Chai Chai Love is not a tea you “steep” — it is a spice-forward brew you gently brew. That little shift is the key to a rich, balanced cup at home.
In the U.S., loose-leaf tea is mostly tea leaves brewed for a few minutes. In India, authentic masala chai is often a two-step process: simmer spices in water, then add black tea, milk, and sugar at the end because black tea can make your chai bitter if left for more than a few minutes. Chai Chai Love is different: our blend is mostly whole, fresh spices with only a small amount of black tea (and a caffeine-free version has no black tea), so the flavor lives in the spices — not the black tea.
Whole spices need time and gentle heat to open up — think of it as coaxing flavor and beneficial compounds from cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, fennel, and our functional mushrooms. Quick tea-ball steeps and paper filters under-extract, so the cup tastes thin and the wellness benefits never fully show up.
This guide shares the exact methods I use and recommend — from my daily stovetop ritual to batch brew for iced chai all week, plus options that work in an office or dorm. Every method includes ratios, timing, pros/cons, and what to expect, so you can match your situation and still get that deep, spice-forward cup.
Quick jump
Regular Pot — Stovetop (Single Cup)
Why this method
This is the classic approach. The steady simmer coaxes a broad, bold spice profile, and the short, watched milk-finish at the end fuses milk, sugar, and spice for that silky café texture. Simple gear (pot and fine strainer), piping hot, and consistently the most authentic cup.
You will need: Small pot, stainless fine-mesh strainer.
Single-cup steps (about 21 minutes total)
- Add 1 cup (8 oz) water to the pot and bring to a full boil (3–4 min).
- Turn heat to low; add 1 Tbsp chai mix, stir; cover and simmer 15–20+ min (longer = richer).
- Add 1 Tbsp coconut sugar + ¾ cup milk (or 1 cup milk if you want milkier/less spicy).
- Authentic finish: while standing by the pot, raise heat to high briefly. Watch for light foam as it approaches a gentle simmer—turn off before a full boil so it does not spill over.
- Stir and strain into cup. Prep time: about 21 minutes.
Two-cup, richer variant (about 23 minutes)
Use 2 Tbsp mix + 2 Tbsp coconut sugar + 1½ cups milk; follow the same flow.
Pros
- Best flavor, traditional feel, piping hot with milk brewed into the chai.
- Common kitchen tools; one pot to clean.
- Once pot is covered and on low, little risk of boil-over and no need to hover.
Cons
- The first time on a new burner, test your heat so you know where “low simmer” lives.
- Requires a stove (less practical in office or dorm).
Regular Pot — Stovetop (Batch Brew) : Make-Ahead for Iced Chai or Reheat
Why this method
Brew once, enjoy all week. Keep it in the fridge for fast iced drinks or quick hot cups. Many of our café partners prep CCL this way to ditch oversweet syrups and concentrates and still serve authentic masala chai.
Ratio and example
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Ratio:
1 cup water : 1 Tbsp chai mix - Example: 8 cups water + 8 Tbsp mix ≈ 2 quarts.
Batch-brew specifics
- Iced? Brew longer (often 45–60 minutes) so flavors stay bold when enjoyed iced. Cold temperatures dull taste perception and mute aromatics, so the same chai will taste less spicy (and less sweet) when chilled than when served hot.
- Storage: Cool, strain to a clean jar, refrigerate; keeps about a week. Shake before pouring. Store without milk; add milk when serving.
Steps
- Bring water to a boil. Turn burner to low, then add chai and stir (this order helps prevent boil-over). Cover and simmer 20–30+ minutes. For iced, I go 45–60 minutes for maximum spice.
- Cool, strain to a jar, and refrigerate (I like a 2-quart mason jar). Keeps about a week. Shake before pouring.
- Serving guide: Roughly 8 oz brewed chai plus milk to taste plus about 1 Tbsp coconut sugar per serving.
Reheating paths (choose what fits your setup)
- Stovetop: combine brewed chai with milk and sweetener; heat gently until hot. Smoothest texture.
