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I can brew my own chai latte (without the foam machine). It smells great with different types of spice. However, it just doesn't seems to reach the taste of the chai latte from Starbucks. The chai latte from Starbucks has a sweet taste like fruit. I wonder if they add other ingredients.

Here are the ingredients I use: cardamom, clove, ginger, cinnamon, low-fat milk, and tea.

FuzzyChef
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lamwaiman1988
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  • Big train tastes great but has no caffeine. The store bought Tazo is not the same as the concentrate syrup they use at Starbucks. Sorry to troll just looking for a good DIY for the syrup Starbucks uses. –  Jan 23 '13 at 07:56

5 Answers5

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The chai tea latte at Starbucks is made from the Tazo Chai Tea Latte concentrate. This product is available at supermarkets and online, and is mixed with milk to make a product not unlike what you have at Starbucks (minus the foam, as you pointed out).

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So, what are these flavors (say, if you wanted to make this from scratch)? The website mentions that the black tea is malty. You could likely reproduce that with a maltier tea like Assam, though the box also says a "a rich blend of flavorful teas", meaning that a stronger blend like English Breakfast might be a closer match. It looks like you are on the right track with the spices as well: cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and cloves are all listed, though the website mentions black pepper, star anise, and vanilla in addition, which ought to lift your cup of chai a bit as well.

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Ray
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  • Cool. I just use plain black tea. But I think honey could be the key to the fruit like taste. – lamwaiman1988 Aug 27 '12 at 12:57
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    I do see that both honey and cane sugar are used as sweeteners in the Starbucks chai. (http://www.starbucks.com/blog/chai-tea-latte-experience-a-classic-again/1074) – Ray Aug 27 '12 at 13:00
  • However the type of honey could be problem. Some honey has strong scene AFAIK. – lamwaiman1988 Aug 27 '12 at 13:17
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    I would highly recommend Big Train Vanilla (not Spiced) Chai powder. You can get 2 large cans of it on Amazon for about $20. I used to use the Tazo liquid concentrate, but have since *upgraded to Big Train*. You'll find that some coffee places use Big Train just like Starbucks uses Tazo. – Chad Sep 01 '12 at 06:22
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    I find that the pre-made mixes are the best way to go if you want a cafe style, chai latte. Mostly for textural reasons; the powders and concentrates tend to produce a slightly thicker drink. – Chad Sep 01 '12 at 06:25
  • I tried to add longan honey with other additional spice such as cassia, star anise and vanilla extract. The taste was good and I was satisfied. – lamwaiman1988 Sep 17 '12 at 06:21
  • The Big Train powder mentioned above has seen a major price hike on Amazon since that was posted. – Yamikuronue May 19 '14 at 21:45
  • I tried this concentrate and found it nothing like the chai lattes from Starbucks: http://yamikuronue.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/tea-diary-week-2/ – Yamikuronue Jul 10 '14 at 16:44
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    The Tazo Chai Concentrate they use in the store is thicker like a syrup, that’s why they only use X amount of pumps ( I think it’s 4 or 5. Which is also why they use water & milk! When you buy the Tazo concentrate it’s been thinned with water already so therefore you don’t add water but use an equal concentration 1/2 c chai 1/2 c milk. – user97493 Jan 23 '22 at 07:24
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Well, I cracked it and tasted better than Costa or Starbucks.

I used hot milk with seasonings and a Twinnings chai teabag steeped in hot water.

Microwave 3/4 cup milk one minute. Add cardamom seeds, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, a teaspoon of honey, ginger, a teaspoon of vanilla (Monza), and anise seed to the milk. Whisk with a battery whisker (available off eBay £3.00) until frothy.

Pour 1/4 cup of hot chai tea into glass. Add frothy milk & stir. Add cinnamon dusting.

Voilà.

Jolenealaska
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Stevew
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The closest I have gotten to a StarBucks Chai Tea latte is using "Oregon Chai - SPICED" with either Almond Mile or Regular Milk. And, I think I pretty darn good one. Incidentally, it is far less expensive to make it this way versus going to SB and paying 4-6 bucks for 1.

https://www.oregonchai.com/

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The concentrate that Starbucks sells is not what they use in their stores. The in-store chais are secret-recipe full concentrate and taste better than the concentrate that they sell. We are not supposed to know that the secret concentrate exists; but it does and I have seen it.

KatieK
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renee
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    Can you provide any other information on the differences in ingredients between the commercial and "secret" versions? – logophobe Jul 10 '14 at 13:17
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There is no secret as to how Starbucks make their tea... the Tea they sell as the Concentrate is exactly the same they use. Many friends have worked at Starbucks & another friend was a manager!!

Jolenealaska
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