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Like so many other culinary traditions, the best chai is both familiar and flexible: It’s tea steeped with spices, sure, but it’s also regionally specific and deeply personal, with measurements and ingredients changing across communities and families around the world. Whatever your personal chai recipe or how it’s prepared—hot and comforting with plenty of sugar, steamed with milk (one could call this chai latte–style), or cold and refreshing as an iced tea—it’s a delicious beverage any time of day. These seven blends mean it’s easier than ever to make your best cup of chai yet.
One Stripe Chai Co.
So many coffee shop chai concentrates are overly sugary and too subtly spiced, which makes One Stripe’s flavorful, balanced bottles (in sweetened or unsweetened options) even more notable. The Portland, Oregan–based business also makes a range of organic tea blends including a standout masala chai—you can see a generous amount of whole spices like green cardamom pods and black peppercorns mixed in with the loose leaf chai—plus mango, rose, and low-caffeine options. —S.C.
Vahdam Teas
Some people enjoy a light-bodied, gentle chai flavor that eases its way onto the palate; I am not and will never be one of those people. My morning chai needs to have hands—if there aren’t bold notes of black pepper and cardamom slapping me in the face I don’t want it. Fortunately, Vahdam Teas makes a gorgeous Double Spice Masala Chai just for the folks who need a tea with a lil’ extra oomph. If big, punchy chai spice isn’t your cup of tea (ha!), try Vahdam’s fragrant Saffron Masala Chai instead. —Chala Tyson Tshitundu, associate editor
Chaiwala
I’ll be honest, I don’t make real chai all too often—but when I do, I always reach for the handy pink pouch of Rose Chai blend from Chaiwala. The rose and cardamom perfume my kitchen as the tea leaves infuse on the stove and impart a delicate floral flavor to the final cup I can’t resist. Also, the foolproof directions on the back of package are great for loose-leaf tea first-timers. Pro tip: Use evaporated milk for an extra rich and creamy cup of chai. —Zaynab Issa, associate food editor
Madhu
Known for its chocolate bars with Indian-inspired flavors like rose pistachio, cardamom, and vanilla fennel, this Austin-based chocolate shop also sells a fragrant masala chai blend that’s made using Assam black tea and spices. Pair it with a dark masala chai chocolate bar and you’ve got a fun gift for any spiced tea lover. —S.C.
The Chai Box
Monica Sunny sources Indian tea and spices from Kerala for her chai blends, each of which pays tribute to a distinct region or culture of India. Punjaban Party features candied ginger root in addition to cardamom, fennel, and clove. Parsi Dream is an herbaceous mix with lemongrass, ginger, and mint. The star of Coconut Mela is—you guessed it—coconut, both raw and toasted. For a traditional masala chai (is there such a thing?), opt for All Chai’d Up or the convenient chai concentrate. There’s even a blend with rooibos if you’re off caffeine. And if you can’t decide? Grab the six-bag sampler set and do a taste test. For anyone invited to my house for dinner, I can think of worse hostess gifts… —MacKenzie Chung Fegan, senior commerce editor
Diaspora Co.
It will never cease to amaze me that with just a spoonful of chai masala, a bag of black tea leaves, and some milk, I can have a mug of something creamy, rich, thoroughly warming, and unbelievably flavorful in five minutes flat. The brains at Diaspora Co. spent four years sourcing spices—and testing various combinations—to yield their perfect cup. It’s super heady and aromatic, a dynamic dance of spice and sweetness that makes my mouth, throat, and nose tingle in the best way. For this blend, I recommend following Diaspora Co.’s masala chai recipe: Simmering the spice mix in hot water before adding tea (or omit the tea entirely for a caffeine-free steamer), milk, and sweetener helps it evenly disperse and strengthen the flavor. —Sarah Jampel, former senior cooking editor
Anjali’s Cup
Like Diaspora Co.’s blend, Anjali’s Cup sells chai masala—spice blends that you add to your own tea (or, for that matter, to granola or oatmeal or coffee). They offer two flavors, one with extra ginger and one with turmeric and saffron. Aside from the high-quality turmeric, which owner Anjali Bhargava sources fresh from Hawaii, the single-origin ingredients come from Burlap & Barrel, one of BA’s favorite spice brands. This was my first foray into making chai with ground spices, and at first I followed the included instructions, which call for adding ¼ teaspoon of masala to a brewed cup of black tea. But my preferred method was to instead simmer equal parts water and milk before dropping in a full teaspoon of the spices and a tea bag (you could also use loose leaves) and letting it steep for eight minutes. I found myself pleasantly surprised by the zippy ginger, which made for a spicy chai that packed a hardy punch straight to the back of my throat with each sip. —Megan Wahn, associate commerce editor