What Chai Does Starbucks Use? Brand, Ingredients, and Recipe Guide
Many customers enjoy chai drinks at Starbucks, especially the popular Chai Tea Latte. But a common question is: what chai does Starbucks use?
Starbucks prepares its chai drinks using a chai tea concentrate made with black tea and traditional spices. For many years, the company used Tazo Classic Chai Latte concentrate. However, as of 2026, Starbucks has begun transitioning to a new in-house “premium chai” blend that allows better control of sweetness and spice levels.
Quick answer: Starbucks chai drinks are made with a chai concentrate containing black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and other spices, traditionally based on the Tazo chai recipe, but newer stores are moving to a Starbucks premium chai blend.
What Kind of Chai Does Starbucks Use?
The chai used at Starbucks is not loose-leaf tea brewed in the traditional way. Instead, Starbucks uses a liquid chai concentrate designed for quick preparation in cafés.
The chai concentrate typically contains:
- Black tea
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Cardamom
- Clove
- Honey or sweetener
This concentrate is mixed with milk to make drinks such as the Chai Tea Latte or Iced Chai Latte.
What Brand of Chai Does Starbucks Use?
For many years, Starbucks chai drinks were made with Tazo Classic Chai Latte concentrate. Tazo was originally owned by Starbucks and remains widely available in grocery stores.
Customers who want to recreate the traditional Starbucks chai flavor at home often use Tazo Classic Chai Latte concentrate, since it closely matches the earlier recipe used in Starbucks cafés. For added sweetness without extra calories, many people also pair their homemade chai with Starbucks Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup, which enhances the flavor while keeping the drink low in sugar.
However, Starbucks has started introducing a new in-house chai concentrate that replaces the older Tazo formula in some locations.
Starbucks New Premium Chai Blend (2026)
Starting in 2026, Starbucks began rolling out a premium chai recipe with a slightly different flavor profile.
The new blend focuses on:
- Stronger ginger and spice flavor
- Less sweetness than previous chai concentrate
- Greater customization for syrups and milk choices
The updated chai mixture still includes traditional spices like cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and ginger, but it is designed to allow customers to control sweetness separately. To learn more about another popular tea ingredient used by Starbucks, read What Matcha Does Starbucks Use?.
How Starbucks Chai Drinks Are Made
Most Starbucks chai beverages are made using a 1:1 ratio of chai concentrate and milk.
Typical preparation:
- Pump chai concentrate into the cup
- Add steamed milk (for hot drinks) or cold milk with ice
- Optional syrups or sweeteners may be added
Customers can customize their drink by choosing:
- Dairy or plant-based milk
- Fewer pumps of chai concentrate
- Extra spices or flavored syrups
Popular Starbucks Chai Drinks
Some of the most common chai drinks at Starbucks include:
- Chai Tea Latte
- Iced Chai Tea Latte
- Dirty Chai Latte (chai with espresso)
- Chai Frappuccino
These drinks combine chai concentrate with milk, ice, or espresso depending on the recipe.
FAQs
What chai tea does Starbucks use?
Starbucks uses a chai tea concentrate made with black tea and spices like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and clove. Historically it was based on Tazo Classic Chai Latte concentrate, but newer locations are introducing a Starbucks premium chai blend.
Does Starbucks use Tazo chai?
Yes. Starbucks previously used **Tazo Classic Chai Latte concentrate for many years. While some stores still use it, Starbucks has begun transitioning to a new in-house chai recipe.
Is Starbucks chai tea sweet?
Starbucks chai concentrate is naturally sweetened, which gives chai drinks their sweet and spicy flavor. Customers can reduce sweetness by requesting fewer pumps of chai or adjusting syrups.
Can you buy the chai used at Starbucks?
You can buy Tazo Classic Chai Latte concentrate in grocery stores, which closely matches the traditional chai flavor used in Starbucks drinks.
