The Barista-Approved Chai That’ll Transform Your Mornings

Chai lattes have been my go-to morning order for years, but it’s become increasingly rare to get quality chai. The sadly closed Cafe Beit, my favorite place in my old neighborhood in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, brewed its own chai, which was the best I’d had. But when Beit closed, I was left searching for a chai as delicious as theirs. Some were decent, like Trader Joe’s Spiced Chai Black Tea Concentrate, but weren’t quite as comforting and aromatic as the chai I loved.

After years of trying chai that paled in comparison, I found that my current neighborhood’s local coffee shop’s chai, which uses Kilogram Tea’s Organic Masala Chai, had what I was looking for. It tastes nearly identical to the one from Beit, with the quality of a home-brewed chai, despite being pre-packaged. I’ve become obsessed with it to the point where I’m convinced it’s even better than the Beit chai latte that had me in a chokehold before.

While it’s part of my daily routine to go to my local spot for chai, it’s been getting too cold in New York City to have any desire to go out. Thankfully, I discovered a hack: Kilogram Tea’s Organic Masala Chai is available to order online, so I can make myself a chai whenever I want without braving the freezing weather. Through Kilogram’s site, you can make a one-time purchase of the 32 fl oz concentrate for $14.98, or set up a monthly subscription for the same price.

Unlike other chai brands that tend to be watered down, Kilogram Tea’s chai is made with rich, organic black tea and traditional Indian spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and black pepper, and is sweetened with cane juice, molasses, and lemon juice. My preferred way to drink it is iced with oat milk, as it’s so creamy when combined with milk and reminds me of being a kid slurping cereal milk from the remains of my Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It’s not as sweet as other major chains’ chai, like Starbucks, but its aroma is heavenly, and the robust taste will have you turned into a Kilogram Tea loyalist, too.