Middle Eastern Karak Tea

5 from 1 vote

Learn how to make karak tea, a rich & creamy Middle Eastern milk tea made with black tea, cardamom, & milk, also known as karak chai.

Cook Time16

Total Time16

Course: Breakfast, Drinks

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings: Servings

Calories: 80kcal

Add loose black tea, crushed cardamom pods, ginger slices, and saffron to a medium saucepan or a Middle Eastern teapot. Cover with 2 cups of water, bring mixture to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar and evaporated milk and stir to dissolve sugar. Simmer, covered, for an additional 10 minutes, then strain. Pour into tea cups and enjoy!

For a single cup, place a fine-mesh tea strainer over your mug and pour the hot karak tea directly through it. This method keeps spices like cardamom pods and tea leaves out of your cup while preserving the bold, creamy flavor.
If you're serving a full teapot, strain the entire batch through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean teapot before serving. This stops the tea from oversteeping, prevents bitterness, and ensures every cup tastes smooth and perfectly balanced.

Brewing the tea in water first allows the leaves to fully extract, creating the bold flavor that defines karak tea before milk and sugar are added.
Be sure to use strong black tea. Assam is another great option.
Evaporated milk is commonly served with tea in the Middle East. It gives karak chai that signature thick texture.
Karak is meant to be slightly sweet. It's easier to add more sugar than to fix overdoing it.
My chai cups are tiny, so I got 4 servings. If you serve it in 8-ounce cups, you'll get 2 servings.
Store leftover karak tea in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze in ice cube trays and add to iced tea.