I’m a pretty big coffee drinker, but lately I’ve been trading in my venti coffee fraps at Starbucks for a healthier alternative – Chai tea! Chai gives you that extra energy boost without the ‘rollercoaster ride’ of coffee (which is especially nice if you’re sensitive to caffeine, like me), plus it’s incredibly tasty and comes in many flavors.
What is Chai Tea?
Chai tea, also known as a Chai tea latte, is an Indian tea drink made by blending black tea with milk, spices (like cinnamon, clove, and cardamom), and a sweetener for extra flavor. Chai tea is quickly growing in popularity throughout the world. Heck, even Oprah has her own ‘Oprah Chai‘ drink at Starbucks!
How Much Caffeine is in Chai Tea?
The first thing I love about chai is that it has less caffeine than coffee, which means you can enjoy a few extra cups without the caffeine jitters. A typical cup of chai tea contains around 40mg of caffeine (from the 4 oz of black tea), compared to roughly 120mg in an average cup of coffee, so you’d have to drink around 3 cups of chai tea to get the same amount of caffeine as your coffee.
Chai Tea Health Benefits
Chai tea is also said to have many beneficial properties. The black tea in chai is rich in antioxidants, while the spices in chai are considered to be calming, soothing, and mentally clarifying. Here are some of the spices you’d expect to find in Chai tea, and their traditional uses:
- Cinnamon – Thought to increase circulation and awareness. Reduces fatigue.
- Cardamom – Said to benefit the lungs, kidneys, and heart. Mood elevator.
- Black Pepper – Supports circulation and metabolism. Can help to alleviate chronic coldness.
- Ginger – Stimulant for the circulatory and the immune systems. Treats motion sickness.
- Clove – Has pain-relieving and antiseptic attributes.
Chai Tea Lattes On-the-Go
I’m always looking for new Chai Latte teas to try out, and most recently, I’ve been enjoying Chai Moments’ Chai Tea Latte mix packets from Tea India.
What I love about Chai Moments is that they use authentic spices, and no artificial flavors or preservatives. Each of their tea blends has a rich, spicy flavor topped with just a touch of sweetness. I especially like how the sweetener doesn’t overpower or mask the tea’s natural spice flavors, but instead let’s them take center-stage.
Chai Moments has four flavors/blends of Chai tea to choose from, including:
- Milk Tea Chai Tea Latte Mix – blend of black tea (my favorite!)
- Ginger Chai Tea Latte Mix – mixture of ginger and black tea
- Cardamom Chai Tea Latte Mix – blend of cardamom and black tea
- Masala Chai Tea Latte Mix – combination of spices and black tea
The second thing I love about Chai Moments chai latte teas is that they come in convenient little packets that you can literally throw in your backpack or purse, and enjoy on the go. They’re super easy to make too – all you have to do is pour the mix into hot water, stir, and it’s ready! What I’ll do is boil water wherever there’s a microwave or Keurig available, and then I’ll pour these little guys into my cup. You can find these mixes on Amazon.com.
Have you tried Chai tea?
How do you prefer to get your morning or mid-day boost of energy?
Source: Chai-tea.org
