What Is Chai Tea? Spices, Caffeine, and How It's Made

Chai tea is black tea brewed with a blend of ground spices, traditionally served with milk and sweetener. The word chai simply means tea, so "chai tea" is a slight redundancy — what most English speakers mean by it is masala chai, meaning spiced tea. The defining spices are ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, and cloves, though the exact blend varies by region and household.

What goes into chai

The base is almost always black tea, which stands up to both the spices and the milk. The spice blend is where the variation happens. A traditional masala chai uses ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, and cloves. Regional versions add vanilla, saffron, star anise, or fennel.

Milk and sweetener are traditional but not universal. In much of India chai is brewed by simmering tea, spices, milk, and sugar together rather than steeping and adding milk afterwards.

How much caffeine is in chai tea?

It depends on the tea base and how strongly it is brewed. A cup of black tea generally runs 40 to 90 mg of caffeine, green tea 20 to 45 mg, and white tea 6 to 60 mg. Because chai dilutes the tea with milk and spices, a chai latte usually lands at the lower end of the black tea range.

For reference, Waka's instant chai contains approximately 15 mg of caffeine per 1/4 teaspoon serving. The Dirty Chai, which blends tea with instant coffee, is approximately 70 mg per 1.5 teaspoons.

Chai tea vs. chai latte

Chai tea is the spiced tea itself. A chai latte is that tea combined with steamed milk, usually in a larger cup and often sweeter. Most cafe chai lattes are made from a pre-sweetened concentrate rather than brewed from spices, which is why they tend to be much sweeter than chai made at home.

What is a dirty chai?

A dirty chai is a chai latte with a shot of espresso added. The chai spice stays in the foreground and the coffee adds body and extra caffeine.

Making chai at home

Traditionally you simmer black tea, whole or ground spices, milk, and sugar together for several minutes, then strain. An instant chai powder skips the simmering and straining — it dissolves in hot water, and you add milk and sweetener to taste.

The advantage of an unsweetened chai powder is control: most chai concentrates and mixes arrive pre-sweetened and with milk powder already included, which fixes both the sweetness and the creaminess for you. Waka's chai contains only pure Indian black tea and real ground spices — no sugar, no sweeteners, no milk powder — so you decide.

Common questions

Is chai tea the same as masala chai?
In everyday English, yes. Chai means tea; masala chai means spiced tea. When someone says chai tea they almost always mean masala chai.

What spices are in chai?
Most commonly ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, and cloves. Regional variations add vanilla, saffron, star anise, or fennel.

Does chai have less caffeine than coffee?
Usually. A cup of chai typically holds less caffeine than a cup of coffee, both because tea has less to begin with and because chai is diluted with milk.

Is chai always sweet?
Traditionally it is sweetened, and nearly all cafe and concentrate versions are. Unsweetened chai powders let you control it.

Can I make chai without milk?
Yes. Chai brewed with water is perfectly traditional in some regions, and plant milks work as substitutes.

Shop Waka instant chai — traditional, vanilla, and dirty chai, all unsweetened with no milk powder.