I could hit you with some kind of "looking to spice up your mornings?" quip right away, but I won't put you through that torture. Instead, let's skip the weak coffee puns and get straight to the point: If you're both a coffee lover and a tea lover, you need to try a dirty chai latte.
That's right. While everyone else in the room is gushing about "pumpkin spice," or complaining about pumpkin spice, or complaining about the people who complain about the people who gush about pumpkin spice—you can be relaxing in the corner, sipping on a delightfully dirty chai latte.
That's because a dirty chai is the true fall coffee drink. It's got all the rich, earthy, autumny flavors of a traditional chai latte, with the added boost of caffeine from coffee.
It's like a pumpkin spice latte, but with just the spice—and without all that pumpkin mucking things up. (Ever seen the inside of a jack-o-lantern? It ain't pretty.)
What's So Dirty About This Chai?
Your standard, run-of-the-mill chai latte is made with black tea, milk, and spices like cardamom, cloves, and ginger. But we're not talking about that kind of chai latte. Oh no, my friend.
A dirty chai latte is made with tea AND coffee, resulting in a double threat of caffeine to get your day started off right. Normally, a dirty chai latte is just a regular chai latte with a single shot of espresso added in.
Not only is it much higher in caffeine content, but a dirty chai latte also has a bit more of an edge to it, flavor-wise. The spices in the chai tea mix perfectly with the rich flavor of coffee, creating a drink that is both comforting and energizing.
The combination of the rich, bold flavors of coffee and the spices in the chai creates a delicious, unique drink that will both wake you up and warm you up on a cold autumn day.
How to Make a Dirty Chai Latte at Home
Now I don't know about you, but I don't have a fancy home espresso machine at my beck and call—who am I, Rockefeller? So just in case you're in the same boat, I'm going to show you how to make a dirty chai latte using an AeroPress.
Trust me, it's just as good* as the espresso version.
(*If not better, once you factor in the ease of making it—plus the much stronger caffeine kick you get from making it with brewed coffee rather than a puny little shot of espresso.)
Things You Need:
- AeroPress coffee maker
- Black tea bags
- Milk (of your choice)
- Ground cinnamon and ginger to taste
Tip: If you'd like to save even more time, you can always use a pre-made chai tea concentrate or powder mix instead of using black tea bags and spices. No judgment. Besides, there are so many great, strong flavors going on in this drink, that you can get away with cutting a few corners.
Instructions:
- Start by brewing a cup or two of black tea with your usual hot water method. I recommend using 2 tea bags for a richer, fuller-flavored dirty chai, so the black tea isn’t over-powered by the coffee and spice flavors.
- Brew some rich, espresso-style coffee using the strongest coffee you can find, and your AeroPress. If you need help with this, check out this tutorial for making coffee with an AeroPress. (Just use a nice, strong dark roast and a little more coffee than you normally would to make thicker, espresso-style coffee.)
- Now that you have your black tea and your homemade espresso-style coffee, fill up a large, thick glass or a mason jar with ice cubes and about 1/3 - 1/2 a cup of milk of your choice. Use more milk if you want a creamier latte, less milk if you want it to have a stronger coffee and spice flavor.
- Pour your brewed black tea over the ice and milk, then add in your "espresso." Add more or less depending on how strong you want it.
- Now it's time to spice things up! (It had to be in this article somewhere) Use ground cinnamon and ground ginger to taste. I like a lot of both, but you can adjust the amount depending on your preferences.
- Stir everything together until it's well-mixed
- Enjoy!
Dirty chai lattes are the perfect fall coffee drink—they're warm, comforting, and have enough of a caffeine punch to get you through the day.
And now you know that you don't have to go down to the coffee shop and pay $6.98* + tip for one. You can easily make your own dirty chai latte at home, and it will be just as delicious (if not more so).
*Actual price for a venti dirty chai latte at the time of this writing—which means it'll be $12.98 by the end of the year.
So next time you're in the mood for something a little different, kick that pumpkin to the curb—and get dirty with a delicious, homemade dirty chai.
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