This is the Best Loose Leaf Chai Tea for that authentic, Desi taste. It’s smooth, with just the right amount of strength.
Put the water and milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add in the cardamoms and sugar and, using a ladle, take a ladleful of the mixture out and slowly allow it to pour back into the saucepan. Keep doing this until the milk is a bit frothy and the cardamom and sugar are well incorporated.
Let the milk come to a boil, wait for it to form a skin and start to rise up.
Add the tea and quickly lower the flame (or else the tea will boil over) so that the mixture is at a light simmer. Again, use your ladle to take out some of the milk and then pour it back in. This will expose the tea to more air, bringing out its flavor. It will also further incorporate the flavor of the cardamom. Keep doing this until the tea is a light, golden-brown color.
At this point stop, increase the heat to bring it to a quick boil again (it should start to rise up once more) then remove from heat and pour through a strainer directly into cups (or a tea pot).
Depending on the fat content of your milk and the strength of the tea leaves you’re using, you may have to adjust the amount of tea you put in, but these ratios are a great starting point.