Tea shots for home espresso machines
Your espresso machine has a new job.
Eight teas we love, ground and portioned for your espresso machine. Brew a tea shot, add your favorite milk, and make a little room in your day.
Tea, ready to brewSelected, ground and portioned by us.
Your first order ships freeU.S. Standard shipping. See details
A real team to helpQuestions before your first cup? Ask us.
The first collection · Preorder
Start with three, explore five more, or taste all eight.
Every tea comes twice. Make a cup, then make it yours.
30% off tasting kits with FIRSTCUP30 at checkout.
Free U.S. Standard shipping on your first order.
3 teas · 6 cupsTwo 6g sachets of each tea
Fresh jasmine, deep roast, and honeyed florals. Explore Jasmine Green, Da Hong Pao, and Phoenix Dan Cong, with two shots of each.
Expected U.S. dispatch from Dec 1, 2026
5 teas · 10 cupsTwo 6g sachets of each tea
From soft, creamy oolong to malty black tea and roasted depth. Explore Jin Xuan, Jasmine Silver Needle, Ceylon, Keemun, and Roasted Tie Guan Yin, with two shots of each.
Expected U.S. dispatch from Dec 1, 2026
Tea only; bring your espresso machine and milk. Payment is collected in full at checkout. Check your setup · Shipping & returns
Explore all eight teas & find your kit →How it works · open a step for more
A tea shot is real ground tea brewed through your espresso machine. We choose the tea and its grind; you make it your kind of milk tea.
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.
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.
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.
Stir. Sip. Enjoy~
Stir well to mix the tea, milk, and sweetener. Sip and enjoy.
You’ll need a compatible espresso machine, a 1-cup basket and a scale. Check your setup →
The homemade milk tea guideWhy these teas?
We sourced and tasted each of these eight teas, choosing them for how well they pair with milk. They’re the teas we drink every day—and the ones we want to share with you.
Each tea has its own grind setting, chosen through testing and tasting. Your sachets arrive ground and measured, so you can spend less time preparing and more time finding what you love.
Meet the idea behind chaura →Meet the eight
Floral, roasted, malty, or a little of each. Follow your taste.
Floral · Bright · Refreshing
Milky · Floral · Smooth
Malty · Baked sweet potato · Cocoa
Honeyed orchid · Ripe fruit · Floral
Deep roast · Cocoa · Mineral
Bold · Full body · Lively
Toasted macadamia · Caramel · Honey
Rich Floral · Sweet · Lingering
Tasting notes describe aroma and flavor, not added ingredients. All eight are available across our two tasting kits. 100g refills are coming later.
Our story
What if the machine that makes our morning espresso could make our afternoon milk tea, too?
We started with teas from market shelves. Some cups were weak, some bitter, and some left too many fine particles behind. So we went looking for better tea—and a better way to portion it.
That search became eight teas selected for what you taste after milk, not just what sounds good on a label.
From a market shelf to friends’ kitchensFriends’ kitchens
Friends repeated the core workflow on around ten different home espresso machines. Flow still varies by machine and basket; this isn’t a guarantee for every setup.
Check your setupA few good questions
Start with the basics. Our full guide covers the recipe, equipment, and cleanup.
Learn how to make milk teaYou 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.
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.
Both pressurized and non-pressurized 1-cup baskets have worked well in our testing. Start with the one you already have.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Neither. Each shot is real ground tea, pre-portioned at 6g for concentrated extraction in an espresso basket.
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.
Individually portioned tea shots only. Your espresso machine, portafilter, basket, milk, ice and sweetener are not included.
That is the point of the eight-tea edit. We chose profiles that stay distinct in a concentrated shot—from fresh jasmine and silky Jin Xuan to roasted oolong and round black tea.
Knock out the tea promptly, then rinse the basket and group area. Ground tea can leave fine residue, so a quick rinse after every shot is part of the routine.
Founder’s Kit is $12.95 and Explorer’s Kit is $22.95. 100g refills are $16.95 Core, $21.95 Signature, and $29.95 Select. Both kits together are $35.90. These are regular prices; valid discount codes are applied at checkout. Use FIRSTCUP30 for 30% off tasting kits; 100g refills are excluded. Kit preorders are open. First-batch kits are expected to begin shipping from the U.S. on December 1, 2026; delivery time is additional.
