What Does Chai Tea Taste Like? 

Last updated on October 10th, 2022 at 03:33 pm

In many countries, the word chai simply means tea. In the West, chai tea is better known as a delicious drink filled with many kinds of spices. It is made with several delicious blends of herbs and spices. 

With this being said, does chai tea even taste good? Often, herbs and spices can be overwhelmingly powerful on their own, what about blending a few of them together. 

Most chai teas are made from black fermented and oxygenated tea leaves. It is then combined with a few different spices. These spices typically include cardamom, ginger, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and fennel. 

Some chai blends also consist of nutmeg, coriander seed, allspice, and star anise. So with all these different options of spices coming together in one drink, what does it taste like? 

Is it overpowered with black pepper? Does it taste like any other tea? Is it strong like coffee? Does the cinnamon taste come through at all? 

Chai tea is often sweetened to make the earthy tones of the spices more palpable. The tea is typically sweetened with any type of milk and with a sweetener like honey. The ginger and pepper do give the tea a bit of a spicy kick. 

However, the cinnamon does come through as one of the more prominent flavors. Chai tea can be considered close to tasting like cinnamon coffee. 

Chai tea is also considered a healthier alternative to coffee if you are looking to minimize your caffeine intake. 

Are There Any Health Benefits To Drinking Chai Tea? 

Chai tea has proven to be a favorite drink among many. While the chai tea that we know and love may not be the original chai tea and have extra sweeteners in it, are there any health benefits to drinking it? 

Some of the benefits to chai tea include: 

• Improving digestion
• Wake you up
• Support your immune system
• Alleviate aches and pains
• Improve heart health

I will go into more detail about each of these chai tea benefits below. 

It Can Help Improve Digestion

Like some other teas, chai tea is also excellent for regulating your digestive system. Ginger is the spice ingredient that is largely responsible for gut health. 

The ginger in your chai tea will aid in digestion and improve circulation and the delivery of oxygen to your digestive organs. 

Chai also contains black pepper, the black pepper helps the pancreas produce digestive enzymes. Chai tea can help improve your digestion greatly. 

It Can Wake You Up

The caffeine contained in chai tea is great to add a little extra energy to your day. The black tea leaves that are in chai tea naturally contain caffeine that will help boost your energy. 

Since the black leaves are a natural source of caffeine, you can have several cups without the negative side effects associated with most caffeine drinks. 

It Can Support Your Immune System

Cardamom has been a staple of old medicine for centuries and contains high levels of vitamin C. If you want your tea to help support your immune system, be sure that your tea has black and not green cardamom. 

It Can Help Alleviate Aches and Pains

Many of the spices contained in chai tea are anti-inflammatory. Ginger and clove have been used for decades to alleviate joint pain and aches. 

It Can Help Improve Heart Health

Cinnamon has been shown to help improve and lower bad cholesterol and blood pressure. Cinnamon is one of the key ingredients in chai tea. 

Drinking chai tea for an extended period of time can have an overall positive effect on your cardiovascular system. 

Can Drinking Chai Tea Help You Lose Weight? 

There is always a get-fit-quick gimmick out there waiting for someone to try. You will always find guaranteed promises of losing lots of weight in a short amount of time. 

The best way to lose weight is by being consistent in your caloric intake and exercise routine. There is no quick fix for losing weight. 

With this being said, there are some foods and drinks that can help promote steady weight loss. For example, when you choose grilled chicken over breaded, you have made a great choice that will aid in steady weight loss. 

What about chai tea? Can this tea that is filled with herbs help aid in your weight loss journey? 

All the spices in chai tea can help break down the calories that you eat and reduce the number of calories that your body absorbs. However, you do need to be careful with just how much chai tea you drink a day. 

Since there is milk and other added sweeteners in the tea, it can end up having an adverse effect. As long as you drink no more than two cups of chai tea a day, you should be fine. 

Does Drinking Chai Tea Make You Sleepy? 

Everyone knows that if you need a pick-me-up, you reach for something with caffeine. Coffee and energy drinks are great sources of caffeine that can put a zing in your step. 

When it is time for bed, typically a warm cup of tea or warm milk can help put you to sleep. This being said, can you drink tea that won’t make you sleepy? 

Does chai tea make you drowsy or give you energy?

Though tea is known as something to drink before bedtime, drinking chai tea will not make you drowsy. However, you can try different types of chai teas that may have a calming effect. 

For example, you can drink peppermint chai tea or chai with chamomile to help you fall asleep. If you are looking for energy, a cup of chai tea does not contain the same amount of caffeine as coffee. 

Coffee has about three times more caffeine than chai tea does. Drinking chai tea can give you a tiny burst of energy, but not nearly as big as a cup of coffee can. 

Chai tea is more or less just a great tea to drink and not something to depend on for energy or sleep.  

Final Thoughts

Whether you are looking for a new tea to try, a substitute for coffee, or a way to fall asleep at night, somehow chai tea can do it all. 

If you are looking for a pick me up in the afternoon, chai tea’s black tea leaves can provide that. 

If you are looking for something to help sleep at night, swap out a few spices and add chamomile or peppermint to help fall asleep faster. 

You can now enjoy your next cup of chai tea knowing that it has some great added health benefits too.