Chai lattes will be tough to get proper since a tasty one must stability sweetness and spice. So, I often simply organize them from cafés somewhat than making them at house.
Nevertheless, there are numerous easy-to-prepare chai concentrates obtainable for days after I’m house and craving a sizzling tea within the morning or a refreshing iced latte on a heat afternoon.
So, I attempted chai focus from 5 completely different manufacturers — Good & Collect, Oregon Chai, Dealer Joe’s, Rishi, and Tazo — to see how they examine when ready sizzling and iced.
Here is how they stacked up and which made my favourite chai drinks.
The Good & Collect chai focus had a handy container and was an incredible deal.
Paige Bennett
Good & Collect is Goal’s retailer model, and this chai focus got here in a 32-ounce container.
It was the most effective worth of the 5 I examined at $3.50 for this dimension, making it about 11 cents per ounce.
One of the best a part of the chai was its intelligent slanted container, which made it so the tea did not spill or make a multitude as I poured it right into a mug or glass.
For each the new and iced lattes, I mixed 4 ounces of this focus with 4 ounces of plain milk.
Ready sizzling, the Good & Collect chai tasted very candy.
Paige Bennett
I often count on some spice in a chai beverage, however Good & Collect’s iced chai had simply the faintest aftertaste of black pepper.
The drink, when sizzling, largely tasted like sweetened tea. It wasn’t notably heavy in cream or syrup and simply tasted a bit watery.
With ice, the Good & Collect focus misplaced most of its taste.
Paige Bennett
I anticipated the iced variations of those lattes to lose a few of their efficiency, and that was positively the case for the Good & Collect chai.
Its trace of black pepper and candy style had been virtually fully misplaced after I mixed the focus and milk over ice. It wasn’t dangerous, but it surely turned out fairly bland.
The Oregon Chai focus seemed promising, because the label famous an “genuine Himalayan chai style.”
Paige Bennett
I hadn’t tried the Oregon Chai model earlier than, but it surely seemed promising. The label famous its wealthy and genuine flavors, that includes black tea, spices, and honey for sweetness.
This container, additionally 32 ounces, was initially $5, making it about 16 cents an oz. I acquired it on sale for $4.
Just like Tazo’s and Rishi’s containers, this design appeared higher fitted to stocking cabinets than pouring.
It poured out messily as I mixed 4 ounces of this focus with equal components milk.
The new model of Oregon Chai had an earthy odor and candy taste.
Paige Bennett
I observed this combine was a lot lighter in colour than the Good & Collect focus, which made me marvel how robust or wealthy it will really be.
Because it seems, Oregon Chai was robust in sweetener and never a lot else. There was actually no spice, not even within the aftertaste. General, it simply tasted like sizzling candy tea.
When added to a glass of ice, the Oregon Chai was refreshing however underwhelming.
Paige Bennett
I believed the ensuing iced latte from Oregon Chai was merely superb: chilly and somewhat candy.
It was refreshing on a sizzling day, however total, the flavour was fairly bland to me. The earthiness was somewhat extra current, however there was little sweetness and no spice.
Dealer Joe’s supplied the smallest container of focus.
Paige Bennett
The spiced chai focus from Dealer Joe’s was distinctive for lots of causes.
It got here in a bottle somewhat than a boxy container, and was the smallest at solely 16 ounces, half the dimensions of the opposite 4 I examined.
The remainder of the concentrates I attempted referred to as for a 1:1 ratio of chai to take advantage of, however this one referred to as for 1 half chai to 2 components milk. So, I made a decision to make use of 4 ounces of the focus to eight ounces of milk.
This focus was the most affordable upfront at $2.80 — however, damaged down, it was 18 cents per ounce.
Mixed with sizzling milk, the Dealer Joe’s chai had very robust spice flavors.
Paige Bennett
Even simply opening the bottle, I knew this focus would carry far more warmth. It smelled strongly of spice and had a extremely darkish colour that appeared to vow a sturdy taste.
This focus tasted of black pepper first, then ginger. I did not style a lot of the milk or black tea. I like a spicy chai, however this was somewhat overpowering when served sizzling.
