Whether it’s latte or coffee, or tea, there’s no doubt that we all love to have drinks made of caffeine and milk. Two drinks, in particular, have been the topic of debate for quite a while now. While some people think that chai latte is better, some others love to give the title of best to the latter.
What is important to note is that they are both great substitutes for caffeine-filled drinks for people trying to quit coffee. If you’re looking to understand both drinks and how they differ from each other, you’re in luck. This article will explain the origin of both drinks, how to make them, and the features that differentiate them.
What is Chai Latte?
Chai latte is something that everyone has drunk, even if they don’t know its name. It’s of Indian origin, and it’s the prevalent drink among adults in that area.
Although its name is of Chinese origin( originally called Cha), it has been renamed chai latte due to its increasing popularity in the United States in the early 1990s. Basically, this drink comprises a mixture of black tea, milk, water, and other aromatic spices.
Some backstory
As mentioned previously, this drink has a deep Indian historical link. Immediately this drink was created, a lot of people loved it. The Chai tea quickly became a popular choice in local tea shops and houses. In fact, many shop owners said that it sold out faster than any other tea variant.
But what if we told you that this Indian masterpiece wasn’t initially created for consumption? They were initially created to be a decoction of green cardamom pods, ground cloves, ground gingers, etc. In fact, the retail versions of chai tea today still contain concentrates.
The reason why so many teas originate from India is that Indians see tea as medicinal. In contrast, many teas today are consumed for recreational or habitual purposes.
How to prepare it
You may be thinking Chai tea is hard to create, but that couldn’t be further from the case. The way it is prepared varies across families, but the ingredients majorly stay the same. These are the ingredients you would need:
- Black tea: This is what makes up most of the chai tea. Without it, there would be no chai tea. Unfortunately, there are a lot of impure and excessively processed variants that don’t quite capture the beauty of this tea. That said, you need to pick out quality black tea. This black tea would most likely contain some amounts of caffeine, but only about one-third the quantity in coffee.
- Tea leaves: This is what gives the chai latte its lovely aroma. Some people have said that asides from its exhilarating taste, they also buy the chai latte for its pleasant aroma. This should tell you that the tea leaves are a large part of the equation.
- Milk: Naturally, milk is involved in most beverages derived from cocoa. Milk helps to balance out the taste of caffeine, helping to make it milder and more creamy.
- Water: What’s a drink without water? Water is no doubt one of the essential ingredients.
- Ginger: Ginger is more or less optional, depending on how you make it. However, many people have said that ginger helps to improve the taste of the chai latte.
- Sweeteners: This is another optional ingredient to add, and luckily, there are many sweeteners for you to choose from. Some of them include plain sugar, coconut sugars, syrup, honey, and so on. Due to their highly sweetening properties, all you would need to do is to add a few drops. That should do the trick.
What is Vanilla Spice?
Vanilla spice is another fantastic drink that has only been around for a little while but has already made so much impact. Ever since Starbucks introduced this drink in 2012, they have recorded so much patronage. Also, many other coffee and tea places have copied this recipe and did an excellent job at it.
In fact, this drink is so popular and easy to make that many people have decided to make it at home. To make it, all you would need to do is to add all the ingredients together in a cup and mix with hot water. After adequately blended, add cold water as desired.
How to prepare this drink
To prepare this drink, you would need a few ingredients.
These ingredients include:
- Four tablespoons of coffee
Naturally, the most essential ingredient of this drink is coffee. Like black tea, there are now many coffee grounds that have been altered and processed differently. That said, it is essential for you to make sure the coffee grounds are original and unaltered before purchasing. Otherwise, you could end up with totally different results.
- Cinnamon sticks
Cinnamon sticks are another essential ingredient you must include in your vanilla slice recipe. If you don’t include it, the results you’ll get would be vastly different from the traditional vanilla spice.
- Three cardamom pods
Cardamom is a spice that a lot of people use to enhance the taste of their cooking. It also possesses a lot of medicinal benefits. You may have guessed it already, but this spice was also founded in India. They help to fight bacteria in the mouth and provide other medicinal benefits.
That said, it is another ingredient that can significantly influence the taste of your vanilla spice. It would be best for you to include it.
- 1 cup of almond breeze almond milk
Although you can use other types of milk, the best one to use is almond milk. This is because all the ingredients in vanilla spice mix best with almond milk. It also contains a low amount of calories, making it a beneficial type of milk to use.
- Sweeteners
Similar to its inclusion in chai latte, sweeteners are also optional. There are many variants of sweeteners, so it is best to choose the one you’re most comfortable with. For example, if you prefer honey, it would be best for you to include honey as your sweetener. If you prefer plain sugar, use sugar.
- Hot and cold water
Of course, you need water in general to make the tea. However, what you might not have known is that you need both hot and cold water. You need to use hot water during the mixing process to blend all the ingredients. After mixing successfully, you would need cold water to complete the process.
What is the difference between chai latte and vanilla spice?
As you can see above, there are a lot of similarities between chai latte and vanilla spice. For one, they both use most of the same ingredients and also involve similar mixing processes. However, there are some differences that distinguish the two clearly. They are:
- The main ingredients are different
As you can see above, vanilla spice uses ground, raw coffee, which is the choice of many when making drinks filled with caffeine. On the other hand, chai latte uses black tea, which is significantly different. Some people may like the taste of black tea but dislike the taste of ground coffee. Others may prefer the taste of ground coffee. Without a doubt, its taste determines what caffeine-filled beverage you would decide to go with.
- Vanilla spice contains way more caffeine than chai latte
When you taste both of these fantastic beverages, you would most likely not be able to determine the amount of caffeine in them. However, one crucial fact is that one of the main ingredients for vanilla spice is raw, ground coffee. On the other hand, chai latte contains black tea, which only averagely contains one-third of the amount of caffeine in raw coffee.
That said, if you’re looking for a beverage to give you a surge of energy within a short time, it would be better to opt for vanilla spice. However, if you’re looking for a drink to take recreationally and still allow you to get through the day, it would be better for you to opt for a chai latte.
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of caffeine-infused drinks and beverages worldwide. Each of them has its use and a demographic that loves them. In fact, some studies have shown that 400 million cups of coffee are consumed every day. Interestingly, Americans drink a significant fraction of those cups. 79% of Americans make coffee from their homes.
However, chai latte and vanilla spice are two drinks that appeal to a lot of people. They are similar in many ways yet have one distinguishing factor.
Chai latte is often used by people who want to have a fun time drinking caffeine recreationally and in informal settings. On the other hand, vanilla spice is often used by people who want something similar to the traditional
coffee recipe, but with extra things that add life to the drink.
It is crucial for you to note that one isn’t better than the other. Each of them has its uses and demographic it appeals to.