Homemade chai latte and caramel latte

Until last week, I didn't realise it was so easy to make cafe-esque hot drinks at home. I suspect I'm behind the times and everyone else has been chai latteing and caramel latteing in their kitchen for years. I don't have a coffee maker, but it turns out you don't need one to turn a cup of tea or coffee into something special.

I actually gave up milk in my coffee a few months ago, finding that I quite liked it black and very much liked the convenience of not needing specialist milk at work. Recently, though, autumn weather has made all hot drinks appealing and the (non dairy) milk varieties have drawn me back in.

Home made chai latte

If you have never made a chai latte at home, I hope this post can inspire you to do so. It is so simple. As shown above, I favour a teapot approach, with a 1:2 ratio of warm milk and hot water added to chai tea leaves or a tea bag. If you prefer your milk drinks milky, you might like a 1:1 ratio of milk to water instead.

I have been using sweetened hazelnut milk in my drinks, which I find works particularly well. However, any milk variety could be used. If you like flavoured types, vanilla almond or vanilla soy would be a nice touch. Angela's homemade caramel vanilla bean hazelnut milk would be amazing. If you do use an unsweetened option, simply sweeten the chai latte to taste.

Once your chai tea has brewed, pour a cup, add an extra sprinkle of cinnamon if you desire, and enjoy. If you're like me, you won't miss the excess sweetener and artificial chai flavours that commercial cafes sometimes use.

Coffee comfort in a cup

As for the caramel latte, that does involve some artificial flavours, but far fewer than you'll get at your local chain coffee store. I found caramel essence at the supermarket recently (in the same section that you buy vanilla extract and other baking supplies), and bought it on a whim. I then didn't know what to do with it. It turns out that a few drops in coffee will bring cafe culture home. My versions have been as simple as you can possibly get: instant coffee (yes, I admit it...) in about 1/3 cup warm milk and 2/3 cup hot water, with the caramel essence stirred in at the end.

One of these drinks plus a book...I tell you, it is perfection.

What sorts of drinks do you favour during the cooler months?

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