You can find a chai latte in almost every coffee shop. And that makes you wonder if there is coffee in a tea latte. I know you feel confused about it because of the name latte, and you think it has espresso just like the regular latte. However, that is not the case.

There is no coffee in a chai latte. The hot drink consists of black tea as the base, infused with spices like cinnamon and cloves. You then add steamed milk and finally foam on top.

Since then, many tea and coffee houses have adopted the tea drink on their menus. They use terms like tea latte or chai latte to mean you use steamed milk just like when preparing a regular caffe latte.

The difference here is with the tea latte, you mix black tea with spices and not espresso, while with the caffe latte, espresso is the base.

Is There Coffee in a Chai Latte?

Before I answer that question, perhaps you may want to know the difference between natural and washed coffee.

On whether chai latte has coffee, the answer is NO. Chai latte is not coffee. Therefore, there are no traces of coffee in it. The main ingredients of tea latte include:

• Black tea
• Spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger
• Steamed milk
• Foam

Like many, you may be thinking that a tea latte contains coffee because of the name latte. Many coffee houses use the name tea latte simply because you make it with steamed milk and a layer of foam, the same way you do with the Caffe macchiato.

What differentiates chai latte from caffe latte is chai latte has a blend of spices and black tea as the base rather than espresso.

Caffeine Level of Chai Latte Versus Caffe Latte

Tea latte has caffeine, but it is not as much as you could find in a regular latte. I know of several people who turn to chai latte when seeking to reduce their caffeine intake. That’s because it contains tea and not coffee. With that, you cut down your caffeine consumption by above 50%.

In a 120ml tea latte cup, you get 40mg caffeine, while a similar cup of coffee gives you a whopping 120mg of caffeine. It means that you have a chance to take more cups of chai latte to achieve the same caffeine level in a cup of joe.

Again, get to think about the unfavorable side effects like caffeine shock and jitters from your regular coffee. You can significantly avoid the risk by switching to your special latte drink.

How To Make Your Chai Latte at Home

Watch this 2-minute video on how you can make the special drink at home:

Look! You don’t have to pay all the time to have your favorite tea latte drink. With just a few simple steps, you can make your own spicy chai tea latte at home, anytime.

Ingredients

• One tablespoon tea leaves. You can use the loose-leaf tea leaves or three tea bags
• 11/2 cold Milk.
• Spices. (1 cinnamon, one teaspoon black peppercorns, five whole cloves, three green cardamoms, one thinly sliced ginger).
• 2 water cups.
• ¼ cup sweeteners like honey and brown sugar. They are optional.

Equipment

• Medium saucepan
• Rubber spatula
• Measuring spoons and cups
• Fine-mesh strainer
• Pitcher

Procedure

1. Put your spices on a saucepan and toast them on medium heat. Occasionally shake the pan until they become fragrant. It will take 3-4 minutes.
2. Brew your tea. Pour water and ginger into the saucepan and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.
3. Steep your tea. Get it out of the heat, add tea bags or loose-leaf tea, cover, and steep the tea for about 10 minutes.
4. Add sweeteners to the tea and stir to dissolve.
5. Use the fine-mesh strainer to strain your tea into a teapot. Discard the tea leaves and spices.
6. Froth/foam your milk. You can shake the whole milk in a jar or vigorously whisk it on medium heat. You can froth the non-dairy milk using an immersion blender.
7. Heat your frothed milk in a saucepan on low heat.
8. Pour your warm tea almost ¾ of the mug, add steamed milk, and stir. Top up with the milk foam. Sit down and enjoy your spicy chai latte.

Health Benefits of a Chai Latte

As you now know, a tea latte contains natural spices that are beneficial to your body. Each one plays a vital role in ensuring that your health stays in check. The health benefits range from anti-inflammatory abilities to antibacterial properties.

The black tea in chai cappuccino also helps boost your immune system. What you need to do is to ensure that you avoid counterfeit chai blends. They are always in powder form and lack all the spices to make a strong chai macchiato. Some even don’t have tea making them less effective.

Can You Substitute Coffee With a Chai Latte?

Now, the decision to replace coffee with a chai latte largely depends on what you aim to attain. If your goal is to cut down on caffeine intake, a chai latte will be the most suitable and healthiest option. That’s because it contains less caffeine compared to the regular Caffe.

However, if you like, the taste of coffee in your drinks, but you would love to switch to a tea beverage, then a dirty tea latte might be a better option for you.

What is the Difference Between Chai Latte And Dirty Chai Latte?

A notable difference exists between a chai cappuccino and a dirty chai macchiato. Allow me to tell you about it.

Tea latte is a tea beverage that consists of black tea, spices, and steamed milk. On the other hand, you make a dirty chai latte when you add a double shot of espresso to your tea latte.

If you love coffee, but don’t like its full strength, go for a dirty tea latte. You will get your caffeine dose from the espresso shots plus other vital ingredients in the spices.

You can serve both tea latte and dirty tea latte cold or hot. The hot variations come with steamed milk and a layer of foam. However, with the cold ones, you blend the tea beverages. You then add ice cubes to them.

Final Words

There you have it all! Chai latte does not contain coffee. If you need a drink with a taste of coffee, prepare a dirty chai latte by adding espresso shots to your tea latte. It is easy to prepare the drinks at home. Don’t hesitate to try it out.