- Microwave: in your mug, combine brewed chai with milk and sugar; heat in 30–45 second bursts, stirring between. Great at the office.
- Espresso machine steam wand: steam brew with milk and sugar in a pitcher for café-style heat and microfoam.
Iced workflow
- Cool and strain, refrigerate (7+ days), shake before pouring.
- Fill a glass with ice, add ¾ brewed chai and top with milk, then sweeten to taste.
- Dirty chai? Add an espresso shot.
Pros
- Enjoy iced all week; one-time brew; only one pot to clean; easy to transport to an office fridge.
- Great flavor when you brew long for iced.
Cons
- If you want it hot, you will need to reheat (see options above).
Loka Chai Maker — Set & Leave, No Boil-Over (great with a portable induction at office or dorm)
Why this method
You add everything at the start, set the burner to medium-high, and let it do its thing. Its design recirculates the brew and prevents boil-over, so you do not have to hover. There is a built-in strainer, so you brew and then pour. If you drink chai often, it combines set-and-forget convenience with top-tier flavor. Max practical yield is about 16 oz.
My tested Loka setup (about 20 minutes total)
- 10 oz water (first line inside infuser) + 10 oz milk (second line; dairy or oat recommended). Almond/soy not recommended. With oat milk use more milk than water.
- Fill center strainer: 1 - 1.5 Tbsp CCL chai mix + 1.5 - 2 Tbsp coconut sugar.
- Burner medium-high; first session, stay close to learn your stove’s heat. Helpful slow-start PDF from Loka: download.
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Set a 20-minute timer. You will usually see the circulation begin 7–10 minutes in; let it cycle and finish around 20 minutes. Yield: about 16 oz because some evaporates. Enough for a Med-Large tea mug.
Our tests: perfect.
Make it work at the office or dorm
Pair Loka with a portable induction cooktop and you can brew authentic chai without a built-in kitchen. Solid roundup of compact, safe units: Serious Eats’ Best Portable Induction Cooktops — read the review. (Always check your building’s appliance rules.)
Pros
- Super simple set-and-leave; low chance of boil-over; built-in strainer—just pour.
- Best flavor (consistent high heat extracts full spice range); piping hot with milk integrated.
- Office-friendly with induction; minimal oversight after you learn your heat.
Cons
- Cost (about $150) — but worth it if you love chai and value convenience + top-tier flavor.
- Three parts to clean; soak or rinse soon after brewing. Ceramic interior is easy; steel infuser may need a brief scrub (avoid steel scrubby on ceramic).
- Limited yield (about 16 oz after some evaporation) or two smaller cups of chai. Ideally suited for a daily individual chai drinker.
Electric Kettle with Built-in Tea Infuser
Why this method
When you cannot use a stove (office or dorm), this gives you a set-and-forget path: add everything at the start and use Temp Hold so it comes up to heat and stays there while brewing. That is different from basic hot-water kettles that shut off at boil and have no infuser.
Kettle I tested: Amazon model
16-oz setup (about 20 minutes)
- In kettle: 2 Tbsp sugar + 8 oz milk + 8 oz water.
- In infuser: 1 Tbsp CCL chai.
- Set to 205°F and HOLD. Do not set 212°F—it can boil over and get messy.
- Let it reach temperature and hold about 20 minutes (longer = stronger). You can add milk at the end, but brewing with milk more closely matches the stovetop experience.
Pros
- No stove needed; office-friendly; piping hot with milk brewed in; inexpensive.
- Hands-off once you learn the buttons.
Cons
- Medium flavor versus stovetop or Loka due to less circulation through the infuser.
- The Hold button UI may take a brew or two to understand.
Insulated Thermos with Built-in Infuser (Grab-and-Go)
Why this method
For the days you truly do not have time for a stovetop brew, this is boil water, load, and go. It stays hot for hours and is leak-proof. Expect a lighter/warmer result than stovetop because water temperature drops in the bottle and it is not staying at simmering or boiling temperature like in other methods for maximum flavor extraction. Chai is traditionally enjoyed with milk, but you can try it without milk and only sweetener and see if you like it, OR no sweetener and only milk.
