adapt the recipe for café service
Test whole milk and any plant-based option the café intends to offer. Keep the tea and spice preparation constant during the first comparison, then adjust one ingredient at a time. Record the brand, portion, cup, temperature and serving method. If the café serves an iced chai, develop a separate recipe that accounts for ice dilution instead of pouring the hot drink over an arbitrary amount of ice.
A chai concentrate can speed up service, but it changes how the café cools, stores, labels and handles a milk-containing beverage. Do not assign a shelf life from this recipe. Follow the venue’s local food-safety requirements and documented process; if no safe batch-and-hold procedure has been validated, prepare to order.
Planning or developing a coffee shop? Explore coffee shop opening consulting →
Use a short menu description that tells guests what is in the drink. “Black tea with ginger, cardamom and cinnamon” is clearer than a generic claim that the drink is authentic or health-giving. If a spice blend or syrup is used instead of the ingredients above, list the actual components and check supplier allergen information.
Common chai mistakes
Simmering black tea and spices together for a long time can produce an overly tannic cup. Using whole spices without measuring makes one serving much stronger than the next. Adding sweetener before tasting can cover the tea’s character. Replacing milk without retesting can change sweetness and body. Finally, calling a café’s own formulation the only traditional chai recipe overstates what the name can mean across different communities.
Questions café teams ask
Can chai be made with tea bags?
Yes. Use a weighed or consistently counted tea portion and test steep time with the specific bag and cup size.
Can the spices be ground in advance?
They can, but ground spices extract quickly and may create a cloudy, stronger result. Test a defined blend and store it according to the supplier and café’s handling procedure.
How sweet should a chai latte be?
That is a menu choice. Taste the tea and milk first, then set a measured sweetness level that matches the café’s intended profile.
Can this recipe be batched?
Only after the café establishes a documented food-safety process for preparation, cooling, storage and holding. Do not infer a safe shelf life from the ingredient list alone.
A reliable chai latte does not need a complicated recipe. It needs a clear spice profile, a measured tea extraction and a milk specification that the team can reproduce.
Develop signature tea drinks for your café
Explore Coffee Shop Beverage Menu Development to discuss original chai, tea, coffee and smoothie drinks shaped around the café’s concept, equipment and service.
Join The Double Strainer Newsletter and get the free Bar Essentials guide.
Practical tools for better prep, smarter batching, and cleaner service.
Written by: Riccardo Grechi | Beverage Manager, Bar Consultant & Trainer
Comments