5 Ways to Make a Dirty Chai Latte at Home

this post is sponsored by simply organic. thank you for supporting the partnerships that allow brewing happiness to grow and exist. xoxo.

My coffee journey started like all other basic white girls – with frappuccino. White chocolate mocha frappuccino to be exact. In high school I’d stop by on the way to school, and roll into school feeling like a boss.

In college my best friend and I would make huge pots of espresso to keep ourselves awake for all nighters, and in the morning I would drive to the local coffee shop and order a dirty chai latte. That became my traditional post all-nighter caffeine treat.

My parents aren’t a cup-of-coffee in the morning kind of people, so I was on my own to learn about this aspect of adult life. Therefore it took me until college to learn about black coffee, espresso, and what actually makes a good cup of coffee. Eventually my taste refined.

I took a break from the drink after college, because – you know – sleep is cool. Not to mention, I always felt like making a dirty chai at home was daunting. Eventually my heart drew me back and I did some experimenting and discovered that I could make a French Press Chai Latte! (It’s actually the most popular recipe on this site, so I knew y’all were excited too.) Which makes the art of the dirty chai SO MUCH EASIER.

From there I did some more experimenting, with the help of Simply Organic’s new Pre-Brew Coffee Spices, and found out that I can make a Dirty Chai Latte about 5 different ways at home! No need to buy fancy syrups or waste tea bags, just a teaspoon or so of Simply Organic’s Chai Spice with your coffee grounds, and BOOM a Dirty Chai Latte is born. How exciting!

Let’s begin – we’ve got 5 ways to brew a Dirty Chai Latte at home, using a coffee pot, cold brew, French press, Chemex, and moka pot. So I’ll walk you through my process with each brewing method, and if you have questions there’s a 20-minute video to guide you through! But please remember that coffee is personal and you should make whatever adaptations make you happy.

More lattes you’ll love: Iced Beauty Latte + Awaken Spice Latte + Gingerbread Turmeric Latte + Macadamia Matcha Latte

Simply Organic Pre-Brew Coffee Spices

This is one of those products I’ve been obsessed with from the moment they were sent to me. I was already adding cinnamon and cloves to my coffee, but these spices are so flavorful and well blended that they make my life even easier. It turns every cup of coffee into something special. (I actually buy less coffee out, because I prefer the taste of my coffee at home now.)

A Note

I am not a trained barista. I am simply a human who makes a pretty great cup of coffee. So these are the methodologies I use. They may not be 100% right, but I know that they work and make delicious dirty chai lattes. So keep that in mind as you proceed.

Equipment and Beans

I haven’t designated any specific kind of coffee beans to use. This is because I think taste in coffee is very subjective. I usually use a dark roast and I like my coffee pretty strong, but the recipes I’ve given you definitely don’t require a particular blend. If you want a *true* latte feel free to use espresso beans for all of these methods, but I generally just use regular coffee beans.

However, I do use whole bean coffee for all of these recipes and I grind them specifically for each method of brewing. I much prefer doing this than buying pre-ground coffee. I find that your coffee tastes fresher, and you can customize it better. A coffee grinder costs anywhere between $12-$250. However the one I have definitely isn’t special or fancy and probably cost me $15. So it doesn’t have to be a huge investment, and I think will make your at home latte much better.

All of the coffee equipment I use here is generally pretty cost-effective. Especially when you compare it to an espresso machine or the amount you’d spend by purchasing a latte at a coffee shop every day. Those things add up! So if you’re new to the coffee game, I suggest trying one method at a time, so you don’t over-invest in equipment. Below is a list of all of the equipment I own, in case you want to purchase the same one.

The one piece of equipment I think is very close to necessary (and doesn’t cost a lot) is a milk frother. You can buy a handheld one like I have, or a machine if you *really* want to up the game. I think the machine would work better than the handheld one, but – again – you don’t have to invest in everything now. This shouldn’t feel like you have to break the bank to make a great latte at home.

Here is the list of equipment that I have (and a few suggestions/other options)…

• Tea Kettle or upgrade to a Pour Over Kettle (highly recommended) 
• Coffee Grinder
• Handheld Milk Frother or upgrade to an Electric Milk Frother
• Milk Frothing Pitcher (not necessary, but nice to have)
• Coffee Pot or upgrade to something fancier 
• French Press
• Chemex with filters 
• Moka Pot
• Blender or Immersion Blender (yours don’t need to be nearly as fancy as these, but these are what I own)

How to Make a Dirty Chai Latte with a Coffee Pot

I started with this method because it’s by far the easiest way to make a Dirty Chai Latte, and you probably already have a coffee pot at home. These proportions make 6 cups of coffee, and then you can top each cup off chai-spiced coffee off with frothed milk. If you want less coffee or more coffee, feel free to adapt. You could also substitute the non-dairy barista blend with the Frothy Blender Mylk that I make for the French Press version.

