Starbucks Is Changing Its Chai Latte Recipe, Here’s How

There are a few things in life that feel unchanging. The sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening. The ability for cat videos to put a smile on our face. And the Starbucks chai latte. For a quarter of a century, its chai latte has remained fixed and unchanging on the Starbucks menu – yes, you can order it in a bunch of different ways, but its core flavor, in all of its tea-centered, spicy warmth, has always been the same. Until. Now.

Videos by Sporked

What’s that? Yep, it’s true: Starbucks is changing the recipe for its chai latte. Are we worried? Juuuust a little bit (although we know that, ultimately, it’s the right move). Here’s what the coffee chain is doing.

For the First Time Ever, the Sweetness Is in Your Hands

According to Starbucks, the company isn’t making a super radical change to the flavor profile of its chai – but instead, it’s separating the sweetness from the spiciness. Recipe developer Barnedette Astopol has reimagined the classic beverage (which has been on its permanent menu since 1999) and taken out the majority of its sugariness. “Our chai recipe now has just a hint of sweetness from the honey,” Astopol said in a statement. “Our chai includes cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger – great quality ingredients that get to shine, at whatever sweetness our customers choose to have.”

However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t have any sweetness in your chai latte: Rather, that Starbucks now gives you the ability to control it. If you want your latte to taste the same, you can ask for regular sweetness, and the barista will add in some sugar syrup to amp it back up. Alternatively, you can opt for a flavored syrup to give it a new twist. It all sounds very customizable, and we do like the way that Starbucks is offering options here. As a crowning touch, Starbucks is also offering a new Iced Lavender Cream Chai, available for a limited time at participating locations.

So, Why Are You Worried?

Well, because this all feels ever so slightly like it’s a bit of a movable target. What was once a very standard formula is now deconstructed, which may well have a knock-on effect on flavor – and we’re not totally convinced free pumps of sugar will produce the same taste. Call us old-fashioned, but more often than not, when fast food chains change up their recipes, it can create a perceptible shift in flavor that makes us steer clear.

That said, we do think that this move from Starbucks is, at the end of the day, the right one. The ability to order this drink unsweetened opens up a host of possibilities and makes the drink more accessible to people who may need to avoid consuming more sugar. And who knows? Maybe this new recipe will be even better, and we’ll be eating (or drinking) our words. For those folks who’d now prefer to make their chai at home, though, we have a barista-approved option that’ll make your mornings feel very fancy.