Subsequent time, I would put together it with much more milk.
With ice, Dealer Joe’s chai was considered one of my favourite concentrates.
Paige Bennett
I nonetheless mixed the 4 ounces of focus with 8 ounces of milk for the iced model of the Dealer Joe’s chai. I discovered that the addition of ice actually balanced out the focus.
The end result was a tea with a extra balanced profile, for the reason that melting ice helped tame all of the spice. I really ended up loving the Dealer Joe’s focus when mixed with milk and ice.
Rishi’s masala chai was probably the most costly choices.
Paige Bennett
I judged the e book by its cowl with Rishi, which got here in a gorgeously designed container.
It value $6 — on sale for $4.80 — for the 32-ounce bundle. At 19 cents an oz earlier than the sale, this was pricier than the opposite manufacturers I examined.
This focus referred to as for a 1:1 concentrate-to-milk ratio, so I used 4 ounces of chai with 4 ounces of milk for each sizzling and iced, as with many of the earlier drinks.
Between the container’s form and the liquid’s consistency, this focus was the messiest to serve. It saved spilling out as I attempted to pour it.
Though Rishi’s chai was actually candy, I favored that it had extra spice than the opposite manufacturers.
Paige Bennett
The red-orange tone of this chai was attention-grabbing, contemplating the opposite manufacturers had been extra gentle to darkish brown. It additionally smelled strongly like cinnamon, which was one of many main substances.
This chai was extremely candy, and I favored the style of cinnamon and cardamom within the sizzling model of the latte. It wasn’t as spicy because the Dealer Joe’s focus, but it surely had extra of a punch than the Good & Collect and Oregon Chai ones.
After I poured the Rishi focus over ice, I observed some gritty bits that weren’t very nice.
Paige Bennett
Regardless of totally shaking the focus, some gritty spice particles ended up floating within the drink — this hadn’t been noticeable in its sizzling counterpart.
The cinnamon taste additionally labored higher when served heat, so total, this iced drink tasted common to me.
I’ve loved Tazo’s chai previously, although it could possibly get dear.
Paige Bennett
I’ve bought Tazo’s chai focus a couple of occasions previously and loved it, however I hadn’t realized how dear it was upfront in comparison with another manufacturers.
This 32-ounce focus rang up at $5.19, the most costly one I attempted after gross sales had been factored in. Nonetheless, it in the end value me 16 cents an oz, conserving it on par with the opposite choices.
I adopted the identical one-to-one ratio when making ready the Tazo chai.
The new model of Tazo’s chai was an ideal mix of candy and spicy.
Paige Bennett
I actually loved the new Tazo chai latte. It wasn’t too candy, and the spice was ahead, however not overwhelming.
The focus and milk mixed to create a creamy consistency somewhat than a watery texture. This was my favourite sizzling chai that I examined.
I beloved the iced model of Tazo’s focus, but it surely wasn’t my high choose.
Paige Bennett
Though Tazo took the spot for finest sizzling chai latte, it wasn’t my favourite iced chai drink.
It was scrumptious, with sweetness and a touch of spice, however I discovered the super-strong Dealer Joe’s focus was excellent with ice. This one misplaced a few of its taste, however was my second-favorite iced drink.
Tazo’s focus was my favourite sizzling latte, and Dealer Joe’s took the highest spot when ready over ice.
Paige Bennett
The Tazo focus had an ideal mix of spices and sweetness that got here by when sizzling, leading to a pleasant, creamy latte. Nevertheless, numerous its taste was subdued when added to chilly milk and ice.
Though I wasn’t a fan of the Dealer Joe’s chai focus when ready sizzling, I beloved it with chilly milk over ice. The extraordinarily robust spices within the focus overpowered the opposite flavors when served heat, however they held up effectively to ice and supplied a a lot better taste.
All of those chai concentrates had been good, and I would not thoughts shopping for any of them once more. Nevertheless, Tazo is my most well-liked model for a sizzling chai latte, and I am going to should cease at Dealer Joe’s if I am craving one iced.
This story was initially printed on Might 18, 2023, and most not too long ago up to date on February 24, 2026.