EQUIPMENT

• coffee maker (see equipment list for suggestions)
• Coffee filters
• milk frothing pitcher (not required)
• milk frother (see equipment list for suggestions)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup whole bean coffee, ground to a medium-fine grind
• 6 cups water
• 1-2 tsp Simply Organic Chai Coffee Spice
• 1/4 cup non-dairy barista blend (I suggest using an oat-based blend)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add ground coffee beans and chai spices to the filter of your coffee pot.
2. Pour water into the back of the coffee maker, up to the 6 line.
3. Select brew and wait.
4. Once coffee is brewed, pour it into a mug filling about 2/3 of the way full.
5. In a milk frothing pitcher, or separate mug, add your non dairy barista blend, froth using your milk frother until foamy.
6. Pour milk into mug.
7. Drink up.

How to Make a Dirty Chai Latte with Cold Brew

Making cold brew is sort of like making tea. You essentially steep a lot of coffee beans into water overnight, and then dilute (or not) the mixture the next day before serving. It’s one of the easier ways to make a dirty chai latte, because it doesn’t involve a lot of special equipment.

When making this latte, I combine the whole thing in the blender and then serve it as is or over ice. This means you’ll be combining steeped cold brew with a bit of water, almond butter, and coconut butter to create a frothy latte. You can use either a blender or an immersion blender to do this.

EQUIPMENT

• pitcher
• cheesecloth
• rubberband
• blender or immersion blender (see equipment list for suggestions)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup whole bean coffee, finely ground
• 1 tbsp Simply Organic Chai Coffee Spice
• 5 cups water + 1/2 cup water
• 1 heaping tbsp almond butter (sub any nut butter)
• 1 heaping tbsp coconut butter

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Finely grind your coffee beans and place them in the center of a piece of cheesecloth.
2. Add chai spices to the beans.
3. Fold all four corners together and secure with a rubberband, essentially creating a tea bag.
4. Fill a pitcher with 5 cups of water. Submerge your coffee bag in the water.
5. Transfer to your refrigerator overnight.
6. In the morning, remove the bag and squeeze it to get any excess liquid out. Discard the bag.
7. Pour 1/2 cup of cold brew into a blender pitcher along with 1/2 cup water, 1 tbsp almond butter, and 1 tbsp coconut butter. Blend until smooth and frothy.
8. Serve as-is or over ice.
9. Drink up!

How to Make a Dirty Chai Latte with a French Press

French press is my go-to way to make coffee in the morning. I love the way it tastes and it makes the perfect amount for me and my roommate. A french press is a direct-contact form of brewing coffee, as opposed to a filter method. This means that a french press should be served immediately when it is ready, because if you leave it the beans will continue to steep – creating a really strong cup of coffee.

When making a french press, you only want to heat the water to 190-210 degrees Fahrenheit, which is just below boiling. Boiling water will burn the beans because of the direct contact. This is why I suggest getting a pour over kettle that has a built in thermometer on top. But if you don’t, simply bring a regular tea kettle to a boil, turn the heat off, and then let it sit for a 2-3 minutes before pouring over the coffee. This should bring it to just about the right temperature.

Some people will advise you to pour hot water into your empty french press, swirl it around, and pour it out before adding in the coffee beans, in order to “acclimate” the beans. I don’t do this step, but it is an option. However, I do “bloom” the beans, which means you’ll pour a small amount of water onto the beans, just enough to get them all wet, swirl it around and let it sit for 1 minute. For lack of more scientific terms, this “wakes up” the beans.

One final note on using/caring for your french press – you never want to use a metal spoon to stir or scoop out beans from your glass canister. This creates tiny little fractures to the glass and over time it will shatter. It happened to me, so you’ve been warned. I use a bamboo spoon now, but you could also use a chopstick.

