The main ingredient in a chai latte is black tea and it is combined with the standard chai spices. Although black tea is the most common base, there are other tea alternatives, such as white tea, oolong tea or green tea. Does chai latte contain caffeine? The answer should depend on how it is made. A definitive yes or no may not be accurate. After all, you can easily make it caffeine free.
Does Chai Latte Have Caffeine?
Here we discuss the question based on that the chai latte is made in the most common way. And the answer to this question is yes, chai latte contains caffeine, because black tea as the main ingredient contains caffeine. Typically, chai tea latte is made using black tea, warm milk, sweetener and some combination of cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and peppercorns. It is considered an alternative to coffee-based beverage due to its caffeine contents. However, the quantity of caffeine in chai latte varies based on how you make it and what ingredients you choose to use.
How Much Caffeine Is In Chai Latte?
The amount of caffeine in your chai tea latte will depend on the type of tea you choose to use to make it. You can use black or green tea when preparing. Otherwise, you can choose a decaffeinated tea if you want to minimize the caffeine content.
8 ounces (240 milliliters) of standard black tea has 40 to 120 milligrams of caffeine. Decaffeinated black tea will only have 2 to 10 milligrams of caffeine in the same quantity. Keep in mind that the average amount of caffeine in chai latte is slightly lower than the average for black tea because the tea is diluted by the milk.
Here is the caffeine content for several specific varieties of a Chai latte.
1. Classic Chai Tea Latte in Coffee Shop
The standard chai tea latte you get in a coffee shop will be made with black tea, spices, and steamed milk. A 16 fluid ounce (2 cups) serving from this type of chai latte will have around 95 mg of caffeine. It will also have 240 calories, 40 of which are from fat. Other important nutritional values include 8 grams of protein, 45 grams of carbohydrates (including 42 grams of sugar), 115 mg of sodium, 20 mg of cholesterol, and 4.5 grams of total fat (including 2 grams of saturated fat).
2. Chai Tea Latte Mix
You can find premade mixtures of chai tea lattes in the form of a powder or concentrate, which you simply add milk or water. If you take this in concentrated form, you may obtain caffeine for 30 to 35 mg with 1 cup serving. For a powder form, 35 to 55 mg of caffeine is contained in 1 cup of serving. Does chai latte have caffeine? The answer remains yes, but powdered version contains higher caffeine than concentrated version.
3. Brewed Chai Tea
If you take the time to brew chai tea latte yourself with a tea bag and then adding hot milk, the numbers will be slightly different. The tea you purchase should have the quantity of caffeine labeled on it, but there will typically be around 50 milligrams in a single tea bag for your chai.
Are There Any Benefits of Consuming Chai Latte?
1. Reduce the Consumption of Caffeine
To get the same quantity of caffeine that you have in one cup of coffee, you would need to drink about three cups of your favorite chai tea latte. If you typically drink strong coffee, then you will need to drink five or six cups instead. This means that if you swap out your typical morning coffee for chai tea, you will be able to dramatically reduce your coffee consumption, even if you continue to drink an additional cup. This gives you an easy and delicious way to stop consuming as much caffeine while enjoying a beverage that is good for you.
2. Act as Antioxidants
Chai also has multiple beneficial properties you won't find in coffee. Black tea, which forms the base for it, has plenty of antioxidants. The spices have a millennia-old history of being used to promote general well-being and health and treating various ailments.
Cautions: You Still Need to Control the Caffeine Intake
Because the answer to the question, does chai latte have caffeine is yes, you need to take care. Drinking too much caffeine can be problematic or even dangerous. This is because caffeine is a stimulant, leading to heart palpitations, headaches, shakiness, nervousness, and insomnia in some cases.
Caffeine may also lower your seizure threshold. This means that if you have epilepsy or are at risk of seizures, you should avoid consuming too much caffeine. According to the Mayo Clinic, an adult shouldn’t have more than 500 to 600 milligrams of caffeine each day. In other words, try not to drink more than ten servings of chai latte a day.
A Vegan Chai Latte Recipe for You
It is simple to find traditional recipes for a chai latte, but vegans have an additional challenge. Since chai tea latte typically includes milk, the regular recipe will not be vegan. The following recipe provides an alternative for vegans who want to enjoy this delicious drink with serving for 2 people.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of water
- 1 tablespoon (heaping) of black tea, loose leaf or 2 – 3 bags of chai or black tea
- 2 tablespoons chai spice blend, whole (reduce quantity if ground)
- Sweetener of choice, such as maple syrup or cane sugar, to taste
- 1 cup dairy-free milk, unsweetened, extra to taste
- Coconut whipped cream, as topping
- ½ cup of raw cashews, optional, soaked in very hot water for an hour or cool water overnight before draining
Instructions:
- Mix your spices, tea and water in a saucepan, letting it boil at high heat. Bring the heat to low, letting it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Take off heat, adding non-dairy milk and sweetener. Warm 2 to 3 minutes off heat.
- Pour into 2 serving mugs with a strainer (fine mesh).
- Taste then adjust seasonings. Add sugar for sweetness or ground cinnamon for warmth.
Optional: You can mix the chai tea with the soaked cashews in a blender until it is smooth and creamy. Reheat briefly in the microwave or on stovetop before serving. Only heat slightly as the mixture may thicken when reheated too long because of the cashews. You can water it down with water or almond milk. Top your mixture with your coconut whip and cinnamon.