How to make a dirty chai latte at home! This espresso drink has the best pungent taste and frothy head.
Our favorite coffee drink as a gift? A Dirty chai latte! Adding a shot of espresso to Masala Chai gives you a shot of caffeine. Even better, the coffee’s bitterness is perfect to complement the subtle creamy sweetness. Alex and I usually order black coffee at cafes, but every once in a while we go berserk and order a dirty chai latte. Here’s our version of that special coffee: it’s just sweet enough and lightly flavored with a special blend of chai spices. Here’s what you need to know!
What is a dirty chai latte?
A chai latte takes the traditional masala chai, a spiced milk tea from India, and combines it with frothed steamed milk from a café latte. The “dirty” version of this adds a shot of espresso. The story goes that the Ditry chai latte was accidentally invented in England in the 1990s when a barista preparing a chai latte for an American accidentally added a shot of espresso. He loved it and continued to order it wherever he traveled.
Any other names for a dirty chai latte that you might see in other cafes? The terms you might hear around the world for this drink are Java Chai, Red Eye Chai or Chai Charger.
How to Make a Dirty Chai Latte: Basic Steps
There are three basic steps to making a dirty chai latte (or continue with the recipe below). Here are the outlines of what you need to do to prepare this milk tea:
- Prepare the espresso. Use your favorite method! Use an espresso machine or just brew strong coffee (we used our Aeropress).
- Prepare the masala chai. Next, prepare the masala chai or flavored milk tea. Our method only takes a few minutes with a homemade spice blend.
- froth milk. The last step is frothing the milk! See below for tips.
Make the masala chai
Word chai means “tea” in Hindi, so technically chai tea is the same as “tea-tea”. The most correct term for Indian tea blend is Chai masala. Word masala refers to a spice mixture used in cooking. Much like the word curry, a Westernized reduction of a complex blend of Indian spices, the American concept of chai can oversimplify and appropriate a rich Indian cultural tradition.
Masala chai spices can contain many different ingredients depending on the chef, just like curry powder. This homemade chai spice blend uses common masala chai spices, but note that many more are used regionally in Indian blends. Many traditional Indian recipes use whole spices, while others use ground spices in a mortar and pestle. This recipe uses ground spices to make it quick and easy (plus, you can use them for other uses like baked goods). Here are the ground spices you will need:
- Cinammon
- Ginger
- cardamom
- Black pepper
- nutmeg
- cloves
- fennel seeds (Optional)
For the Masala Chai simply boil the spices with water and black tea. In this recipe, you won’t add the milk just yet, as you’ll need to froth it to make the “latte” portion of this drink. Talk about …
How to Froth Milk for a Dirty Chai Latte
The most important part of a dirty chai latte: frothing the milk! Here you need a little technique. If this is your first time frothing milk, we strongly recommend that you read the milk frothing guide before you start. Here are some tips for the perfect froth on a dirty chai latte:
- The best milk for a chai latte? Use 2% milk (our favorite) or whole milk if you want a richer latte. Do not use skimmed milk as it does not foam sufficiently.
- Heat milk to 150 degrees (scalding). The exact temperature is important to get the right foam. Use a food thermometer if you have one. Or just heat the milk until it’s warm to the touch and a few small bubbles form on the outside, but don’t simmer yet.
- Use a French press, handheld frother, or whisk. We used our french press and it worked great. You can also use a hand frother or simply whip the milk vigorously. For the French Press, pump 100 times or 1 minute: This should produce a nice creamy, frothy lather!
Vegan variant
Want to make a dirty vegan chai latte? No problem! We prefer to prepare a vegan latte with oat milk. It foams with a nice froth, almost like cow’s milk! It also has a nice creamy neutral taste. The foam isn’t as thick as cow’s milk, but it’s still quite good. Go to our vegan chai latte recipe, then add 4 ounces of espresso.
Other variant? Add a shot of espresso to make a messy Iced Chai Latte!
Serve your dirty chai latte
And that’s it! Prepare your masala chai, add the espresso and top it off with frothed milk! It’s nice to serve in a clear glass so you can see the nice separation of the foam, but a mug works too. As a finishing touch, we like to throw in a sprinkling of chai spice.
* Want to make dirty chai lattes all week? Prepare a large amount of spiced tea and cool it down. If you fancy a latte, heat ¾ cup of tea, add espresso and froth ½ cup of milk.
This recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten free. For vegan, plant-based and dairy-free, head to Vegan Chai Latte.
The description
How to make a dirty chai latte at home! This espresso drink has the best pungent taste and frothy head.
- 1 teaspoon Homemade Chai Spices
- 1 cup the water
- 1 black tea bag (or 1 teaspoon loose black tea in a tea strainer)
- 4 oz Espresso or strong coffee brewed using your preferred method
- ½ cup 2% fresh milk (or whole milk)*
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (or plain syrup)
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the chai spices, water, and tea bag and bring to a boil. After boiling, remove from heat and let stand for 1 minute.
- In the meantime, prepare the espresso in an espresso machine (or the Aeropress). Pour the espresso into one large or two small cups.
- After a resting time of 1 minute, strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve** into the cup(s).
- Rinse pan. Add milk and maple syrup. Heat the milk to 150 degrees Fahrenheit (check with a thermometer): it will be hot with a few small bubbles forming on the outside, but not simmering. The exact temperature is useful for getting the perfect foam (if you don’t have a thermometer you can approximate it).
- Use a hand frother, whisk or French press to froth the milk. (French press is a preferred method: add boiling milk to French press and pump vigorously until frothy, about 100 times for 2% milk, or about 1 minute; use 50 times for whole milk.) Leave the mousse about Rest for 30 seconds. , allowing it to attach itself. Go to How to froth milk if you are frothing milk for the first time.
- Pour the milk and froth evenly between the cups. Sprinkle with additional chai spices and serve.
Remarks
*Fresh milk is best for getting a nice froth. You may find that a milk container that has been open for several days no longer froths. For vegans, make our vegan chai latte with oat milk and add 4 ounces of espresso.
**You can skip filtering if you wish: the spices will settle to the bottom of the drink.
- Category: drink
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: American
- Diet: vegetarian
Keywords: Dirty Chai Latte, how to make a dirty chai latte
More coffee drinks
We are coffee fans here! If you do too, here are some of our favorite espresso drinks and coffee recipes:
- Americano This popular coffee beverage softens the bitterness of espresso with hot water.
- Mocha Rich and chocolaty, with just the right amount of fluffy milk froth.
- Cappuccino, Flat White and Latte Creamy with just the right touch of milk froth and bitter espresso.
- Iced Latte This iced drink is creamy, icy and refreshing!
- Café Amaretto Add a sip of alcohol to your coffee! This fortified hot beverage is both cocktail and dessert: and you won’t be able to stop sipping.
- Espresso Martini A modern classic cocktail made with coffee, Kahlua and vodka!
- Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee A refreshing way to satisfy your pumpkin spice addiction.
- Cold Brew Coffee Easy to make in minutes – then wait all night!
