Traditional Indian homemade chai is one of the most delicious and flavorful drinks I can imagine. It’s prepared with black tea, milk, and a variety of spices that have many health benefits.
Read this guide to find out what are the best chai brands and products for preparing this spicy and tasty drink at home!
Over the years I have tried many different chai blends. I found that only a few of them were worth buying again.
Whether you are looking for chai in tea bags or as loose leaf or instant tea, you can find something you will love in this guide.
Best Chai Tea Products:
- VAHDAM India’s Original Masala Chai – Best Authentic Chai Tea Bags
- Stash Tea Double Spice Chai – Good Tea Bags for Spicy and Tasty Chai
- Rishi Organic Masala Chai – Best Loose Leaf Chai Tea
- VAHDAM India’s Original Masala Chai – Aromatic Masala Chai Blend
- Blue Lotus Organic Masala Chai – Best Instant Chai Tea
Best Chai Brands & Products Reviewed
The great thing about ready-made chai blends is that they allow you to easily prepare delicious homemade masala chai. The problem with most of these blends is that they contain low-quality ingredients in the wrong ratio.
After trying out dozens of chai brands I have found only a few that I can recommend — and in this guide, I’ll review them!
In addition to making traditional Indian masala chai, you can use these products to prepare anything from vegan chai lattes to iced chai for hot summer days.
Best Chai Tea Bags
If you want to enjoy a cup of delicious chai without too much hassle, you can use tea bags to brew it.
Just add some boiling hot water to the cup with a tea bag and brew it for at least 5 minutes. Then add milk and sugar to your liking.
Here are my favorite chai tea bags for making a fast and hassle-free cup of chai:
VAHDAM India’s Original Masala Chai
Amount: 30 tea bags
- Type: Chai tea bags
Amount: 30 tea bagsVAHDAM India’s Original Masala Chai is a great product and the box contains 30 individually packed tea bags (also available in a box of 100 tea bags).
I love VAHDAM’s Masala Chai Tea Bags for their authentic, rich flavors. They blend fresh, aromatic Indian spices with robust black tea, creating a perfectly balanced and invigorating chai. Also, the brand’s commitment to freshness and sustainability seals this as my top pick.
This is the closest to authentic chai tea you can get by using tea bags!
Stash Tea Double Spice Chai
- Amount: 100 tea bags
- Type: Chai tea bags
Stash Tea Double Spice Chai is a chai blend that produces a very spicy and tasty chai tea.
What really sets the Double Spice Chai apart from other similar products is the intensity and richness of the spices. Stash has doubled the amount of cinnamon, clove, and cardamom in these tea bags, resulting in a bold and spicy flavor that’s both exhilarating and deeply satisfying.
This robust spice profile pairs beautifully with the strong black tea base, creating a full-bodied and aromatic experience in every cup.
I think there aren’t that many great chai tea bags available, but Stash Tea Double Spice Chai is definitely worth trying!
Best Loose Leaf Chai
The idea of a loose leaf chai blend is that someone already picked up the right amount of high-quality black tea and spices, and mixed them in the right ratio.
Now, all you have to do to prepare a spicy and authentic chai is to brew it the same way you would when preparing it from the beginning.
Using a loose leaf chai blend saves you the trouble of acquiring each ingredient separately.
In my experience, the problem is that it’s hard to find a ready-made blend that produces a satisfactory experience.
Here are the only two chai blends for which I can guarantee that they have the right high-quality ingredients in the right proportion:
Rishi Organic Masala Chai
- Amount: 16 oz / 1 lb (450 g)
- Type: Organic loose leaf chai tea blend
In my opinion, Rishi Masala Chai is the best loose leaf chai blend.
The great thing about this product is that all the ingredients are organic and of very high quality.
It really includes everything you need for an authentic Indian masala chai: black tea, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, black pepper, and cloves.
I feel like this loose leaf chai also has everything in the right proportion. Just remember to gently stir or shake the contents of the bag before making the chai. This ensures that you get the right amount of each ingredient.
Rishi Masala Chai produces a rich and spicy tasting authentic chai experience.
I can really recommend this product to everyone!
