My first novel written and published was Lattes with Starlight, an urban fantasy romance. The main character, Cassie, is a talented barista (among many other things) who opens up a cafe in Japan. Throughout the story she creates enchanted drinks for her customers, using their own nostalgia and memories to elicit feelings from them.
As I wrote my novel, I did a great deal of research into different kinds of drinks from simple milk tea to the more elaborate chai hot chocolate. I even went down a rabbit hole of research into the history of coffee, how it was prepared in ancient times and how it is still prepared today in countries like Yemen and Lebanon.
The more I learned, the more I was curious about how each drink would taste and the process of making them. I found myself buying bags full of ingredients, experimenting with different ideas, adding spices or honey. It was quite a lot of fun.
In one of the scenes, Cassie tells Akira, the man she has a crush on, about her newest recipe: a chai hot chocolate. She invites him to stop by the cafe when he has time to try it which prompts a romantic moment between the two. So today I’d love to share what I’ve learned and tried with you here.
Chai Hot Chocolate
I love hot chocolate. It’s rich, creamy and warms us up on a cold winter’s day. Chai feels even more wholesome and nostalgic, the spices sparking to life and chasing away the winter chill. Together, they make an absolutely delightful (and addicting) drink.
In truth, I was shopping at Seijo Ishi, a popular supermarket here in Japan, when I found chocolate flavored with chai spices. It was this combination that inspired me into wanting to make hot chocolate with them. I immediately went home, devoured half the bag, and used the other half to whip up what has become my favorite drink of all time.
I’ll add a link to a bag on Amazon that you might be interested in trying for yourself.
Chai Chocolate Hot Chocolate for One
For this you need the specific brand I mentioned. If you don’t have access to it, then skipped to the next recipe. Or use a different chai flavored chocolate if you can find it.
- One coffee mug
- 2 ounces (50g) chai chocolate
- 1 tbsp (7g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (I recommend 70%)
- 1 tbsp (15g) Sugar
- 1/2 tbsp (5g) Cornstarch for thickening*
- 1 cup (240ml) Milk
- Pinch of Salt
- Chop up the chocolate into smaller, finer pieces so that it’ll melt easier.
- Add the cocoa powder, sugar, cornstarch and salt to a pot. Mix the dry ingredients together. Slowly pour in the cold milk to make a creamy mixture.
- Heat the mixture on the stove and bring it to a gentle simmer, stirring often to prevent burning. It will slowly begin to thicken as the heat increases.
- Once it’s thickened up, add in your bits of chopped chai chocolate chunks and melt them.
This can be topped off with a dallop of whip cream and a dusting of cinnamon.
*Cornstarch is optional but it does help thicken things up and make it creamier
Quick Drink for Two
The easiest (can be done in a microwave) method for making a chai hot chocolate is as follows:
- Two coffee mugs
- 1 1/2 cups (354 ml) of chai concentrate (Tazo Chai is my favorite brand to use but you can of course use your favorite or whatever you can get your hands on)
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) of milk
- 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer a 70% cocao mix)
- You can either heat the chai concentrate and milk on the stove or in the microwave. Since I’m usually in a rush, I tend to use the microwave. If you do use the microwave, heat up the mixture slowly as you don’t want the milk to thicken on the surface.
- If you’re using the stove, put the tablespoons of cocoa powder into each mug and slowly pour over the chai mixture. If you’re using the microwave, add the tablespoons of cocoa slowly to your mug of heated chai.
This can be topped off with a dallop of whip cream and a dusting of cinnamon.
Spiced Chai Hot Chocolate
However, if you want to make it more from scratch and you don’t mind gathering up all the spices, follow the recipe below. This takes time and needs some patience so don’t rush the process.
- Two coffee mugs
- 1 1/2 cups (354 ml) of milk
- 1/4 cup (59ml) of cream (half and half is also good)
- 1 bag of your favorite black tea
- 1 star anise
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- ¼ teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoons ground cardamom
- 2 cloves
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer 70% mix)
- ¾ ounce (24 g) dark chocolate
- 2 teaspoons of honey
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Bring the milk and cream to a gentle boil on the stove.
- Remove from the heat and add 1 tea bag and the star anise. Let this rest for ten or more minutes to infuse the milk with flavor.
- Chop up your favorite dark chocolate into smaller pieces. If you have dark chocolate, buy a good brand and it will become more delicious once its finished cooking.
- Remove the tea bag leaving in the star anise. Add cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, cocoa powder, chopped dark chocolate, pinch of salt, and honey.
- Return the pot to the stove and keep the heat low, stirring often to prevent burning.
- Once the milk begins to steam, stir in the vanilla and give it a final stir.
This can be topped off with a dallop of whip cream and a dusting of cinnamon.
Closing Thoughts
I would love to share more about my ‘research’ into different teas and coffees so I’ll likely make a few more posts like this in the future.
If you try this recipe, leave a comment and let me know how it goes! If you have questions, I can answer them to the best of my abilities.
Until next time, stay safe~
a.t.kumagai
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