What is in a chai latte Starbucks? (how to order, How to make chai latte + more FAQs)
If you are a sweet tooth, you will definitely fall in love with Starbucks chai latte. However, you might wonder, what is in a chai latte at Starbucks? Read on to find out.
Starbucks uses mainly milk and chai concentrate to make its chai latte instead of the widely used chai leaves. This popular drink is spicy and sweet hence making it a favorite of many Starbucks lovers. Furthermore, the chai latte can be served both iced and hot, hence you can order it anytime and customize it to fit your preferences.
I am a big fan of the Starbucks chai latte due to its exceptional taste that almost feels like brewed chai masala. My best friend introduced me to this drink, and let’s just say it is on top of my Starbucks go-to drinks. Therefore, if you are thinking of trying out this drink or making it at home, I prepared this article to help you through it.
Table of Contents
What is in a Starbucks chai latte (ingredients?)
Unlike many chai lattes that are made from chai leaves, Starbucks uses chai tea latte concentrate and milk to make its Starbucks chai latte. The chai tea latte concentrate has cloves, cinnamon, and black tea, among other spices. Additionally, tea incorporated in this concentrate is extracted from premium micro-ground whole tea leaves. Starbucks sources these tea leaves from Sri Lanka, Kenya, and India.
Consequently, the chai latte contains spices like star anise, cardamom, ginger, and black pepper. The syrup that is served with this drink contains honey, ginger juice, vanilla, sugar, and other natural flavors added to it. The final product of the chai latte has an exceptional smell due to cloves and cinnamon included in the making of the drink.
As mentioned above, you can either order the hot or iced Starbucks chai latte. If you want your chai latte iced, the barista will mix cold milk, chai syrup, and ice when making your beverage. The barista will then top your drink and add your preferred spices to it according to your specifications. On the other hand, for a hot chai latte, the barista will use steamed milk and hot water instead.
Additionally, iced chai latte has a unique taste from the hot version of chai latte. Iced chai latter achieves its distinct drink mainly from shaking chai concentrate with ice and cold mile. This makes this spicy drink perfect for someone with a sweet tooth or even during a hot day.
Can you make a Starbucks chai latte at home?
Yes, you can make your version of Starbucks chai latte at home . As mentioned above, most chai lattes are made of black tea, milk, water, and chai spices like black pepper, cloves, cardamom, star anise, ginger, and cinnamon. You can also customize your chai latte with additional flavors to achieve the taste you want.
Making a Starbucks chai latte at home will only require you a few minutes. The ingredients include honey, chai tea bags, water, milk, nutmeg, and cinnamon for toppings. To prepare our chai latte at home, boil a half cup of water in a saucepan and add two chai tea bags in it. Steep the mixture for 7 to 10 minutes.
Reduce your heat to medium and 2 tablespoons of honey and one and a half cups of milk into your water mixed with chai tea bags. Blend your mixture until it is frothy using either an immersion blender or a frother. At this point, you are basically done with preparing your chai latte. Transfer it into a glass and serve with nutmeg and cinnamon sprinkles for garnish.
How much caffeine is in a Starbucks chai latte?
Starbucks chai latte has a low caffeine content of 95mg. A 12-ounce of this beverage has an average caffeine content of 65 mg. This is quite low compared to other beverages offered at Starbucks like Caffe late which has 95mg. Chai latte mainly gets its caffeine content from black tea leaves which are part of the ingredients of making this drink.
The caffeine content in chai latte is still significant and can keep you going throughout the day. Additionally, there are different variations of chai latte at Starbucks, and they have different caffeine content. For example, the dirty chai latte has caffeine content ranging from 135 mg to 160 mg for a 12-ounce c
How to order a Starbucks chai latte
You can order your Starbucks chai latte either physically or online via Starbucks mobile app or website as it is on the Starbucks menu. Despite this drink being on Starbucks’ secret menu, it has attracted a lot of popularity as many baristas across several Starbucks locations understand how to make this beverage.
However, in some rare instances, some baristas will not realize which variation of chai latte you want, and you have to be specific with details when ordering your drink. For example, when ordering the dirty version of Starbucks chai latte over the Starbucks mobile app, you have to select the chai latte first, then a shot of espresso, and add-ins according to your preferences.
What does a Starbucks chai latte taste like?
Starbucks chai latte has a unique sweet, spicy taste compared to other chai lattes. This is mainly because of how this beverage is made and the ingredients used to make it. As earlier mentioned, Starbucks baristas use chai tea latte concentrate to make their chai latte instead of chai leaves as used by many other places. The concentrate has high sugar levels explaining the sweet taste of the Starbucks chai latte.
Additionally, to achieve authentic chai late with a spicy taste, you have to boil water, mix the water with loose-leaf spice and let it settle in the water for 10 to 15 minutes to blend in. This allows you to achieve maximum infusion into the tea. However, you can also customize your chai latte to achieve the taste you prefer.
Final thoughts
Starbucks chai latte is the perfect drink for any weather as it can be served as either hot or iced. Furthermore, if you are a sweet tooth or you love spicy drinks, then the chai latte will really impress you. Starbucks baristas make their chai latte unique by using chai concentrate instead of chai leaves. Therefore, though you can make your version of this drink at home, its taste will not be anywhere near Starbucks chai latte. I would definitely recommend this drink to anyone as baristas allow you to customize it according to what you prefer.
FAQ SECTION
Is the Starbucks chai latte good?
Yes, Starbucks chai latte is of good quality with a well-balanced sweet and spicy taste. You can also customize this drink to fit your preferences.
How many shots of espresso are in a chai latte at Starbucks?
Starbucks chai latte contains one shot of espresso.
How many pumps of vanilla are in a chai latte?
Averagely, a chai latte of venti size contains 2 pumps of vanilla syrup.
Why is chai latte so sweet?
Starbucks chai latte is sweet mainly because of the ingredients used to make this beverage; Starbucks uses chai concentrate in its chai latte which has sugar content and is less spicy compared to a spice chai latte.