EQUIPMENT

• french press
• wooden spoon or chopstick
• blender or immersion blender

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4-1/3 cup whole bean coffee, coarsely ground
• 1 tsp Simply Organic Chai Coffee Spice
• 4 cups + 1/2 cup water
• 1 heaping tbsp almond butter
• 1 heaping tbsp coconut butter

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat 4 cups water in a kettle until the temperature reaches 190-210 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. While the water is heating, grind your coffee beans and add them directly to the bottom of the french press canister.
3. Sprinkle chai spice over the beans.
4. When your water has reached optimal temperature, pour a small amount of water into the french press (just enough to get all of the beans wet.) Swirl around the beans a bit, and let sit for 1 minute.
5. After 1 minute, begin to slowly pour your water over the beans in a circular motion until you reach the top metal band of the french press.
6. Use a wooden spoon or chopstick to stir the beans. Add your lid onto the pot.
7. Let brew for 4 minutes.
8. After 4 minutes, use your hands to plunge the top of the french press, pushing the beans to the bottom and filtering your coffee.
9. Pour your coffee into a mug, about 1/2- 2/3 full.
10. In a blender canister, blend together 1/2 cup water, almond butter, and coconut butter. Blend on high for 30 seconds, or until smooth and frothy.
11. Pour over your french press coffee.
12. Drink up.

How to Make a Dirty Chai Latte with a Chemex

A chemex is just an apparatus to make a pour-over coffee. This method takes some patience, as you have to slowly pour the water over the beans and allow time for filtering. It’s methodical, and in the morning I find it to be a little like a meditation. So basically what I’m saying is that if you want something easy, pick a different method.

As with the french press, you only want to heat the water between 190-210 degrees Fahrenheit, so this method is made much easier with a pour over kettle!

With this method many people pour a little water into the filter first, before adding the beans to allow the filter to open up. I often omit this step, but you can do it either way.

EQUIPMENT

• chemex (see equipment list for suggestions)
• chemex fliter (see equipment list for suggestions)
• pour over kettle (see equipment list for suggestions)
• milk frother (see equipment list for suggestions)
• milk frothing pitcher (optional)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup whole bean coffee, medium ground
• 1-2 tsp Simply Organic Chai Coffee Spice
• water
• 1/4 cup non dairy barista blend

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat your water over medium-high heat until it reaches 190-210 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Open your chemex filter, so that there is a pocket. Position the filter so that the side with 3 layers faces the spout. (Watch video if this step doesn’t make sense.)
3. Meanwhile, grind your beans to a medium coarseness, and add to the filter along with the chai spice.
4. Once water has reached the optimal temperature, gently and slowly pour water into the middle of the beans in a circular motion – spiraling outward. Once water has touched all of the beans, let them sit for 1 minute.
5. Begin to very slowly pour the water in a circular spiral motion over the beans. Once the water has reached near the top of the filter, stop pouring and allow the water to filter. Add more water if necessary.
6. Remove filter, and pour coffee into a mug, filling it 2/3 full.
7. In a milk frothing pitcher or separate mug, froth your non dairy barista blend until frothy.
8. Pour over coffee.
9. Drink up.

How to Make a Dirty Chai Latte with a Moka Pot

After making my Awaken Spice Latte in the moka pot, I was reawakened to my love for the small and mighty apparatus. Now I’ve started to alternate this method with the french press for my morning coffee. If you don’t know, a moka pot is a stovetop method for making espresso. So this will be the only *true* latte made with espresso beans, although you could use espresso beans for all of the other methods as well. I love the moka because it’s fast, and creates really strong, delicious coffee. Plus a moka pot only costs about $20 as opposed to spending hundreds or thousands on an espresso machine!

EQUIPMENT

• moka pot
• milk frother
• milk frothing pitcher

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup espresso beans, finely ground
• 1/2 tsp Simply Organic Chai Coffee Spice
• water
• 1/3 cup non-dairy barista blend

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Unscrew the top of the moka pot from the bottom and remove the filter/funnel part from the bottom.
2. Fill the bottom part up with water until it touches the small metal knob (refer to video if confused.)
3. Place the filter/funnel part back on top of the water. Add chai spices to the filter and layer espresso grounds on top. Use the back of a spoon to tamp down the espresso beans, so they sit tightly in the filter.
4. Once full, screw on the top part of the moka pot.
5. Place it on your stove and heat over medium-high heat.
6. Soon you will hear the water boiling up and into the top part of the moka pot. Once you begin to hear this noise, turn off the heat, but keep it on the burner. Let it finish brewing.
7. Pour espresso into a mug, filling it halfway.
8. Froth your non dairy barista blend with a milk frother, and pour over espresso.
9. Drink up.