Toast the Spices: Place a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, star anise, and black peppercorns. Toast them in the dry pan for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become highly fragrant. This step is crucial for waking up the flavours.

Create the Syrup Base: Pour the 750ml of water into the saucepan with the toasted spices. Add the sliced ginger and the light brown sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.

Simmer and Infuse: Let the mixture simmer gently for 15 minutes. This allows the spices and ginger to fully infuse the water, creating a rich, aromatic base for your concentrate. The liquid will reduce slightly.

Steep the Tea: Turn off the heat completely. Add the 6 black tea bags to the saucepan, ensuring they are fully submerged. Let them steep for exactly 5 minutes. I find that any longer can introduce a bitter taste, so I always use a timer for this step.

Strain the Concentrate: Carefully remove the tea bags, giving them a gentle squeeze. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large heatproof jug or bowl and pour the spiced liquid through it to catch all the spices and ginger slices.

Chill Thoroughly: Allow the chai concentrate to cool to room temperature, then transfer it to the refrigerator to chill completely for at least 1 hour, or until cold. For a quicker chill, you can place the jug in a bowl of ice water.

Assemble Your Iced Chai Latte: To serve, fill four tall glasses with a generous amount of ice. Pour the chilled chai concentrate into each glass until it is about half full.

Add Milk and Serve: Top up each glass with your cold milk of choice. Give it a good stir to combine the concentrate and the milk, and serve immediately.