The Chai Tea Latte Debacle

An Indian’s take on the Chai Tea Latte

Chai (uncountable n.) In India, chai is tea made with added spices

Latte n. A type of coffee made with espresso and hot steamed milk, milkier than a cappuccino

Living in a world where information is readily available to us all the time has its perks. Some of them include Google and its ability to translate and explain words, concepts, phrases, and cultures that we are unfamiliar with. With Pumpkin Spice season in full swing, my mind wandered to the one and only Chai Tea Latte that I have ever tried, which suspiciously tasted like a Pumpkin Spice Latte to me (it was probably all the cinnamon).

As someone who is deeply bothered by the fact that chai is referred to as a chai tea latte, you can imagine my surprise when my drink tasted nothing like I expected it to, the only similarity being that it was (probably) tea and had milk in it. As an Indian, who is very attached to her chai, you can imagine my disappointment. That got me thinking about the naming process of this drink.

The name “Chai tea latte” is, in itself, a contradiction. Chai, in Hindi, means tea. So it’s essentially a Tea Tea Latte. Latte, on the other hand, is traditionally a coffee drink. So not only is it a Tea Tea drink, but it is also a coffee drink. It’s like the drink is having an identity crisis “Am I a tea? Am I a coffee? Am I an off-season Pumpkin Spice Latte?” I don’t know either to be honest.

It baffled me that major companies were using this name for an Indian tea drink because Google will tell you that chai is tea (I googled “What is tea called in India?” Also “What does chai mean?” just to be sure). Chai is an umbrella term for tea in India because there are so many different types of chai (none that I’ve tried have been overwhelmingly cinnamon, but it could exist and so I only take issue with the naming and not the fact that it tasted like the leftover milk after a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch)

How is it that in the age of the internet, where information is the most accessible it has ever been, such a popular drink can be named something that is redundant and insulting simultaneously? At this point, something like this is inexcusable and is just plain ignorance. While this is simply my opinion, I have definitely seen and heard other Indians complain about the fact that the drink industry got the name so so wrong. There’s nothing wrong with an Iced Chai, but there is definitely something wrong with a Chai. Tea. Latte.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for listening to a rant that has been brewing for a few years. This is definitely something that I am very passionate about and I will now proceed to go and drink my chai in peace.

Until next time,

Sanj.