VAHDAM India’s Original Masala Chai
- Amount: 12 oz (340 g)
- Type: Loose leaf chai tea blend
VAHDAM India’s Original Masala Chai is a blend made of organic Assam black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, and cloves.
The ingredients are directly sourced, high-quality tea and spices, that come in a resealable one-pound bag.
When you open the bag the first time, you can smell the freshness and quality of the ingredients are top-notch. Just take your time and prepare your chai the traditional way, and you will get a truly delicious tasting masala chai.
This chai blend is the real deal!
How to Make Chai at Home?
When you have a ready-made blend, preparing masala chai at home is easy.
Here are simple instructions for preparing 2 servings of chai:
- Boil 1 cup (2.4 dl) of water and add 2 teaspoons of the loose leaf chai blend (about 5 grams).
- Cover and simmer on low heat for at least 5 minutes. You can also simmer it for a longer time, I recommend about 10-15 minutes or more.
- Add 1 cup of full-fat milk and heat it while constantly stirring until it becomes simmering hot again. Let it simmer for a few minutes while stirring.
- Add the amount of sugar (e.g. 2-4 teaspoons) or honey (or other sweetener) and stir.
- Strain the chai into mugs and enjoy!
You can adjust the amount of tea blend, water, milk, and sugar to your liking.
Of course, you can also leave the water out and prepare it with just milk. Or leave the milk out entirely, and enjoy it black.
My Favorite Instant Chai
Usually, I don’t drink instant teas. They often seem to be blends of mostly sugar, with some cheap ingredients and artificial flavors.
However, with chai, there is one exception, so I decided to include it in this guide.
Blue Lotus Chai – Traditional Masala Chai
- Amount: 3 oz (85 g)
- Type: Organic instant chai blend
Blue Lotus Chai is available in six different tastes. They all sound interesting, and probably all of them are very good. I have only tried their Traditional Masala Chai, which is a winner of a Silver medal in 2019 Sofi Awards in Tea Category.
This instant tea doesn’t contain any sugar or other sweeteners.
The product consists of brewed and dried black tea powder and organic ground spices including ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, and cloves.
This instant chai is prepared by mixing the powder with hot water or milk (or other liquid). Then you can add the desired amount of sugar or honey (or other sweetener).
It produces a surprisingly good masala chai in just a few seconds.
Blue Lotus Chai is also available in a one-pound bag.
I recommend that you mix the contents of the can before using it. This ensures that you get the right amount of each ingredient when you make the tea.
Blue Lotus Traditional Masala Chai is the easiest and fastest way to enjoy some tasty Indian tea!
Why Use a Ready-Made Chai Blend?
Unless you live in the Indian subcontinent, it is very hard to find proper chai in most coffee shops or restaurants.
Your best bet is going to an authentic Indian restaurant and to check their menu for it. I have found that some of them serve excellent masala chai.
Making masala chai at home is a great option for enjoying this delicious and spicy drink.
If you want to buy all the ingredients and prepare it from the beginning, I recommend that you read my recipe for authentic masala chai tea.
However, sometimes it can be hard to find everything you need, or maybe you just want to make things a bit easier.
Chai Has Many Health Benefits
The mixture of spices used for making authentic chai contains an amazing amount of beneficial compounds.
Here are the most important health benefits of masala chai:
Digestion and Nausea: Chai typically contains ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and black pepper which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These ingredients aid digestion and support respiratory functions. Ginger is an effective remedy for conditions such as acid reflux and IBS (Irritable bowel Syndrome) and can also be used to reduce nausea and vomiting.
Energy and Cognitive Function: The black tea in chai contains caffeine and boosts energy levels while the cinnamon contains anti-inflammatory agents that can protect the brain and improve cognitive performance.
Weight Loss: Ginger and black pepper contain compounds that can reduce the feeling of hunger. Piperine found in black pepper also blocks new fat cells from forming. In addition, caffeine gives you more energy to exercise and stimulated metabolism.
Cardiovascular Health: Chai is good for your heart because cinnamon can lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and black tea is good for reducing bad cholesterol.
Immunity: The anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects of cardamom help with improving immune function. Combining it with ginger and black pepper makes it even more effective.
