Learn · Your first cup
Homemade milk tea,
from your espresso machine.
Make homemade milk tea with chaura’s pre-ground, pre-portioned tea shots and the espresso machine already on your counter. Brew the tea, add your milk, then finish with ice and sweetness your way.
Homemade iced milk tea recipe
How do I make homemade milk tea with an espresso machine?
To make homemade milk tea with chaura, empty one pre-ground 6g tea shot into a compatible home espresso machine’s 1-cup basket. Pull about 140g of tea concentrate, add about 180g of milk, then ice and sweetener to taste. Stir and enjoy. chaura supplies the ground tea; you supply the machine, milk, ice, and sweetener.
chaura takes care of selecting, grinding, and portioning the tea. You brew the tea concentrate fresh, then choose your own milk and sweetness. Each sachet contains tea for brewing, not a ready-made milk tea mix.
One serving. Choose your tea and milk, then follow the four steps below.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Ground tea | 1 chaura tea shot (6g) |
| Tea shot yield | ~140g (~5 oz) |
| Milk | ~180g (~6.5 oz) |
| Ice & sweetener | To taste |
The ~140g tea shot is the liquid you extract from one 6g portion, not an extra ingredient. Use a scale for the tea shot and milk; the ounce amounts are approximate.
Make chaura milk tea in four steps
- 01
Load
Pour 1 tea shot into a 1-cup basket
Pour 1 tea shot (6g) into a 1-cup basket. Distribute the tea evenly and level the surface.
For easier cleanup, you can place a paper filter on top of the tea.
- 02
Pull
Pull ~140g (~5 oz) of tea shot
Place your cup on a scale beneath the portafilter and zero the scale. Start brewing and stop when you have about 140g of tea in your cup.
- 03
Build
Add ~180g (~6.5 oz) of milk, then ice & sweetener to taste
Add about 180g of milk to your tea, then add ice.
Start with one packet of sugar or one sachet of Splenda, and adjust to taste.
- 04
Enjoy
Stir. Sip. Enjoy~
Stir well to mix the tea, milk, and sweetener. Sip and enjoy.
Measure your concentrate by weight. We do not prescribe one extraction time, temperature, pressure, or tamp for every machine: your equipment and basket affect flow.
What is a tea shot?
In this guide, a tea shot is concentrated tea brewed by passing water through ground tea in an espresso machine’s portafilter. It is also called tea espresso. The ingredient being extracted is tea, not coffee; the concentrate becomes the base for milk tea. It is not ashotchu, which adds brewed coffee to iced tea.
chaura uses “tea shot” for both the dry 6g portion and the liquid it makes. Our recipe pulls approximately 140g of tea concentrate from one portion. That is a different serving size from a coffee espresso shot; do not use a coffee-shot volume as the target for this recipe.
| Drink | What it means here |
|---|---|
| Tea shot / tea espresso | Tea itself is extracted through the basket. chaura adds milk, then ice and sweetener to taste. |
| Coffee espresso | A shot extracted from ground coffee rather than tea. |
| Ashotchu | Iced tea with a coffee espresso shot added. The coffee and tea are brewed separately. |
| Green tea shot cocktail | An alcoholic drink name. This tea-shot recipe contains no alcohol. |
Can I make milk tea without an espresso machine?
Yes. You can steep tea and add milk. This guide is for people who already own a compatible espresso machine and want to brew the tea itself through a portafilter. Check the machine guidance before trying it.
Explore chaura’s eight teas for tea shots, or return to the milk tea recipe.
What you need
- A home espresso machine with a removable portafilter and 1-cup basket. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for permitted use.
- One 6g portion of pre-ground tea, a scale, and a collecting cup large enough for ~140g of tea shot.
- A serving cup with room for the tea shot, ~180g of milk, and ice. A spoon and your preferred sweetener.
chaura tea shots arrive ground and portioned. Open the sachet and empty the tea into the basket; the wrapper never goes into the machine. For a 100g refill, weigh a 6g portion.
Before you begin, start with a clean basket and prepare the machine according to its instructions. Put the collecting cup on a scale and tare it before brewing.
Our first stock is in preparation. Kits and refills are not available to order yet; this guide shares our current brewing method.
Which tea makes your kind of milk tea?
The tea is where the flavor begins. These are three different places to start; use the same base recipe to explore them.
Milk and sweetness are yours to choose.
Use the milk you enjoy, whether dairy or a plant-based alternative. Different milks change the texture and how much tea aroma comes through, so keep the tea and concentrate weights the same when comparing them.
Add ~180g (~6.5 oz) of your chosen milk to the tea shot, then ice and sweetener to taste. Stir, sip, and adjust the sweetness if you like.
This is an iced milk tea recipe, without tapioca pearls. If you want bubble tea, pearls are a separate ingredient; prepare them according to their package instructions.
