Chai tea or masala chai has become a popular beverage around the world. It is a traditional blend of black tea with Indian spices. Chai is a good substitute for coffee but does not have the same kick as caffeine. You have no reason to stop taking a sip of it.
Chai has many benefits that help you focus for a long time and improve clarity than coffee. Chai has simple components such as milk, tea leaves, sugar, spices, and herbs. However, the ingredients of chai that make tea lovers go gaga over it includes –
- Cardamom
- Black pepper
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Ginger
- Star anise
- People cannot hide their love or addiction to chai tea. Many still wonder does chai tea have caffeine. Krave Wellness will help you find the answer to this question and provide information on different types of tea and other wellness-related topics. Krave Wellness has curated health content.
The founder of Krave Wellness is a physician who develops content covering various wellness-related topics and edits them to help the readers. Let us explore the history of chai tea before talking about whether it has caffeine or not.
The history of chai
Chai is a Hindi term people use for tea. It is also one of the only Hindi words people know that carries more emotions and feelings than the English version. Chai tea or masala chai is a flavorful beverage made according to the drinker’s choice. Brew black tea with various spices and herbs and let the flavor kick in to get a flavorful hot drink.
The Indian continent is the birthplace of chai tea. However, it has gained recognition all over the world because of its beautiful aroma, savoring flavors, and the taste of secret ingredients. It has become one of the significant attractions in India. Everyone from teenagers to adults is all fond of this hot aromatic drink.
The blending of milk, black tea, and sugar is thousands of years old. The British cultivated the Camellia Sinensis Assamica tea plant. Their desire to drink a strong cup of tea has given birth to chai tea that you can find in cafes these days with different names, either chai tea, masala chai, or spiced tea.
Does chai have caffeine?
The answer is evident, yes, it has caffeine. Black tea contains caffeine, but the amount of caffeine varies. A regular cup of tea contains about 20 to 100mg of caffeine. The amount depends on the way you brew the tea. You can reduce the content of caffeine by 80% if you decrease the steeping time.
Chai lattes have less caffeine as people use concentrates or powders to make them. A cup of powdered form of chai has 25-55mg of caffeine. At the same time, the concentrated one is most likely to have30-35mg. In chai tea, caffeine interacts with tannin. The tannin in tea helps a person to calm the nervous system.
Tannin is a substance that helps the body in absorbing caffeine more slowly, so you can get into a focused state and calm without the hyperactivity you get after drinking coffee.