Plenty rely on hot or iced joe to get them through their days, while others turn to tea and tea-based drinks to keep their energy levels high.
One popular morning tea pick is chai, a blend of black tea and delicious spices — we’re talking about ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and more — that originated in India. While its flavor is strong and yummy enough to stand alone, most people add cold or steamed milk and make it a latte.
Chai lattes are such hot commodities that countless cafés have added them to their menus. For instance, the beloved coffee chain Dutch Bros offers multiple chai latte variations. We’ll introduce you to some of them below.
Dutch Bros Chai Drinks to Chai — Er, Try
Dutch Bros invites visitors to “Chai it your way!” Fortunately, there are multiple ways to chai it, starting with the 11 beverages listed below.
Vanilla Chai
The Vanilla Chai is probably the most popular chai beverage on the Dutch Bros menu. The drink, made with chai tea concentrate, vanilla syrup, and your choice of milk, is perfect for people who want something sweet and uncomplicated. Try it hot or iced.
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle isn’t like other lattes. It’s not a latte at all. Whether they contain tea or an espresso coffee shot, standard lattes have some kind of milk (whole, almond, and oat milk are popular choices here). However, the Golden Eagle is a breve, meaning it contains half and half instead of milk.
Besides half and half, the Golden Eagle — available hot or over ice — contains chai concentrate, vanilla syrup, caramel sauce, and a whipped cream and caramel drizzle topping.
White Chocolate Chai Latte
White chocolate sauce makes a lovely addition to many coffee drinks. The classic white chocolate mocha is proof. It also pairs well with a chai latte, which explains the White Chocolate Chai Latte’s permanent spot on the Dutch Bros menu. Mixing the spiced tea with sweet, chocolatey syrup or sauce creates a delectable beverage.
Have the chai, white mocha sauce, and milk combination hot or iced. Regardless of the temperature, it’s a treat if you’re at DB and craving a sweet tea latte.
Christmas Morning
If you’re looking for a cozy chai drink, give the Christmas Morning a go. Like the Golden Eagle, it’s a breve, not a classic latte — that means it has half and half, not milk. The difference between the two drinks is that where the Golden Eagle has vanilla syrup and caramel sauce, the Christmas Morning has white chocolate.
Dirty Chai
The Dirty Chai recipe is the same wherever you go: some form of chai tea*, milk, and a shot of espresso or two. The added coffee is what makes it “dirty.” But if you ask us, that description is a little unfair — nothing as good as coffee can be dirty, can it?
*At DB, this looks like liquid chai concentrate. However, other coffee houses might brew loose-leaf tea or use powdered chai instead.
White Zombie
Don’t worry. Despite being named after the undead, the Dutch Bros White Zombie Chai isn’t scary — just scary good if you’re a fan of having chocolate and vanilla flavors in your morning chai.
The folks at DB make the White Zombie by combining chai concentrate with your milk of choice and a few pumps of white chocolate and vanilla syrups. Each sip is full of chai spices and syrupy sweetness. It’s the best of both worlds!
Horchata Chai
Horchata is a comforting drink most commonly enjoyed in Latin American countries. The sweet treat, which is creamy and filled with vanilla and cinnamon spice, inspired the Dutch Bros Horchata Chai. DB’s Horchata Chai doesn’t taste exactly like its namesake, but blending chai spices with caramel, white chocolate, and cinnamon results in something similar.
You can give this creamy chai latte a fruity spin by ordering a Strawberry Horchata Chai. Like the regular Horchata Chai, the drink contains chai concentrate, white chocolate, vanilla, and caramel. But there’s a splash of strawberry syrup in this cup, too.
Sweater Weather Chai White Coffee
Your favorite chai drink is probably caffeinated. Most drinks with a chai base are. However, if you want a serving of chai with an extra kick of energy, order a Sweater Weather Chai White Coffee. The added caffeine from the coffee is just the kick in the pants you need to get through long days.
The blend of chai concentrate, white chocolate syrup, and two white coffee shots wear a crown of Soft Top (that’s Dutch Bros’s whipped topping — its soft sweetness complements hot and cold drinks well) and cinnamon sprinkles.
Caramel Pumpkin Brulee Chai
Take a break from your everyday chai when the fall rolls around and grab something seasonal, like the Caramel Pumpkin Brulee Chai. Like every other DB chai offering, this drink has liquid chai concentrate and milk. But it also features salted caramel syrup and pumpkin pie sauce. Those ingredients give it an autumnal feel and flavor.
Peach Cobbler Chai
This DB chai latte doesn’t hold a spot on the popular coffee chain’s permanent menu; it’s a secret menu chai recipe concocted by one of the franchise’s creative customers.
DB “broistas” blend chai concentrate base with your choice of milk, peach, and chocolate macadamia nut syrups, white chocolate sauce, and Soft Top. Hot or iced, it’s the perfect drink for anyone craving cobbler but doesn’t feel like baking it.
Raspberry Vanilla Chai
The Raspberry Vanilla Chai is another popular Dutch Bros Coffee secret menu item, ideal for customers who call vanilla one of their favorite flavors but want to put a fruity twist on plain old vanilla chai.
The recipe is simple: chai, milk, and pumps of vanilla and raspberry syrups. If you want your morning chai latte to have a slightly fruity taste, you’ll think it’s simply delicious.
Chai a-la-Mode
The good news: the Dutch Bros Chai a-la-Mode lets you and your taste buds enjoy sweet flavors similar to one of America’s most popular desserts, apple pie! The bad news: the chai latte with vanilla syrup, fluffy Soft Top, and apple cinnamon sprinks is seasonal. So, if it’s not the winter holiday season, your friendly neighborhood “broista” can’t make it for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Chai Does Dutch Bros Use?
Dutch Bros stores use the Oregon Chai Original Chai Tea Latte concentrate in all their chai-based beverages.
Does Dutch Bros Sell Its Chai In-Store?
While you can use whatever kind of chai you like to replicate your favorite DB chai order at home, your best bet at creating something that tastes identical is to pick up a bottle of Oregon Chai.
You can’t find cartons of the liquid concentrate at your local Dutch Bros, but you can order it online. You can also find it at select retailers like Walmart and Kroger.
How Much Caffeine Is In a Dutch Bros Chai?
The amount of caffeine in a chai latte from the Oregon-born franchise depends on the size you order. According to Caffeine Informer, Dutch Bros chai latte caffeine levels are as follows:
- Small (12 fluid ounces): 40.65 milligrams
- Medium (16 fluid ounces): 48.78 milligrams
- Large (20 fluid ounces): 65.04 milligrams
Note: these values come from the popular coffee shop’s standard chai latte. Customizing it — having a shot of coffee mixed in, for example — can add extra caffeine.
Check Out Chai!
If your daily coffee routine has you in a rut, take a break from your usual cup of drip or regular espresso-based beverage. Try one of the chai options above instead!
Don’t fret if you don’t live near a Dutch Bros location. Nowadays, most cafés have chai and a long list of syrups on their menus; you can create a DB dupe or come up with a chai-based concoction of your own.
Happy Caffeinating!
