Recipe
How to Make Iced Chai, 500ml
A recipe for about 500ml of iced chai, made with one sachet of Chai Spice Pack and milk (dairy, soy, oat or similar).
Cold dulls the palate to both sweetness and aroma. To allow for that, this recipe carries one tablespoon more sugar than the hot 500ml method.
What you will need
Chai Spice Pack, 1 sachet
Every product below holds the same sachet inside. Choose the size that suits how much you drink.
- “Chai Spice Pack”, 2 sachets ── for a first try
- “Chai Spice Pack”, 6 sachets ── for everyday drinking
- “Chai Spice Pack”, 12 sachets ── the best value per sachet
The Cacao Nibs Chai Spice Pack, layered with roasted cacao nibs, brews in exactly the same way. Chilled, the bitterness of the cacao stands out more, which makes it particularly good over ice.
- “Cacao Nibs Chai Spice Pack”, 2 sachets
- “Cacao Nibs Chai Spice Pack”, 6 sachets
- “Cacao Nibs Chai Spice Pack”, 12 sachets
Equipment
- Pan: a small pan or milk pan of 700ml capacity or more (a pouring lip helps)
- Tea strainer: avoid a very fine mesh. It holds back the spices and the caramelised sugar as well, and the cup turns thin and vague
- Storage container: a sealed bottle or pot for chilling in the fridge
Ingredients
- Milk 300ml: dairy, soy, oat or similar
- Water 250ml
- Sugar 3 tablespoons (about 45g): unrefined cane sugar is best (see the next section)
About the sugar
The type of sugar changes the flavour of chai a great deal. Unrefined cane sugar suits Inspice chai best.
◎ Unrefined cane sugar ── the right choice
Unrefined cane sugar is drawn off just before the cane juice is fully refined. The molasses left in it carries an aroma and depth that recall honey and caramel. In India, the home of chai, this kind of sugar is in wide use.
In Inspice chai it does not mask the spices and the tea. It lifts them from underneath. Added during the brew, it caramelises against the hot base of the pan and builds depth and savoury weight. That depth is why the flavour does not thin out once chilled.
Look for it in the sugar aisle or at a baking supplier, sold as unrefined cane sugar or cassonade. The powdered form dissolves more readily and is easier to work with.
If you use another sugar
Light brown cane sugar (kibizato) ── the next best thing
Easy to find, with plenty of depth. Reach for it when unrefined cane sugar is not to hand.
Beet sugar ── workable
Gives a lighter chai than unrefined or light brown cane sugar. Good if you like a lighter body.
Dark cane sugar (kokuto) ── not recommended
Its depth comes through too strongly and covers the 12 spices and the tea.
White refined sugar ── not recommended
With no depth at all, there is nothing to carry the aroma. The result is simply sweet. Of the five, it suits chai least.
How to brew iced chai
Time required: about 6 minutes (plus chilling time)
Keep to the quantities and the timings as written. Inspice chai is designed so that the aroma peaks at this ratio and these times. Brew longer because you prefer it strong and the tea turns astringent, and the spices end up hidden behind it. Follow the method as it stands the first time.
- Put 250ml of water in the pan.
- Add the cassia, the cardamom (snipped lengthways with scissors) and the tea leaves to the water, then set over medium heat and bring to the boil.
- Once it boils, drop to the lowest heat and brew for 2 minutes 30 seconds.
Held at a rolling boil, the tea turns bitter. Leave it for 2 minutes 30 seconds on the lowest heat, or with the heat off. -
Add 300ml of milk, the ground spices and 3 tablespoons of sugar (about 45g). Draw a cross through the base of the pan with a spoon, then brew for 1 minute 30 seconds, keeping the heat low.
- Take the pan off the heat and draw a cross through the base again, on a different line from before. Then stir the whole thing gently with the spoon to bring it together.
Stir as though dissolving the sugar settled at the base into the chai. - Pour slowly through the strainer into your container and chill in the fridge. Done.
Pressing the tea leaves releases astringency and bitterness. Do not crush them. Draw off the chai milk alone, gently.
Do not pour it over ice
However much you want it straight away, do not pour it into a glass of ice. As the ice melts it thins out both the aroma and the sweetness. Chill the whole container in the fridge. Brew it the night before and it will be at just the right temperature in the morning.
If you are genuinely in a hurry, stand the filled container in iced water to cool it. The chai itself will not be diluted.
Common questions
Q. Can I chill the hot recipe as it is?
A. You can drink it, but it will taste a little flat. Cold drinks read as less sweet and less aromatic, which is why this recipe uses 3 tablespoons of sugar.
Q. How long does it keep?
A. Keep it in a sealed container in the fridge and finish it the same day. There are no additives, so it will not last long.
Q. A skin forms on the top.
A. That is milk protein. Shake it lightly before pouring into a glass. There is nothing wrong with it.
📍How to Make Hot Chai, 500ml (the basic cup)
📍The complete guide to brewing chai (choosing your equipment, and three tips for a better cup)
Inspice that goes with this recipe
Any one of the 4 will make it. Take your pick.
For those who want to try it first. Comes with 2 sachets.
Chilled, the gentle bitterness of cacao comes forward — especially good iced.
Reading it in the kitchen? Send this recipe to LINE
If you liked it, keep it for later.
Keep this recipe to hand — for the shopping list, and for the kitchen bench. New recipes come by LINE too.
Send this recipe by email
Other recipes you can make with Chai Spice Pack — 2 packs
With just one of them, these dishes are open to you.
Other recipes you can make with Chai Spice Pack — 6 packs
With just one of them, these dishes are open to you.
Other recipes you can make with Chai Spice Pack — 12 packs
With just one of them, these dishes are open to you.
