I think I’ve been honest about my love for chai. From the dirty chai round-up to my recent Instagram post with the chai I’m trying next, I’m in a long-term relationship with chai and we’re not breaking up anytime soon!
One of my favorite chai tea lattes is from Starbucks. It’s a flavorful, creamy, frothy, delicious masterpiece that I never get sick of.
Today, we are going to deep dive into all the details of the Starbucks chai tea latte. Make sure to stick around to the end, though, because I’m going to unveil our next taste test round-up and it’s going to be good. God, I love my job.
What’s In The Starbucks Chai Tea Latte:
The Starbucks chai tea latte uses a base of a chai tea concentrate that has the traditional chai spices:
- Cardamom
- Black Pepper
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Star Anise
These, combined with strong black team, create the orchestra of flavors known as chai. But, know that chai is easily customizable, so each coffeehouse has their own take on the chai – with Peet’s being on the spicier side and Starbucks having a more cinnamony and less kicky chai.
The flavor is sort of like pumpkin pie without the pumpkin – it’s warm and comforting and tasty.
For the chai tea latte, this concentrate is mixed with your choice of milk (I like oatmilk) and then ice is added (or not if it’s hot) and voila! Deliciousness is served.
Sometimes, they shake it in the shaker – and that’s when it’s the best ever – because it gives it some froth. Y’all know we are all about the froth here at WTF.
We have noticed that the depth of color is different based on milk choice. Here’s a picture of one with regular milk. Notice it’s lighter in color. Also, I drank some before we took pictures. Sue me.
So, you can see that milk choice not only effects taste but color. I find the oatmilk brings out the flavors even more.
Starbucks Chai Tea Latte Concentrate:
Curious what Starbucks uses as their base? They use an ultra concentrated version of this Tazo Chai Concentrate. When you use this concentrate at home, mix it with milk or a milk substitute at a ratio of 1/2 cup to 1/2 cup or 1:1. (Starbucks also adds water to dilute it, but you won’t have to with the store bought version.)
There are also some great recipes where you can make your own concentrate from scratch – which requires buying all of the spices. This sounds delicious, but I simply don’t have the time, so we’ve been taste testing chai concentrates and will be bringing that round-up to you very soon! So far, the Tazo is our favorite, because it has the same flavor profile as Starbucks chai tea lattes, but we want to try a few before making our final decision.
Just look at the one we are trying right now:
#YUM
How Many Calories Are In a Starbucks Chai Tea Latte?
For a grande Starbucks chai tea latte, you’re looking at approximately 240 calories. This can change based on the type of milk you select, as well as how many pumps of syrup you choose. One great way you can find out exactly what the nutritional facts are for the way you order your chai tea is by using the Starbucks calculator.
Is There Caffeine in the Starbucks Chai Tea Latte?
Sure is! We are caffeine positive here at WTF. A grande Starbucks chai or a 16oz version made at home has 95mg of caffeine. Woohoo!
Are Starbucks Chai Tea Lattes Healthy?
Chai is known for having some health benefits, thanks to the spices that give it its unique flavor. But, the way it’s mixed for lattes can have a pretty high sugar content. For example, the way we order it has 42g of sugar. This is definitely not ideal.
If you’d like to make your chai healthier, consider making it at home where you can add less sugar or use a sugar substitute to sweeten.
What Is a Dirty Chai Tea Latte?
We thought you’d never ask! We love dirty chais here at WTF. They are made exactly like a chai latte, just with an added espresso shot or two. This does change the flavor profile a bit, which is why we did a dirty chai taste test that compares dirty chais from Starbucks, Peet’s and Dutch Bros. Read it here.
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Are you a fan of chai lattes? Hot or cold, we think they are delicious. And, we are excited to start testing chai concentrates to find the very best ones to round up and share with you here.
Thanks for reading. Until next time…
Get roasted,
A
