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Chai is one of the most popular milk teas in the world. It’s spicy, rich, creamy, and just a pure delight to drink. If you are reading this, you already know that. But is chai tea good for you? Or is its main benefit a super delicious flavor?

Let’s see.

What is Chai tea?

Chai is an Indian tea made with black tea leaves, milk and sugar. It can be spiced – masala chai – or made without spices – simply chai. Masala chai is by far the most popular type of chai as spices make it incredibly warming and soothing.

So, what exactly is masala chai made of? A few very simple ingredients that are carefully blended for the perfect taste.

• Spices – usually 3-4 different spices, most commonly ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamo
• Milk – full fat milk or a plant-based milk alternativ
• Sugar – often LOTS of sugar to balance out the astringency of black te
• Black tea leaves – Assam or some other strong black te
• Water

You can make your own masala chai blend at home or use a pre-made chai blend and prepare it in a few different ways. A great thing about pre-made chai blends is that they are always blended to taste delicious with or without milk and sugar.

A cup of pure black tea will undoubtedly have almost zero calories and lots of beneficial compounds. But what makes it healthy or not is actually a combination of many factors.

Is Chai tea good for you?

Let think of a soup. There are hundreds of different soups. Some are clear, some are creamy. Some are made with vegetables, some with meat. Each ingredient you add to your soup will make it more or less healthy, more or less nutritious. Then, the choice of ingredients matters too, are they fresh, organic, and so on.

Chai tea is the same. There is no doubt every chai will provide some benefits, but which ones will ultimately depend on the ingredients and the way you prepare it.

Every traditional chai tea will contain black tea, commonly Assam. Assam black tea contains minerals, vitamins, thearubigins, theaflavins, theanine, and most interestingly, more EGCG than Darjeeling or Kanga black teas from India [1].

The total antioxidant activity will depend not only on the way you make it, but also on the leaf type. Studies showed that whole leaf Assam tea will provide a better antioxidant activity and higher amounts of all minerals (magnesium, manganese, copper, iron and calcium) than Assam tea dust or Assam broken leaf [2].  

Then, there are spices, which may also provide certain benefits, depending on the type. For example, ginger is often used for reducing nausea and improving digestion [3] and cinnamon may provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action and help protect against neurological disorders [4].

But chai tea can have a “bad” side too, and it’s mostly related to sugar. When prepared authentically, chai will contain sugar, usually at least a teaspoon or two per cup (sometimes even over 4!). It also contains milk, which will add additional calories and fat.

Now let’s look at specific types of chai, depending on the preparation method.

Is masala chai good for you?

Masala chai, when made traditionally, will contain all the spices and black tea, plus 1-2 teaspoons of sugar and usually about 50% of milk. It can be made with more milk too. Masala chai is usually served from smaller cups and tea and spices are simmered. It will provide all the benefits of black tea and spices, but also calories from sugar and milk. To get the best creamy texture, full fat milk is often the best choice.  

Is chai latte good for you?

Chai latte is made by steeping rather than simmering and with 1/3 to ½ cup of steamed and frothed milk. Since tea leaves are not simmered, they will be less astringent, so you won’t be needing as much sugar. Lower fat milk types will work well too.

Is masala chai without milk good for you?

Masala chai without milk is not a traditional way of preparing chai, but it can still taste very delicious. Pre-made blends will have the perfect ratio of spices and black tea, often a whole leaf that will be less astringent and richer in nutrients than broken leaves. A cup of masala chai without milk and sugar will be virtually calorie free.

Try these:

• Apricot Chai made with whole leaf tea, cloves, vanilla, ginger and apricot
• Hollywood Chai with cinnamon, ginger and cardamom

Recap

Chai tea is undoubtedly a healthy drink, but just how healthy will depend on the ingredients you use and how you make it. Simple steeped chai tea and the most indulgent cup of creamy authentic masala chai will both provide benefits, but some may be richer in calories. Also, different type of leaf size and tea types will provide a different amount of nutrients, with whole leaf being a great option.  

References

[1] https://globalresearchonline.net/journalcontents/v65-2/14.pdf

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5380613/

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6341159/

[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003790/