Steps
- Measure: 1 Tbsp chai per 8 oz water into the infuser; add 1+ Tbsp coconut sugar per 8 oz of water into the infuser or directly in the bottle.
- Boil water and pour into the bottle; insert infuser, cap, give a light shake to mix through the spices.
- Steep 20+ minutes (you can leave the infuser in; its top keeps spices contained and longer contact boosts extraction), so you can just pour into cup right from the bottle without removing the tea strainer.
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How to drink (three ways)
- No milk (hottest): sweeten from step 1.
- Add Milk in bottle: keeps more heat; (serve when you are about to drink so it stays hot).
- Milk in cup: pour chai halfway into a cup, top with milk; sweeten if not pre-sweetened.
Pros
- Fastest prep; leak-proof; stays hot; handy office fallback.
- Doubles as a thermos for maintaining temps for other cold and hot drinks (including chai brewed on the stove or other method).
Cons
- Tends toward warm chai vs. piping hot if you add cold milk;
- medium-low extraction flavor; not a full “traditional” chai experience.
Appendix: Core Principles & Milk/Sweetener
Core principles (apply to every method)
- Starting ratio: 1 Tbsp chai mix : 1 cup (8 oz) water — scale by servings.
- Time is your friend: CCL will not go bitter like a typical black-tea brew; 15–30+ minutes of heat unlocks deeper spice flavors.
- About the mushrooms: Our functional mushroom extracts are already hot-water extracted and bioavailable — they dissolve quickly and do not require extra simmer time. The longer cook time is for the spices, which drive both flavor and spice-based benefits.
Milk & Sweetener — why they matter
Short version: great chai is cooked, not just steeped. When you heat spices with milk and a little sweetener, the fats and proteins in milk carry spice aromatics, while sugars and spices caramelize and fuse. That’s why chai tastes fuller, creamier, and more unified when milk is cooked into the brew — especially dairy milk.
Dairy milk (my baseline)
- I test and serve most methods with whole milk. It’s how masala chai is traditionally made in India and it gives the most creamy, café-style texture.
- How to add it: brew your water + spices first, then add milk and sugar near the end and bring it toward a gentle simmer while you watch. You’ll see light foam — turn off before a full rolling boil to avoid spillover. That quick “finish” is when the caramel + fusion happens.
Alternative milks (what to expect)
Many of our customers don’t use dairy and I’m mindful of that. I still prefer dairy for taste/texture, but when I minimize dairy, I choose carefully and adjust expectations. Alternative milks vary a lot in thickness, flavor, and how they behave with heat (many include oils and gums to mimic dairy). Experiment to find what fits your taste and needs.
- Oat (my preferred non-dairy): I like Planet Oat — Barista Lovers because it tastes less “oaty,” steams well, and gets closer to dairy creaminess. Choose barista/extra-creamy styles when possible.
- Almond: lighter body, can separate if boiled hard; heat gently. Flavor leans nutty and can compete with spices.
- Soy: more protein (good body) but can curdle with strong boil; use barista soy and keep the finish gentle.
- Coconut: rich but distinct — can dominate. Can mix 50/50 with oat or dairy.
How and when to add milk
- Cooked-in (my favorite): add milk + sweetener for the last 1–2 minutes, bring it just to the brink (watch for light foam), then turn off before a rolling boil. This quick finish helps the spices and sugars fuse.
- Added in the cup: easier, but lighter and cooler. Good when you can’t use a stove.
Sweeteners
I mainly use coconut sugar because it pairs beautifully with spices (caramel notes), is less processed than white sugar, and contains trace minerals. Honey and maple syrup also work well — add to taste.
- Cutting back? Most people enjoy CCL with either milk or sweetener, but usually not without both (spices can feel sharp alone). If you must choose one to reduce, keep a little of the other to round the edges.
- Guideline: about 1 Tbsp coconut sugar per 8 oz serving is a good starting point; adjust ½–1½ Tbsp to taste.
