Does Starbucks Chai Tea contain caffeine? (Everything is known!)
Chai tea lattes have been gaining popularity in the United States lately. Some people have given up coffee in favor of tea.
But is chai tea latte decaffeinated? Or is it the same as ordering a regular latte? Here’s what we found…
Does Starbucks Chai Tea contain caffeine?
The chai tea that Starbucks sells does contain caffeine, but the amount depends on the size of your chai and how you request it to be made. A large milk tea latte contains 95 mg of caffeine, while a small cup of coffee contains 50 mg. Then there’s the dirty chai latte with about 160 mg of caffeine.
Here, we’ll take a look at Starbucks’ tea menu and the caffeine content of individual beverages, as well as what you can look for if you want a tea experience without the caffeine boost….
What is chai tea?
Chai tea originated in India and its history goes back 5000 years. In India, the word “chai” means “tea,” but in the West, the word “chai” refers to a particular flavor or style of tea.
Chai tea is a spiced tea made by boiling black tea leaves in water and milk and adding a mixture of herbs and spices.
Spices are often strong and pungent, and include cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and black pepper. Milk and sweeteners are also important components of chai tea.
How Much Caffeine Does Starbucks Chai Tea Contain?
Starbucks chai tea typically contains about 40 mg per serving, because chai tea is made from black tea leaves, which naturally contain caffeine.
However, it also depends on what you ask for and how you like it to be made.
For example, a large (or large) chai tea option contains about 90 mg of caffeine.
When making tea, there’s also an option to edit ingredients, flavors, sugar and milk – and of course caffeine.
This means that if you need an extra kick, you can add espresso to your chai no matter what size you order.
Does Starbucks Chai Tea Have More Caffeine Than Coffee?
Your chai tea can contain the same amount of caffeine as a typical coffee, or even more! It all depends on the contents of your cup and the size of your drink.
Starbucks chai tea is generally lower in caffeine than regular coffee, as tea leaves are generally lower in caffeine than coffee beans.
However, Starbucks uses chai syrup “pumps” to build their chai, and the number of pumps they add depends on your cup size.
- Hot shorts contain 2 pumps
- A hot high contains 3 pumps
- Hot Grande contains 4 pumps
- One venti receives 5 pumps
- One iced tea high made of 3 pumps
- Chilled Grande has 4 pumps
- A chilled ventilator will have 6 pumps
Does Starbucks sell decaffeinated tea?
Starbucks sells a wide variety of teas, from high-caffeinated chai beverages to decaf and decaffeinated varieties.
The following herbal teas from Starbucks are caffeine-free:
- Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade (this drink is tea flavored not real tea)
- Mint Majesty (Hot)
- Tao Jing (hot)
- Iced Passion Tango Tea
- Comfortable Brewing Healthy Tea (Hot)
The following Starbucks teas are low in caffeine:
- Iced red tea
- iced white tea
- ice green tea
- Honey Citrus Mint Tea (Hot)
- Emperor Cloud Mist Tea (Hot)
The following Starbucks teas contain 16 mg or less of caffeine:
- Emperor Yunwu Tea
- Honey Citrus Mint Tea
The following Starbucks teas contain moderate levels of caffeine:
- Royal English Breakfast Tea (Hot)
- Iced London Fog Tea Latte
- Iced Royal Breakfast Tea Latte
- London Fog Latte (Hot)
- Yugan Mint (Hot)
- Earl Grey (hot)
- Chai tea (hot) (if not large size)
The following Starbucks teas are high in caffeine:
- Matcha Latte (Hot)
- Iced Tea Latte
- Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte
- Chai Tea Latte (Hot)
What are the different chai teas at Starbucks?
Starbucks offers chai tea in four styles and is known for being higher in caffeine.
- Matcha Latte (80 mg)
- Chai Tea Latte (95 mg)
- Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte (80 mg)
- Iced Chai Tea Latte (95 mg)
Matcha is made from green tea powder. This means that the tea dissolves through your beverage, unlike tea bag beverages that are removed when they reach the desired consistency.
Drinking matcha means consuming all Tea powder and the caffeine it contains.
So if you like matcha, ask for tea bags instead of powdered form.
in conclusion…
While chai tea is generally considered a healthy drink, it does contain caffeine. This certainly doesn’t make it a bad drink, it just means that we should pay attention to the tea we choose, its ingredients, the serving size we usually choose and the amount we consume each day.
Starbucks milk tea definitely contains caffeine and is available in a variety of styles and sizes, so it’s a best practice to double-check your tea, choose the best time to enjoy it, and enjoy an alternative tea when you’ve had enough caffeine throughout the day .
