How Mixing Coffee and Tea Can Taste Great in a Dirty Chai

A Dirty Chai is Coffee a Mix of Chai Tea: Read All About this Popular Coffee and Tea Mix!

Ever wondered whether you could mix coffee and tea together? While this unlikely pairing isn’t usually a tasty sensation, when you do it right, you can actually make a delightfully spiked, caffeine-packed latte with lots of tea health benefits! We’re talking of course, about the popular dirty chai. Here, we’ll discuss this coffee and tea mix and everything you need to know to mix tea and coffee together the right way to get something delicious. 

Can you mix tea and coffee?

Yes, technically you can mix together whatever you’d like! However, due to the fact that both tea and coffee contain tannins, mixing tea and coffee can make your drink pretty bitter. However, in the case of a dirty chai, which is a popular drink that mixes coffee and tea, milk, spices, and sweeteners are added to combat the bitterness and create a delicious and creamy drink. 

So, if you want to mix tea and coffee and still wind up with a drink that tastes, well, edible. If you want to make a mix of tea and coffee that ALSO tastes good, consider also adding an ample amount of milk. A good dirty chai tea-to-milk ratio will have about 50 percent coffee and tea mixed (15% espresso, 25% tea) with 50 percent milk. 

What happens if you mix coffee and tea?

Mixing coffee and tea will create a fairly bitter and astringent beverage with 26 mg of caffeine per cup of tea and 95 mg of caffeine in coffee for a total of 121 mg of caffeine. To reduce bitterness and the effect of the tannins in coffee and tea, it can be helpful to add cream or milk. 

What is a dirty chai?

The Dirty Chai is a popular craft coffee drink that combines espresso and chai tea with steamed milk and usually, a sweetening agent of some kind. Dirty chai lattes are also often spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Basically, this drink is a cross between a spiced chai and an espresso latte. 

Does a dirty chai have coffee? 

Yes, a dirty chai contains espresso, which is finely ground coffee. Usually, the dirty chai consists of a shot or two of espresso, strongly brewed chai tea or a chai tea powder mix, and steamed milk. You can expect a dirty chai to contain between 110 and 170 mg of caffeine. 

How do you order a dirty chai without coffee? 

Instead of ordering a dirty chai, you can order a chai tea latte to avoid the espresso shots. The difference between a dirty chai vs a chai latte is that a dirty chai generally contains espresso, whereas a chai tea latte is like a latte with strongly brewed black tea instead.

However, be advised that some coffee shops use the term chai tea latte vs dirty chai interchangeably. Therefore, if you are looking to avoid espresso, it may be wise to craft your own chai lattes at home using a premium loose-leaf tea (like this yummy blend). Or, you can just ask the barista to skip the espresso first before placing your order. 

Can you get a caffeine-free dirty chai?

It depends! You can definitely make a caffeine-free dirty chai at home using decaf black tea, chai spices, and decaf espresso or coffee. If you are ordering at a coffee shop, you might be able to get a caffeine-free dirty chai. It all depends on whether they use a chai mix or brew from scratch, whether the shop serves caffeine-free black tea and other factors. 

What is a chai tea latte?

A chai tea latte is a type of latte crafted with steamed milk and often, flavorings or spices, like cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger. Served either hot or iced, this beverage does not contain coffee. Instead of espresso, a chai latte uses spiced chai tea. It’s good to keep in mind that some coffee shops do serve their chai tea latte with espresso, as a dirty chai. 

Is a chai tea latte the same as a dirty chai?

No, a chai tea latte and a dirty chai are two different drinks. The dirty chai latte is an espresso latte with fewer shots than usual per liquid oz, and chai tea added. In contrast, a chai tea latte is a steamed milk latte made with either freshly brewed chai tea or a powdered chai mix, in place of espresso. 

Is a chai tea latte sweet?

Yes, in both hot and iced formats, a chai tea latte can usually be expected to be very sweet. This is due to the fact that these lattes are often made with a sweetened powdered chai mix of some kind. If you want something that’s not as sweet, consider a dirty chai. The dirty chai drink has espresso, so it’s usually a little bit less on the sweet side. However, it all depends on where you are ordering from, as coffee shops have varying chai tea latte recipes. 

How to make a chai tea latte or dirty chai at home?

It’s easy to make a chai tea latte or a dirty chai at home! You can check out this in-depth chai blog that goes over the benefits of chai tea and also walks you through how to make hot and iced dirty chai drinks, chai tea lattes, and more!