Iced Chai Tea Latte (Starbucks Copycat Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What does Starbucks put in their iced chai lattes? ›

What's included. Black tea infused with cinnamon, clove, and other warming spices are combined with milk and ice for the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.

Tazo Chai Concentrate (Starbucks brand)

This is the tea that Starbucks uses for its tea lattes and other beverages. Starbucks uses a special (and more concentrated) version of the Tazo Chai Concentrate that is not sold commercially.

Sugar and Spice: Appealing to Sweet Palates

The drink is often made with a base of heavily sweetened chai concentrate, combined with steamed milk and topped with foam and a sprinkle of cinnamon. This sweet and spicy combination caters to those with a penchant for sugary beverages, appealing to a wide range of tastes.

The traditional Starbucks chai tea latte is made with chai concentrate syrup, hot water, and steamed milk. The chai concentrate is the source of the sugar. You can always request a chai tea latte made with chai tea bags, no syrup. The only sugar in this would be from the milk.

While the Starbucks version may capture some of the aromatic essence of chai, it does not provide the complexity and depth of flavor found in traditional chai. The use of a standardized concentrate overlooks the variations in spice blends and preparation methods that contribute to the richness of authentic chai.

A Starbucks chai latte is made from milk, water, and a pre-sweetened chai tea concentrate. That's right, they actually water down the chai concentrate when they make the drink! I asked a Starbucks employee how they make their chai latte, and he confirmed that they add water to the chai.

The company was purchased by Starbucks in 1999 for $8.1 million. Starbucks opened the first Tazo-branded tea shop in November 2012. It closed a year later and was converted into a Teavana store. In November 2017, Starbucks sold Tazo to Unilever for $384 million.

Chai tea is a great source of antioxidants such as catechins and theaflavins. These fight oxidative stress and can play a role in preventing cancer and other conditions. Depending on how it's prepared, chai tea may also include: Calcium.

The critical difference between iced chai and iced chai latte is that the former is a tea-infused beverage without milk, while the latter combines tea with milk, usually steamed milk or foam. The type of chai used also varies, with some containing spices like cinnamon, cloves, and star anise.

Chai Tea vs Chai Latte – The difference

Chai tea is a loose-leaf style tea brewed in hot milk, usually with some honey or sugar to sweeten it up. While Chai lattes are often made with either a soluble powder or a syrup imitating a chai flavor. Chai latte is a lot sweeter than chai tea.

Why does Starbucks chai tea taste different? ›

This turns out to be what many coffee shops do, at Starbucks the chai is made from a concentrate of tea, spices, and sweeteners to which they add milk for each order. I think the biggest problem arises because they don't let the tea steep for long enough. The concentrate is made from weak tea.

The chai tea latte at Starbucks is made from the Tazo Chai Tea Latte concentrate. This product is available at supermarkets and online, and is mixed with milk to make a product not unlike what you have at Starbucks (minus the foam, as you pointed out).

The main contributors to the sugar content in chai tea lattes are the sweeteners added during preparation. Most people use sugar, honey, or flavored syrups, all of which add a significant amount of sugar.

You can mostly thank chai powder mixes for this sugar spike. They're crammed with sugar, so that a single small "chai latte" may contain 20 grams or four teaspoons of sugar. Add in extra syrups famous in some coffee stores and you can see how you might get yourself into a sweet mess.

Black tea infused with cinnamon, clove and other warming spices, combined with steamed milk and topped with foam for the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.

Traditionally, a Chai Latte is a blend of spicy chai tea concentrate and steamed milk. When you add a shot (or two) of espresso, it becomes "dirty," representing the bold addition of coffee to the equation. While undeniably delicious, ordering a Dirty Chai Tea Latte can be pricier due to the combined costs.

If you a craving a dirty chai (which is the black tea concentrate and steamed milk with shots of espresso added in), you could ask for a chai latte with two shots of espresso, which will roughly cost you $8.64 for a grande size — however, if you order a cafe latte with four pumps of chai syrup instead, you'll only pay ...

Simply put, a chai tea latte is a combination of tea and milk. Traditional chai tea lattes are made with black tea and hot milk (any kind of milk will suffice), but there are many other versions of this drink that include other toppings and spices, including: Adrak Chai: Tea, milk, and ginger.