Arthritis: Drinking chai made with ginger, turmeric, and cloves may reduce symptoms of arthritis and provide some pain relief.
Check out this guide to read more about the benefits of chai.
Chai FAQ
Is masala chai healthy?
Masala chai includes several herbs and spices that provide many health benefits. Chai promotes healthy digestion, weight loss, and heart health. It also contains anti-inflammatory compounds that may help with reducing arthritis symptoms and stimulate the immune system.
What is the best chai tea brand?
My favorite chai brand is Rishi. Their chai blend is made with organic high-quality ingredients and produces an authentic and delicious chai.
What are the best chai tea bags?
I can recommend Vahdam Original Masala Chai as the best option for chai tea bags. It is hard to make a really good chai with tea bags but this is a great option when you want to make your tea quick and without any hassle.
What is the best loose leaf chai tea?
Rishi Organic Masala Chai is by far the best loose leaf chai that I have tried. It has all the important ingredients in the right proportion.
Can chai tea help with weight loss?
Yes, chai can help with weight management because it reduces the feeling of hunger. In addition, it increases your energy levels and metabolism and helps to avoid the formation of new fat cells.
Chai is one of my favorite drinks, and sometimes it’s nice to prepare it from the beginning by acquiring all the ingredients and adjusting the proportions according to my liking.
However, this is a quite laborious task, and often it can be hard to find all the necessary ingredients, especially in good quality.
In this guide, I have introduced my favorite chai brands and products, which make preparing a tasty chai much easier and more convenient.
Whether you want to make a pot full of chai for the whole family, drink a cup of chai by yourself, or get an instant delight of this sweet and spicy beverage, you can find the right product here.
Please post a comment below, and let me know what is your favorite chai brand.
Have a great time, relax, and enjoy your chai!
-Joonas
Great-looking site and nice article about the Best Chai tea brands, this is definitely easy homemade healthy drinks! Blue Lotus Chai as Cinnamon flavor sounds like my perfect pick. Cinnamon is awesome, good tea is awesome. Good cinnamon tea has to be superb! I have my “secret” source for quality organic teas cause my friend is coffee and cafe brewer owner and they not only buy quality fair trade coffee but also great teas all around the world. However, thanks for sharing this, I will take a further look at your website and pick some other articles as well.
-Kind regards Jesse
Thanks for commenting Jesse!
Nice to hear that you find my website interesting. I also want to try Blue Lotus Cinnamon flavor, I’m sure it’s super tasty! You are lucky to have a friend who can provide you with quality teas and coffees. It’s also great that Amazon has such a large variety of products nowadays, so everyone can enjoy good quality tea and have it conveniently delivered to home.
Best Regards,
Joonas
I am a big tea drinker but actually I have only tried Lipton. I know I need to expand and this review has given me some great options.
I am interested in a couple of options here but I think I would like to start with the tea bags. It seems very simple yet it is going to be great for the taste buds.
I am very happy they sell it at Amazon which makes it super easy to purchase. I will have some of this in my home in a few days. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Nate,
I think it’s a good idea to at least give chai tea a try. You might even like it so much that you will become a regular chai drinker, that’s what happened to me. Authentic chai tea is really a treat for your taste buds!
-Joonas
Being a Filipino, I loved drinking chai tea with my fellow Indian workers when I was in Saudi Arabia. They taste great specially the masala chai tea. I usually drink coffee but chai tea is different with its soothing goodness. And It lifts up your spirit. Nice post.
Thanks for commenting, Emilio. Nice to hear your experience related to Chai!
My oldest daughter loves chai tea. I personally have always thought that it was only mediocre but I have not tried it anywhere that might make it correctly. I will have to try it one of the ways that you have recommended but no honey, yuck..lol
Hi Briget,
I recommend that you try making authentic chai tea at least one time. You can add sugar for sweetener, or just leave it out if you want. I usually add some sugar, but not as much as they do in India.
-Joonas
I am loving all of this… Amazing taste! When you drink your favorite tea, you simply rest! No worries! Homemade chai tea is what we need to have after a long working day!
I agree! A nice cup of chai tea makes you relax and unwind after a long day!