Updated Dec 2023. I love chai and I'm always looking for something that satisfies my cravings. So far I have only once tried hand-making my own chai spice mix, and it didn't turn out well... I'll let you know if I ever come up with something good!
I don't drink tea as often now that I've finally joined team coffee, but I still love the occasional cup of chai and I like to try different kinds, so I'm occasionally updating and re-ranking this post.
Black¶
1. Rishi Masala Chai sachets¶
My mom found this and sent me some. Yum. My current favorite. I wish I could directly compare it to the Yogi. Good amount of cardamom, nice complex flavor, none of the spices overwhelm the others.
2. Lovejoy Masala Chai¶
Another one from Mom, found at the much-missed Lovejoy Tea Room in Portland, still available online. This one's a loose tea, and brews up quite nicely in a tea ball. Very pleasant flavor.
3. Yogi Chai Black¶
This used to be my #1, but I've moved it down since it's discontinued :-( I'm only keeping it here because I'm pretty sure it was better than everything below. Noticeable cardamom flavor, enough ginger and black pepper to give it a little zing without overwhelming.
4. Organic India Tulsi Masala Chai¶
Pleasant, mild, slightly spicy. Not enough cardamom for my taste. Not enough strength of flavor, but still more than a lot of the more boring ones.
5. Miracle Tree Organic Moringa Superfood Energy Infusion (Moringa Chai Infusion Tea)¶
Interesting. Not bad, but not sure I would call it chai. Not bad when your main goal is a ton of caffeine (supposedly it's like a cup and a half of coffee). I assume the distinctive flavor is from the moringa, it certainly doesn't taste like any black tea I've had.
Upon opening the package it had a kind of unpleasant odor, but after brewing, it tasted better than that first impression. It's at least interesting and unusual, more so than the boring brands mentioned below. I'll have to try it again and see if it grows on me.
Don't drink immediately before a long meeting or drive... I will say no more about that.
6. Equal Exchange Organic Chai¶
A contender for most boring "chai". There's some cardamom, but not much spice or black tea flavor. A bit of ginger aftertaste. It gets decent down at the bottom of the cup if you leave the teabag in.
7. Stash Chai Spice Black Tea¶
Bland. There's a bit of peppery spice to the aftertaste that lingers a long time, but while you're drinking it, overall it's too mild and forgettable. The black tea doesn't have much flavor either.
8. FGO Organic Chai Tea Bags¶
Very bland. Reminds me of the Stash tea.
9. Yogi Vanilla Spice Perfect Energy¶
Doesn't claim to be a spice chai per se, but I thought I'd give it a whirl as Yogi no longer seems to make caffeinated chai, and I like the idea of combining black and green teas, and hoped it would be a nice vanilla flavor maybe like the herbal Pukka vanilla chai.
Nope. It's very unpleasant. The flavor is dominated by medicinal-tasting herbs. Can't even taste any of the vanilla. It does have cinnamon and ginger, but I don't taste those either.
Herbal or decaf¶
1. Blue Lotus rooibos masala chai¶
By far the best herbal "chai" I've tried. This one's unusual in that it's neither a teabag nor a typical loose tea. Instead it's a powder that you mix a tiny scoopful into half a mug of hot water, then add the milk or substitute of your choice, and then warm that more (I pop it in the microwave for 30 secs but you could do on stovetop). The result is a real delight. They make a black tea version that I want to try too.
2. Yogi Chai Rooibos¶
This was my longtime favorite before trying the Blue Lotus above. Just as delicious as the black variety. This was briefly unavailable and I feared it was discontinued, but it's back!!
It definitely does have a little fruity taste to it from the rooibos, so if that's not your thing, maybe try something else.
2. Numi Rooibos Chai¶
I was excited to see this while the Yogi kind was unavailable. It's pretty decent, but I wish it was a little stronger. Pretty similar though.
3. Mate Factor Organic Yerba Mate Chai¶
I was skeptical since I had an impression that yerba mate was something I don't like, but this is quite pleasant and tasty. Would definitely prefer this over the lower-ranked black chais. Does it actually boost energy? I've no idea. It doesn't put me to sleep, anyway!
4. (tie) Pukka Vanilla Chai¶
Quite pleasant warming taste. Not very spicy, but it's complex enough to be interesting. There's quite a bit of a licorice flavor, in fact I notice that more than the vanilla.
4. (tie) Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice¶
Doesn't claim to be chai, but reminiscent and quite pleasant. It's strongest on the cinnamon and ginger - basically a slightly spicy cinnamon tea.
Green¶
1. Yogi Chai Green¶
Also discontinued! What the heck is wrong with Yogi these days?
More gingery than the other Yogi varieties. The ginger seems to pair well with the green tea flavor. It's not much like any black chai - green tea just has too different and strong a taste of its own. But I like what they've done with it, it's quite tasty. I know many people are horrified at the idea of adding milk or milk substitute to any green tea, but it goes well with this.