Nothing beats a warm, creamy cup of chai in the morning or, for that matter, in the afternoon or evening. You might be wondering, before getting out the kettle and steeping a cup after supper, you may be wondering, “Does chai tea have caffeine?”.
About Chai Tea
The word “chai” simply means tea in India, where chai tea originated.
It is typically brewed with a base of black Assam tea with spices including black pepper, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon.
The typical way to make chai in India is to combine it with steamed milk (either cow’s milk or almond milk), then add honey to make it sweeter.
While black tea is commonly used in traditional chai, there are numerous additional spiced tea or masala tea beverages that go by the name and many of which incorporate chai’s spices and flavors with other types of tea, such as:
- Chai green tea
- Rooibos chai
- Chai white tea
- Matcha chai
- Chai lattes
Caffeine in Tea
It’s crucial to take the caffeine content into account when choosing a tea, whether you want a small boost in the morning or are attempting to avoid caffeine altogether.
Teas containing caffeine range from those with trace quantities to those with significant levels of about half of what you’d get in a cup of coffee.
No caffeine is present in herbal or rooibos teas at all. In search of a milder morning pick-me-up that still contains some caffeine, many people turn to tea as an alternative to coffee
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Does Chai Tea have Caffeine?
- Warm milk, sweetener, spices, and black tea are used to make chai.
- And that black tea has caffeine unless you’re purchasing a particular decaffeinated chai.
- Depending on a variety of conditions, the amount of caffeine you’ll consume in one cup fluctuates.
- Depending on how the brew is made, a typical cup of Prana Chai might contain anywhere between 20 and 100mg of caffeine.
More Things To Know
- You can cut the caffeine content by 80% if you shorten the steeping period.
- The amount of caffeine in “chai lattes” made with powders or concentrates may differ from those made with the spice blend.
- One cup of chai made from powder contains 25–55 mg of caffeine, however, chai made from concentrate is more likely to have 30–35 mg.
Other Things To Know
If you compare that to the 120mg in a typical cup of coffee, it becomes clear that sticking to coffee beans is definitely the best option if you want to be a vibrant bag of beans.
But it’s not quite that easy. Tea tannin serves to soothe the nervous system, and it combines with caffeine in chai.
It is a compound that makes caffeine considerably more slowly absorbed by your body, allowing you to achieve calm, concentrated states without the hyperactivity that results from drinking coffee.
How does Chai Tea Compare to Coffee?
Traditional morning beverages that can help you wake up include tea and coffee. However, even a potent chai tea beverage contains less caffeine than coffee.
Eight ounces of coffee contain 120 milligrams of caffeine, compared to 60 mg in a standard cup of black chai tea.
More Details
Additionally, tea provides a more sustained energy boost than coffee, which starts off stronger but climbs and declines more quickly.
When the caffeine wears off from this spike, it results in unpleasant side effects including jitters and crashes.
Because chai tea contains less caffeine and is absorbed by our systems more slowly, adverse effects of that nature will be less noticeable if you drink it.
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How Much Chai Is Safe To Drink?
Chai tea is very healthy. But there can be too much of a good thing, as they say. The FDA advises that the recommended daily upper limit for caffeine consumption is 400 mg.
However, there are personal aspects that can influence how much caffeine an individual should eat, such as:
You shouldn’t take as much caffeine while pregnant or nursing.
The American Pregnancy Association advises taking half as much as the average individual does per day or less than 200 milligrams.
Final Words:
Finally, even with black tea, the amount of caffeine in classic chai tea is far lower than that of coffee, and there are a ton of caffeine-free versions available. When brewing your favorite cup of chai tea, be sure to use high-quality, organic loose-leaf tea rather than sugar.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Much Caffeine is in Chai Tea vs Coffee?
One cup of chai made from powder contains 25–55 mg of caffeine, however, chai made from concentrate is more likely to have 30–35 mg.
2. Is Chai Tea Stronger than Coffee?
Not really.
3. Will Chai Tea Keep Me Awake?
Its levels could not even be high enough to wake you up.
4. Does Chai Tea Have More Caffeine Than Regular Tea?
No, it doesn’t.
5. Does Chai Tea Make You Poop?
Chai tea can make you poop.
6. What Is Chai Tea Good For?
Antioxidants including catechins and theaflavins are abundant in chai tea.
7. Is It OK To Drink Chai Tea Every Day?
It’s not that bad to decide to drink chai tea every day.
8. What Are The Side Effects Of Chai Tea?
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Poor sleep
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Nausea
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Heartburn
9. Is Chai Anti-Inflammatory?
Yes, it is.
10. Does Chai Tea Raise Blood Pressure?
Chai tea lowers blood pressure.
How would you like your chai tea to be prepared? Are you a lover of Starbucks chai lattes, or are you trying to quit drinking chai tea? Let us know about your chai habit in the comments section below.
