Crush cardamom pods, peppercorns, and cloves in a small bowl with a spice muddler.
Add water to a pot and set it over medium-high heat.
Add cinnamon sticks, sliced ginger root, and star anise to the pot. Add crushed spices to the pot as well.
Let the water come to a boil and then add sugar and loose leaf tea.
Stir and turn the heat off. Taste to make sure it's sweet enough (remember, you will be adding milk to each mug). Let the mixture sit there and steep for about 30 minutes.
Once steeped, carefully strain it through a fine mesh strainer into a large jar or a heat-proof pitcher with a lid.
Let the tea concentrate cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week and simply pour off the desired amount when needed.
To Make Chai Latte:
Reheat the desired amount of chai and make sure to leave enough room in the mug for milk. Froth or simply heat up some milk and combine it with the heated chai concentrate.
Iced Chai Latte:
You can also make iced chai latte by combining the cold tea concentrate with cold milk over ice.
Milk to Chai in Chai Latte:
As far as the chai concentrate to milk ratio, you can play around with your own to see what you prefer. Personally, I like my chai strong, so I use about 6 oz. of chai to 2 oz. of whole milk. (You can start with 4 oz. to 2 oz. to see how you like it.)
Dirty Chai Latte:
Dirty Chai Latte simply means adding espresso. Depending on how much you are making, prepare 1 or 2 shots of espresso and stir it into the prepared Chai Latte. For an 8-12 oz. Chai Latte, you can add 1 shot of espresso.
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Notes
Note: the nutritional information is calculated for the chai concentrate. Nutritional information will vary widely based on type of milk, amount of milk, type of sugar, and amount of sugar.