Affordable Chai Tea Options

One of my favorite beverages happens to also be the favorite of many other Americans: chai tea and all of its variants. With its unique blend of spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves, chai tea lovers will tell you that the taste of chai is like no other drink. This drink which can be served hot or cold is commonly available at any coffee shop location across America. A pleasant alternative to regular coffee beverages and spiced differently from regular plain teas, chai is one of the only drinks that I can walk into my favorite coffee shop and hear them tell me that they are simply out of the spice blend for the day, due to its incredible popularity. Sadly, the price of chai beverages tends to be far greater than regular coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Because of this, I have sought out several other sources of quality chai teas as affordable alternatives to ordering this beverage from my favorite coffee shops.

By far the most cost efficient, making your own batch of chai tea spices is actually fairly simple to do. The internet is full of great recipes for chai tea mixes, but my personal favorite is found off of allrecipes.com. This chai tea mix is simple to make and creates a batch large enough for thirty-six servings-definitely plenty of tea for your time. The greatest initial cost with this recipe is probably the ground cardamom, but it is well worth the investment. If you desire a stronger spice to sweetness ratio, simply reduce the amount of sugar that you put into your initial chai tea mix. This chai tea mix is wonderful for packaging and giving as gifts to your loved ones and stores well. The greatest negative with creating your own chai tea mix like this is the time required, but it's a worthwhile investment if you're looking for an alternative to the expensive chai recipes of coffee shops.

Another way to enjoy your own affordable chai tea is to order a pre-made mix. Chaidirect.com is my favorite online supplier of a huge selection of chai mixes and flavors variations. The mixes are sold either as dry powders to be dissolved into a hot (or cold) beverage or as liquid concentrates to be added to your liquid of choice. While the shipping and handling costs of ordering these mixes online can be discouraging, the prices are still much cheaper than the $3-$4 that you would be spending on a cup of chai tea at your local coffee shop. This is a great place to find a huge variety on the basic chai tea mixes, with a great range of flavors and sweetness variations.

Chai tea is a beverage that will continue to be a favorite of many people, and now through these simple methods it has also been made more affordable. Hopefully, the cost of chai tea will decrease in the future, but until then, try out these ways to enjoy your favorite beverage.