The Best Chai Tea Latte

Chai lattes are my favorite fall beverage! Before I became vegan you could always find me cuddled up at my university's Starbucks with a venti chai latte and my greek translations. You should never try and conquer any foreign language with the appropriate beverage. Unfortunately, after becoming a vegan I realized that the chai concentrate Starbucks used had honey in it! What was an under-rested and overworked college vegan to do? A chai latte is the best of a espresso latte and an herbal tea. It keeps you focused and alert without causing you to bounce off the walls or caffeine crash, and it mellows you out without putting you to sleep. A warm mug with this stuff got me through any ancient text by Plato or, God forbid, Xenophon. Chai lattes were indeed necessary for my success academically and just in general. I just couldn't live without it! So I set off to create a vegan chai concentrate of my own and voila! This bad baby was born. This chai concentrate is perfect for lattes but it can also be used in baking as well to create other chai flavored treats!

Chai Concentrate
3 cups water
5 tea bags of chai tea
3 tsp agave
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar

1. Bring water to a boil in a small sauce pan and then reduce to medium heat
2. Add in all 5 tea bags (remove any strings that may be attached) into the water and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes
3. Remove the tea bags from the water and whisk in agave, vanilla, and brown sugar until dissolved
4. Store concentrate in refrigerator for up to two weeks

Chai Tea Latte (Makes one serving)
1 cup almond milk (for a lower calorie option use Almond Breeze's 30 calorie original variety)
2 tsp hazelnut syrup
3 tbsp chai concentrate

1. Heat almond milk until it begins to bubble - I usually put mine in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes. Froth if you desire
2. In a mug mix together chai concentrate and hazelnut syrup until well combined
3. Pour in heated almond milk to the mug. If you frothed your milk carefully hold back the foam with a large spoon as you pour the milk into the mug and then scoop out the foam at the end and place it on top

Serve warm with Christmas music and holiday cheer!