It is perfect for colder days when all you want to do is sit inside your local coffee shop to watch the world go by. It is a relaxing beverage afterall.
While you can go to your favorite coffee house to buy this spicy hot drink, you can also make it yourself at home using a few simple ingredients.
However, it does often contain high amounts of sugar when bought at a coffee house.
Despite that, it does have its health benefits and can help you to relax due to its calming nature.
If you are too nervous to bite the bullet when it comes to trying it, yet still want to know what it tastes like – well then, you have come to the right place.
In this article we shall take a look at what vanilla chai tea is, as well as how you can make your own.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s go!
What Actually Is Vanilla Chai Tea?
The funny thing about chai tea is that you are actually calling it ‘tea tea’. This is because chai actually originates from India, and in Hindi it just means ‘tea’.
Chai tea has become very westernized and is a take on Masala chai.
Masala chai is the original Indian version of the chai tea. It is spicy and can include the likes of ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and pepper – among other things.
In western cultures this tea was mixed with frothy milk and highly sweetened, yet the spice is still present within the drink to keep it warm.
Often big chain coffee houses use cinnamon as a key ingredient in their chai tea – or lattes.
Vanilla chai tea on the other hand is a lot smoother and delicate. It does include frothy milk and is very rich toi drink. This makes it extra indulgent and delicious to drink.
Are There Any Benefits To Drinking Vanilla Chai Tea?
Chai tea made from scratch has many health benefits due to the spices used, however, if you were to buy it from a coffee shop, then be prepared to drink a high sugar version.
This is due to the fact coffee shops like to make very sweet versions that taste great and look good.
Making your own has many benefits for your health. Spices are known to have lots of health properties. For example, cinnamon is very high in antioxidants, and it may help with lowering blood sugar levels and protect against heart disease.
The drink itself is often low calorie when made by yourself. This means it is a great alternative to something like hot cocoa during the colder months.
The black tea also will have health benefits too. For example, it may improve gut and heart health, as well as lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol.
If the chai tea uses real vanilla such as beans or an extract, then this could also include health benefits in the hot beverage. However, this is not true for flavorings or chemicals.
Some of the benefits of vanilla include helping to reduce overall sugar intake, antioxidant properties, and potential anti-inflammatory properties too – among many more things.
However, it does all depend on how the chai tea is made and what ingredients are used to make it.
If you load it with lots of sugar and dairy products, then it isn’t going to be a healthy drink no matter how beneficial spices are.
Premixed chai tea packets are also loaded with lots of sugar. For this reason, you may want to make your own to make the healthiest version possible.
What Does Vanilla Chai Tea Taste Like?
Vanilla chai tea is made up of a spicy tea that has vanilla as an extra flavor. Because the chai flavor is unique and easy to distinguish from other teas, it can be an obvious one to recognize.
Chai tea has a warming sensation with notes of different aromatic spices. It isn’t too spicy however, so do not be put off if spicy food isn’t your favorite to eat.
When vanilla is added, it can sometimes bring floral notes to the spicy tea. This is true for both flavorings and real vanilla when added to the tea.
It can bring down the spicier notes to create a calming tea that has both a wonderful taste and smell.
When sugar and milk is added, the tea tastes much sweeter but also creamier. If you are not usually a fan of black tea, then your mind will be changed once you drink this wonder in a cup!
Just to note, vanilla chai tea is very westernized due to big coffee shop chains giving it a milder flavor compared to the original.
It will satisfy your sweet tooth, as well as any cravings for mild spice and a satisfying beverage.
How To Make Your Own Vanilla Chai Tea?
If you are looking for a simple and easy way to make your own vanilla chai tea at home, then look no further. Here is a quick guide on how to make a vanilla chai tea:
What You Need
Two chai tea bags
Two cups of milk (dairy or non-dairy)
Two tablespoons of sugar (you can use sweetener as an alternative)
Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Quarter teaspoon of cinnamon
One eighth teaspoon of nutmeg
One eighth teaspoon of cloves
How To Make
Step 1
On a low to medium heat boil the milk until it starts to begin to steam. To test its temperature, it should be around 130 degrees. Once it is ready, remove it away from the heat.
Step 2
Add the two chair tea bags into the milk and allow it to steep for around five minutes.
Step 3
Once five minutes have passed, squeeze the tea bags with tongues to get more flavor out of each one. Remove them when you are satisfied with how much tea has come out of the bags.
Step 4
Now is the time to add the spices and the vanilla. Mix all of the ingredients together to blend it well. If you want a frothy texture, use a whisk to do so.
Your drink is now ready to be consumed! Add a cinnamon stick to add extra spice, and as a way to make the drink look attractive.
What Is The Best Way To Serve Vanilla Chai Tea?
Drinking vanilla chai tea on its own is perfectly fine, however you may want to make it more interesting sometimes. For that reason, here are some ideas:
Cookies
Because vanilla chai tea is a milky beverage, pairing it with cookies is an obvious choice. Whether you opt for chocolate or want to keep it simple, most flavors compliment the spices of the chai tea.
Don’t be afraid to dip the cookies into the chair tea, either!
Cinnamon Stick
While a cinnamon stick is purely there to add a steady stream of extra spice into the drink, it also looks nice. Plus the cinnamon adds some sweetness to the vanilla chai tea as well.
You can also use it to stir the drink – just do not try to eat it.
Potato Chips
You probably already know this, but salt and sweet complement each other very nicely. Because vanilla chai tea is sweet and potato chips are salty, they marry wonderfully together.
This makes potato chips an obvious snack choice.
Final Thoughts
If you are unsure what vanilla chai tea tastes like, then you are in for a real treat. It is both warming and naturally sweet, and will easily become your new go-to during the colder months.
While you can buy it from your local favorite coffee house, you may want to make your own. Not only is it an inexpensive alternative, but it can also be better for your health.
This is because coffee house chai teas are often full of sugar and dairy products to help make the drink even sweeter and creamier.
While this is fine to drink on occasion, you may want to make your own if you are planning on drinking it most days.
The taste of a vanilla chai is spicy and floral, and the smell is incredible. Are you ready to try it yet?
Two tablespoons of sugar (you can use sweetener as an alternative)
Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Quarter teaspoon of cinnamon
One eighth teaspoon of nutmeg
One eighth teaspoon of cloves
Directions
On a low to medium heat boil the milk until it starts to begin to steam. To test its temperature, it should be around 130 degrees. Once it is ready, remove it away from the heat.
Add the two chair tea bags into the milk and allow it to steep for around five minutes.
Once five minutes have passed, squeeze the tea bags with tongues to get more flavor out of each one. Remove them when you are satisfied with how much tea has come out of the bags.
Now is the time to add the spices and the vanilla. Mix all of the ingredients together to blend it well. If you want a frothy texture, use a whisk to do so.
Your drink is now ready to be consumed! Add a cinnamon stick to add extra spice, and as a way to make the drink look attractive.
Hi, I’m Aubrey, and I have been a chef for close to 8 years. Cooking has always been a passion of mine, as long as I can remember. I loved my play kitchen when I was a kid, and would offer my parents my own (albeit gross) cookie recipes to taste!
Here at ButterandSaltGatherings, I want to offer a wide range of ingredients, flavors, meals and recipes so that you can start living each day to the fullest, and enjoy only the best food.