Will it work with your espresso machine?
The core tea-shot workflow has been repeated across around ten home espresso machines in founder-and-friends testing. That gives us a starting point, not a promise that every machine or each of the eight teas behaves identically.
You need a removable portafilter and basket you can empty and rinse. A dedicated tea portafilter is not a requirement, but a removable basket alone does not establish compatibility. Check your machine’s instructions; this recipe is not designed for a sealed capsule system or a super-automatic’s bean hopper.
Good flow starts with a clean basket.
After each cup, follow the machine’s pressure-release instructions before removing the portafilter. Empty the spent tea promptly, rinse the basket, and clean the group area according to the manufacturer’s routine. Tea can leave fine residue; cleanup is part of the process.
If flow slows sharply or stops, stop extraction. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for safe pressure release before opening or cleaning anything. Do not keep running a blocked basket.
There is no need to grind chaura shots yourself. If you experiment with whole leaves, check the grinder’s permitted materials first—do not assume a coffee-only grinder is suitable for tea.
Homemade milk tea questions
How do I make homemade milk tea with an espresso machine?
To make homemade milk tea with chaura, empty one pre-ground 6g tea shot into a compatible home espresso machine’s 1-cup basket. Pull about 140g of tea concentrate, add about 180g of milk, then ice and sweetener to taste. Stir and enjoy. chaura supplies the ground tea; you supply the machine, milk, ice, and sweetener.
Do I need to grind or weigh chaura tea shots?
Individually portioned chaura tea shots are already ground and measured at 6g. Open one sachet and empty the tea into the basket. For a 100g refill, weigh a 6g portion. You still use a scale to measure the extracted tea and milk.
Does chaura milk tea contain coffee?
The chaura recipe extracts ground tea, not coffee. Combine the tea concentrate with milk, then ice and sweetener to taste. No coffee is added in this recipe.
How much tea do you put in an espresso machine?
Use one 6g chaura tea portion for one milk tea. 01 Load: Pour 1 tea shot into a 1-cup basket · 02 Pull: Pull ~140g (~5 oz) of tea shot · 03 Build: Add ~180g (~6.5 oz) of milk, then ice & sweetener to taste · 04 Enjoy: Stir. Sip. Enjoy~
Should I grind tea in a coffee grinder?
chaura shots arrive already ground and portioned, so no grinding is needed. If you experiment with whole leaves, check your grinder’s permitted materials first; do not assume a coffee-only grinder is suitable for tea.
Will tea clog my espresso machine?
Fine tea particles can obstruct flow or remain in the basket and group area. If flow slows sharply or stops, stop extraction and follow your machine’s pressure-release instructions before opening or cleaning anything. Empty and rinse the basket after each shot.
Is tea espresso the same as steeping?
Steeping infuses leaves in a vessel of water. A tea shot passes hot water through tea in a portafilter, then you add milk, followed by ice and sweetener to taste. chaura measures the liquid yield rather than prescribing one extraction time for every machine. The goal is a concentrate that still tastes like tea after milk.
Do I need to dial in the flow like espresso?
You don’t need to chase a specific flow rate. Focus on collecting about 140g of tea in your cup rather than matching a particular shot time.
How do you sweeten yours?
We usually add one sachet of Splenda per cup. That’s our go-to, but you can use your preferred sweetener and adjust to taste.
Which basket should I use?
Both pressurized and non-pressurized 1-cup baskets have worked well in our testing. Start with the one you already have.
What is a tea shot?
A tea shot is concentrated tea extracted through an espresso machine. chaura portions real ground tea at 6g: pour one portion into a 1-cup basket, pull ~140g (~5 oz) of tea shot, and add ~180g (~6.5 oz) of milk, then ice and sweetener to taste. Stir. Sip. Enjoy~ It is not instant tea, a pod, or a coffee shot poured into iced tea.
Can you brew tea in an espresso machine?
Tea extraction has worked in our founder-and-friends testing across around ten home machines. A removable portafilter and basket are necessary, but do not establish compatibility on their own; check your machine’s instructions. chaura’s recipe uses one 6g portion in a 1-cup basket to pull ~140g (~5 oz) of tea shot. Follow the machine’s pressure-release and cleaning routine after brewing.
Is this the same as ashotchu?
No. Ashotchu is sweet iced tea with a coffee espresso shot poured on top. A chaura tea shot extracts the tea itself through the espresso machine—there is no coffee in the cup unless you add it.
Do I need a special tea portafilter?
chaura is built for a standard home espresso portafilter and basket, not a separate teapresso machine. Dedicated tea baskets exist; we have not made them a requirement. You still need a removable portafilter and basket, and flow can vary by machine.
Will it work with my espresso machine?
The core workflow has been repeated across around ten home espresso machines in founder-and-friends testing. You need a removable portafilter and basket; exact flow still varies by machine and basket.