In a medium saucepan, add 2 cups water, cloves, crushed cardamom pods, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, sliced ginger, and star anise (if using). Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.

Simmer

Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes to extract flavors. If the liquid reduces too much, add up to 1 additional cup water during simmering to maintain volume and concentration.

Add tea

Add the black tea leaves (or tea bags) to the simmering spice infusion. Remove from heat and let steep for 4–5 minutes (5–7 minutes for stronger tea).

Sweeten

Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof container, pressing on the solids to extract liquid. Discard solids. While still warm, stir in the granulated sugar until dissolved. Taste and adjust sweetness — add up to 1 more tablespoon if you prefer sweeter concentrate.

Cool

Allow the chai concentrate to cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or up to 3 days). You can accelerate by placing the container in an ice bath.

Milk & Assembly (per 1 serving)

Prepare glass

Fill a tall glass with 1 cup ice cubes.

Pour concentrate

Pour 1 cup chilled chai concentrate over the ice. If your concentrate is very strong or not sweetened enough, adjust amount to taste (usually a 1:1 ratio concentrate to milk works well).

Add milk and flavor

Pour 1 cup chilled milk over the concentrate. Add 1/4 tsp vanilla extract and/or 1 tablespoon simple syrup or additional sweetener if desired. Stir gently to combine until a uniform pale tan color is achieved.

Garnish and serve

Taste and adjust sweetness. Dust lightly with 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon if desired. Serve immediately with a straw.