Shadowing Practice: Chai Latte Recipe (Better than Starbucks!) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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When I worked as a barista in a coffee shop years ago, one of the easiest drinks to make was a chai latte.
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That's because we didn't have to worry about pulling a perfect espresso shot.
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All you had to do was steam the milk
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and then add some concentrate from a box that we had sitting on the counter.
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That box could sit on the counter without being refrigerated for weeks because it had so much sugar in it.
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Luckily, I figured out a way to make a chai latte at home
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that tastes just as delicious as the coffee shop version and my recipe doesn't call for any refined sugar.
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Here's what you'll need to make it.
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Your favorite milk, a box of plain black tea bags, pure maple syrup for sweetness,
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and a few pantry spices like ground cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and cloves.
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To get started, boil some water and place two black tea bags in a measuring cup.
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I like to prepare two servings at a time but you can cut this recipe in half if you need to.
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Pour one cup of boiling water over these tea bags
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and let them steep for a few minutes while you work on your chai latte mix.
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In a small saucepan, combine one and a half cups of milk, one teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a half teaspoon of ground ginger,
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and an eighth teaspoon each of cardamom and ground cloves.
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Transfer this to the stove top over medium -high heat.
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Then use a whisk to stir the spices into the milk as it starts to warm up.
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As soon as you see the milk start to bubble around the edges of the pan like this, turn off the heat.
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Now that the tea has had a chance to steep for a few minutes, remove the tea bags and pour the brewed tea into the sauce pan with the milk and spices.
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For sweetness, add three tablespoons of maple syrup.
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Give that a stir and carefully taste it to make sure you're happy with the flavor and the temperature.
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You can let it simmer a few minutes longer
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if you'd like it to be warmer and
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if you want it to be spicier you can add another pinch of cloves or ginger.
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Once you're happy with the flavor you're going to want to strain out some of those extra spices.
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I'm going to arrange a fine mesh strainer like this over my silicone measuring cup
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because this is going to make it easier to serve the chai latte into individual mugs.
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I've learned over the years that i'm not great at pouring directly from my saucepan
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so this is going to help me avoid a mess
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this homemade chai latte tastes
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so delicious i can't imagine getting a better one at a
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coffee shop plus this is way cheaper to make at home now this step is optional
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but i'm going to add a little foamed milk on top
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to make it look like it came from a coffee shop
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add a little cinnamon and it's ready to serve
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if you don't plan on using both servings right away you can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
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This will separate overnight, but you can shake it the next day to make it look creamy again.
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This can be reheated or served over ice for a chilled version.
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And if you enjoy this recipe, be sure to check out my other videos here for more healthier ideas.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 40 sentences and 591 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:08. The speaker talks fast, about 189 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 75% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| spice noun | /spaɪs/ | Aromatic or pungent plant matter (usually dried) used to season or flavor food. |
| recipe noun | /ˈɹɛs.ɪ.pi/ | Any set of instructions for preparing a mixture of ingredients. |
| pour verb | /poɹ/ | To cause (liquid, or liquid-like substance) to flow in a stream, either out of a container or into it. |
| ginger noun | /ˈd͡ʒɪnd͡ʒɚ/ | The pungent aromatic rhizome of a tropical Asian herb, Zingiber officinale, used as a spice and as a stimulant and acarminative. |
| cinnamon noun | /ˈsɪnəmən/ | A small evergreen tree native to Sri Lanka and southern India, Cinnamomum verum or Cinnamomum zeylanicum, belonging to the family Lauraceae. |
| delicious adjective | /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/ | Pleasing to the sense of taste; tasty. |
| flavor noun | /ˈfleɪvə/ | The quality produced by the sensation of taste or, especially, of taste and smell in combined effect. |
| steep adjective | /stiːp/ | Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward or downward at an angle approaching vertical. |
| stir verb | /stɝ/ | To disturb the relative position of the particles (of a liquid or similar) by passing an object through it. |
| maple noun | /ˈmeɪpl̩/ | Any member of any species of genus Acer, characterized by (usually) palmate, five-lobed leaves and winged seeds, and often grown for syrup or wood |
| boil verb | /bɔɪ(ə)l/ | To heat to the point where it begins to turn into a gas. |
| syrup noun | /ˈsɪɹ.əp/ | Any thick liquid that has a high sugar content and which is added to or poured over food as a flavoring. |
| carefully adverb | /ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/ | With care; attentively, circumspectly. |
| plain noun | /pleɪn/ | An expanse of land with relatively low relief and few trees, especially a grassy expanse. |
| shake verb | /ˈʃeɪk/ | To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. | |
| turn off verb | To power down, to switch off, to put out of operation, to deactivate (an appliance, light, mechanism, functionality etc.). | |
| warm up verb | /ˌwɔː(ɹ)m ˈʌp/ | To become warmer. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 13 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/, optional /ˈɑp.ʃə.nəl/, mesh /mɛʃ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like spice, recipe, pour.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has had · I've learned |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | being refrigerated · can be reheated |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.