Chai Latte: The popular spiced tea drink

If you've spent any time in a modern coffee shop over the past few years—not just placing your usual order, but taking the time to study the café's menu—you have surely noticed the "Chai Latte." This trendy drink, championed by Hollywood stars, has become an essential part of coffee shop culture, especially on dreary autumn or cold winter days. Where does this aromatic drink come from, and why all the hype? How do I prepare it at home, and does it actually have health benefits? Let's take a closer look at the Chai Latte phenomenon!

What exactly is a Chai Latte?

The word "Chai" is used for tea drinks in large parts of the world. If you order a "Chai" in Russia, Turkey, or many Asian countries, you will be served black tea. The Dutch brought tea leaves to Europe from their colonies and coined the term "tea" (Tee). In the Indian subcontinent, however, it is more accurately referred to as "Masala Chai." "Masala" here refers to a spice blend added to black tea, similar to spice blends used for cooking or seasoning chili.

Masala Chai is a national drink of sorts in India. You can buy it on every street corner, and most families have a secret recipe for their own special Masala Chai. Typically, black tea is mixed with cardamom, cinnamon, fennel, cloves, or anise. Unlike in our part of the world, the tea is boiled in a pot with the spices and then refined with honey and milk.

Is spiced Chai healthy?

We have already discussed whether coffee is healthy or unhealthy in a video with Professor Yeretzian. But the question also arises for black tea and Masala Chai: "Does consuming this drink have health benefits?"

This depends on which spices your Chai contains and how you prepare it. However, many of the spices mentioned above clearly have a positive effect on our bodies:

• Black tea: The caffeine in black tea invigorates us. It makes us more mentally alert and physically capable.
• Cardamom: Has a soothing effect on our digestion and can help with colds.
• Cinnamon: Stimulates circulation and boosts your mood!
• Ginger: Considered a superfood. It strengthens our immune system, has antibacterial properties, and stimulates our appetite.
• Anise and fennel: Soothe the stomach and can have an antispasmodic effect.
• Cloves: Can have anti-inflammatory effects and are a source of antioxidants.

There are therefore definitely good reasons to try a spiced Chai. The health benefits vary, however, depending on the method of preparation. The fresher you prepare the drink, the more health-promoting ingredients it contains. More on that later.

Where does the hype come from?

Even if we know that a Chai Latte is good for our spirits and our health, the question remains as to why this drink has experienced such hype.

In the 90s, the coffee chain giant Starbucks added the drink to its repertoire. In addition, several TV stars and celebrities promoted the drink and raved about it publicly. Since interest in Eastern culture, philosophy, and spirituality seems to have exploded over the last few decades, the Chai Latte hits exactly this growing target group. Those who enjoy yoga, Ayurvedic nutrition, and meditation are also drawn to the Chai Latte. Especially in the cold months and during the Christmas season, many people reach for the trendy drink in coffee shops.

Preparation

There are three different ways to prepare a Chai Latte. If you are making it yourself at home, you can either put together your own spice blend, use a ready-made Chai tea blend, or work with instant powder or syrup.

Putting together your own Chai tea

This preparation method is by far the most time-consuming, and you should set aside a little time to create your own Chai Latte. You will need:

• 1 tbsp black tea (Assam, Darjeeling, or Earl Grey, depending on your taste)
• 2 star anise
• 2 cloves
• 1-2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp cardamom
• approx. 1 cm fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp honey, or alternatively brown sugar or another sweetener
• 250 ml water
• 250 ml whole milk or a milk alternative

First, lightly roast the spices in a pan. This activates the essential oils in the spices and extracts even more flavor from them. Pour hot water over them in the pan and let the spice mixture steep for a few minutes. Then add the honey and your black tea. It is best to time it now and let the tea steep for about 4 minutes. The water should be around 90°C at this time, so it should not be boiling vigorously. Then, pour the mixture through a sieve to stop the steeping process. Heat the milk using an espresso steam wand or on the stove and froth it. Finally, fill a large cup or glass halfway with your tea and pour the frothed milk over it.

Ready-made Chai tea blends

If your spice cabinet isn't as well-stocked and you don't want to buy all the spices separately, you can resort to ready-made Chai tea blends. There is a wide selection of different ready-made Chai tea blends in almost every supermarket and especially online. There is both loose tea and ready-made tea bags, organic or non-organic. You can then choose between "Chai Black Tea," "Choco Chai," "Sweet Chai," or even "Pumpkin Chai" with dried pumpkin. The selection is truly vast, and it is worth looking at the description or the back of the package when searching. There you will see the exact composition of the finished blend. Although the spices are not freshly roasted before preparation, these ready-made blends are definitely a great way to get started.

The preparation is then very simple. Pour hot, but no longer boiling, water over the finished tea blend. Let it steep for a few minutes according to the package instructions. Then add the desired amount of frothed milk to the tea, and your comfort drink is ready!

Instant powder

For those who want it easy and uncomplicated, the market offers a lot of instant alternatives to freshly brewed tea. There are ready-made powders mixed with milk powder that only need to be topped with hot water. However, the texture and mouthfeel of these drinks are by no means as creamy and velvety as they are with freshly frothed milk. That is why there are also instant powders without milk powder that you top with hot water but then crown with freshly frothed milk.

There is no doubt that instant powders are an incredible convenience, but they also influence our drinking habits. Those who want to take time and leisure for their Chai Latte will surely plan time and care for the preparation of their tea. It is not for nothing that there is a centuries-old tradition of tea ceremonies in Asian countries that ensure the cozy drink a firm place in everyday life. This pause and time for enjoyment is certainly diminished by the idea of an instant powder that promises Chai tea in 30 seconds.

The positive health aspects of Masala Chai described above are also not as pronounced with instant powders. The fresh spices have already been processed into powder in complex processes and have lost many of their essential oils and aromatic compounds. Biting into a fresh apple is, after all, different from chewing gum with apple flavor. For this reason, low-quality instant teas even have artificial flavorings added.

For a first encounter with a Chai Latte, we therefore most recommend the first two variants or a visit to your trusted local café.

Chai Latte in coffee shops

In most coffee shops, including our own Kaffeemacher:innen cafés, you can order a Chai Latte. Naturally, a barista in a café cannot afford the peace and leisure you might take for preparing a Chai Latte at home. After all, it would be strange if you ordered a Chai Latte and only had your drink in your hands after half an hour because the barista first had to weigh, roast, pour over, strain, and mix the spices.

In many coffee shops, the barista therefore uses a syrup solution. These syrups—either self-made or offered by companies—greatly simplify the workflow in the café while still providing an aromatic taste experience.

The barista only needs to add a few pumps of syrup to a glass and froth the milk with the steam wand, and the guest receives an aromatic drink with a lovely mouthfeel without having to wait long for it.

Another advantage is that the easy-to-use syrup invites experimentation. The syrup also dissolves in cold milk. So why not try an Iced Chai Latte? Combining it with a well-sourced espresso is also possible. For this so-called Dirty Chai Latte, a few shots of syrup are added to a single or double espresso and topped with frothed milk. Certainly worth a try.

Even if this coffee shop solution looks different from a multi-hour Japanese tea ceremony, this practice has proven itself in many cafés and is a modern development of the Indian national drink for a growing fan base of Chai tea.