Should I crush the spice for Chai Tea Latte?

The way we make Chai in India ( there are lots of variants of the spice mix) is to use the spices whole while brewing the tea and to strain the tea before drinking.

Though for cardomom you should crush it to release the flavor. I would suggest using your hand or the broad side of your knife blade.

If you decide to use ginger, it might be a good idea to grate it to increase the surface area so that the flavor is absorbed quicker. (Ginger chai is really good in winter :))

I can't speak for science, or the "right" way to do this, but I've always just thrown whole spices right into my tea. You should probably strain it before you drink it, though.

I used to do it by throwing handfuls of whole spices into the mix, but I've tried it by grinding it all to powder first in a coffee mill, and the taste is A LOT stronger if you grind everything before steeping it. It also tastes a lot better if you use half and half rather than milk, although that's less healthy. Whole milk would probably also serve that purpose. Grinding also allows you to use less spices, in case convenience or cost are considerations. My recipe calls for using allspice, anise, a bay leaf, peppercorns, and nutmeg (along with the spices your recipe uses). I've never had Starbucks version, or any other company's version, so I have no idea what it's "supposed" to taste like. I do know that all of these spices are antioxidants. I also sweeten mine with either liquid or powdered honey. Since Walmart sells giant tins of the powdered stuff, that's usually what I'll use. I also know that I've never come across any tea bags that come anywhere near the flavor you get from making this from scratch. All of the so-called chai teabags I've ever used basically just taste like weakly flavored black tea.