A recipe for a homemade dirty chai latte
By Carla Snuggs

One of my favorite kitchen gadgets is my Nespresso Pixie, and it is an important part of my at-home coffee bar. I use my Nespresso for quick and easy espresso drinks and have recently fallen in love with making dirty chai lattes! If you haven't had one, you're in for a treat! It's like a chai latte on steroids - you're getting all of the flavor and benefits of delicious, cinnamony chai tea with the kick of coffee. Here is how to make one in a jiffy!

Dirty Chai Tea Latte Recipe

I usually just eyeball my measurements, but here is a dirty chai recipe from with exact measurements.

Ingredients:

3 cups water
4–6 cinnamon sticks
8–10 whole cloves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
6–8 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2–3 star anise
1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
1–2 vanilla beans, split
1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated (or use whole nutmeg and grate)
Peel of 1 orange (use a vegetable peeler, avoid the white pith)
2 tablespoons Darjeeling black tea (or 4–5 black tea bags)
2–4 tablespoons agave nectar (to taste)
Milk of choice (for serving)

Instructions:

Boil Spices and Water
In a medium saucepan, combine water, cinnamon sticks, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom pods, star anise, ginger, vanilla beans, nutmeg, and orange peel. Bring to a boil.
Simmer the Mixture
Reduce heat and let it simmer gently for 10–15 minutes. This allows the spices to infuse the water fully.
Add Tea
Add Darjeeling black tea to the simmering mixture. Let it steep for 5 minutes. If using tea bags, remove them after steeping.
Strain and Sweeten
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean container. Add agave nectar to taste and stir well.
Cool and Store
Let the concentrate cool. Store in a sealed jar or bottle in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Serve Your Chai Latte
Mix 1 part chai concentrate with 1 part milk. Heat on the stovetop or microwave until warm, or pour over ice for iced chai.

*Posh Tips:

If you have a Nespresso machine, you can save money on Nespresso alternative capsules like coffee capsules of Gourmesso. Yes – you can get quality and fair trade certified coffee capsules priced 30% less than Nespresso. I used to save my expensive Nespresso capsules for company, but this makes using the Nespresso machine on a regular basis much more affordable.
If you don't have an espresso machine, you can use very strong coffee instead.
If you can find coconut chai tea bags, it will take your dirty chai to another level! Or better yet, make your own using one of my favorite homemade chai tea recipe.
You can also learn more on dirty chai latte's here.