In a large saucepan, roast black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise over a very low heat for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Remove spices from saucepan and leave them to cool.
Once cool, grind the roasted spices in a coffee or spice grinder till a coarse powder is achieved (it doesn't need to be perfectly ground).
In a large saucepan, combine water, ground spices and ginger. Stir well and bring to a very gentle simmer. Cover the saucepan with a lid and let the ingredients continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove the lid and add your loose black tea into the pot. Turn heat off, stir and allow the tea to sit for 10 minutes to infuse. Once infused, strain the warm liquid into another saucepan. Use a fine meshed sieve so that none of the spices filter through.
Add sugar to strained liquid and then put on the heat and bring to a simmer. Let simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes or until the syrup has thickened ever so slightly. Immediately pour into sterilized bottles to cool.
To make a chai latte
For a warm Chai Latte, combine 1 part syrup to 2 parts almond milk and heat on the stove till warm. If drinking cold, simply pour 1 part cold syrup into 2 parts chilled almond milk. Stir and enjoy.
Notes
TO STORE: You must store your syrup in sterilized glasses, to ensure there is no cross-contamination. Keep the syrup in the refrigerator and it will remain fresh for up to 2 weeks.