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Chai Tea Latte (like Starbucks)

Wed, 2010-12-15 11:27 by Tammy   Tags:
Recipe Name: 
Chai Tea Latte (like Starbucks)
Picture: 
Chai Tea Latte (like Starbucks)
Description: 

A spicy, sweet, and creamy chai tea latte you can make at home that tastes almost exactly like Starbucks chai tea lattes!

Yield: 

12 ounces

Ingredients: 

10 ounces boiling water
2 teabags of Celestial Seasonings India Spice Chai tea
1 tablespoon "Sugar in the Raw" or organic sugar*
3 tablespoons real whipped cream**

Instructions: 

1. In a large mug (14 ounces), place the 2 tea bags and boiling water. Steep 3-5 minutes, squeeze out tea bags, and discard teabags. Stir in the sugar until dissolved. Add whipped cream and stir. Enjoy hot!

Chai Tea Latte (like Starbucks!)

Chai Tea Latte (like Starbucks!)

Chai Tea Latte (like Starbucks!)

Chai Tea Latte (like Starbucks!)

Additional Notes: 

*I use organic sugar (evaporated cane juice) from Costco. Use more sugar for a sweeter drink. Starbucks has a lot of sugar in theirs (more than 1 tablespoon) but I think a tablespoon is plenty sweet.

Starbucks Tall (12 oz.) Chai Tea Latte contains 31 grams of sugar. That's the equivalent of 7 3/4 teaspoons of sugar! This recipe using 1 tablespoons of sugar contains only 12 grams of sugar.

**Make real whipped cream by combining 1 cup heavy whipping cream with 1 tablespoon sugar (optional) and beating on high until fluffy.

You can use 1 tablespoon of cream (plain, not whipped) in place of the whipped cream with great results as well.

Celestial Seasonings India Spice Chai tea

A note on chai tea and concentrates:

Starbucks uses the Tazo brand chai tea concentrate, which can be purchased in the coffee and tea section of the grocery store. The concentrate does taste very much like the teabags used in this recipe, but when Joshua and I did side-by-side comparisons, we definitely preferred this recipe versus making chai from the Tazo concentrate. The Tazo concentrate has a strange aftertaste (almost a "boxed" taste to it, which I didn't expect) whereas this recipe tastes fresh and vibrant.

Chai Tea Latte (like Starbucks!)

I have had Starbucks' Chai Tea Lattes on two occasions, and I think this homemade version comes really super close to their flavor. Add in the convenience of making them at home and cost savings, and this is definitely the way to go, even over buying boxes of Tazo concentrate! :) And, helping to confirm my opinion that the Celestial Seasonings India Spice Chai tea tastes like Starbucks Chai Tea Lattes, I noticed several reviews of this tea at Amazon.com mentioning that this is the closest they've come to recreating the Starbucks Chai Tea Latte. :)

I sometimes get the Celestial Seasonings India Spice Chai tea at grocery stores with a coupon, or at Big Lots (usually $2/box) or on sale at Rite Aid ($1.49/box). Our local Big Lots has been out of this tea, and I haven't had many coupons or spotted good sales recently, so I ordered a 6-box case at Amazon.com for $15.31, using SwagBucks gift certificates. These Chai Tea Lattes are one of my  favorite winter treats and I also love serving them to guests! :)

Tazo Chai Tea Latte concentrate

Cost comparison for 12 ounces:

Starbucks Chai Tea Latte $2.95 (or more)

Chai tea latte made with Tazo concentrate: $1.15

Chai tea latte made with this recipe: $0.40 ($0.32 if using milk instead of cream)

Preparation Time: 

5 minutes

Tammy's Review: 

Joshua and I both taste-tested this recipe alongside Tazo chai tea latte concentrate and Starbucks Chai Tea Lattes. This recipe is our favorite!

Starbucks Chai Tea Latte? Expensive and very sweet (31 grams of sugar in 12 ounces!). Bonus points for being convenient if you live/work near a Starbucks. :)

Tazo Chai Tea Latte (made from concentrate)? Still expensive, still very sweet, and with a strange aftertaste. Bonus points to the Tazo concentrate for being convenient and really deliciously spicy though!!

This Chai Tea Latte recipe? Affordable, sweetness can be adjusted, and with a great flavor. Bonus points for using the least amount of packaging and something I can store long-term in the pantry in a small amount of space! :)

Chai Tea Latte (like Starbucks!)

Read my blog post about this tea! :)

Average vote based on 3 reviews.
9.3
out of 10
User Reviews
9
out of 10
good Starbucks alternate

This recipe is definitely tasty and I'm a big Celestial Seasonings fan but I have to agree with the comment by tnchelle. Stash Chai Spice Black tea is definitely the best chai spiced black teabags I've found in a normal grocery store. And they have the Double Spice Chai for anyone who likes their chai extra spicy.


by emcmeechan on Thu, 2011-10-06 18:48
10
out of 10
Chai Tea Latte

I can't compare it to Starbucks but the best Chai tea bags that I've found are the "Stash" Chai spice black tea brand.
You can find these at most stores but Wal-mart has the best price on them. I can't remember how much I paid for them the last time I bought them but I'm thinking it was around $2.00 for the 20 bag box.

I love the idea of using the cream as opposed to just regular milk, which is what I've always put in mine. I'll definately give the cream a try next time I make a cup! :)


by tnchelle on Sun, 2011-01-16 14:19
9
out of 10
Good subsitute!

I get excited about going to Starbucks until I'm standing in front of the menu looking at the prices. I only had one bag of this tea left, but it was still really good. I made sure to steep it a long time. It's not quite as creamy as the Starbucks or Tazo versions, but it's likely way more natural. I look forward to trying it again (with two bags). Thanks for sharing!


by simplybrandy on Sun, 2010-12-19 14:32