Does chai have caffeine? Chai tea and chai latte explained
Del
Yes. Traditional chai is black tea brewed with spices, so it contains caffeine. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) lists about 50 mg of caffeine for a 220 ml cup of black tea, and Tommy's (citing the NHS) uses about 75 mg for a mug of tea. A chai latte made with black tea has caffeine too. The coffee chains do not publish chai latte caffeine figures in the sources we checked, so there is no official chain figure to give.
Key points
• Chai is spiced black tea, so it contains caffeine.
• Black tea: about 50 mg per 220 ml (BHF); about 55 mg per 250 ml (EUFIC).
• Mug of tea: about 75 mg (NHS; Tommy's).
• No chain chai latte caffeine figures were published in the sources we checked.
• Rooibos "chai" blends are caffeine-free only if no tea is added. Check the label.
Table of contents
- Does chai have caffeine?
- How much caffeine is in chai?
- Chai latte caffeine
- Why your cup may have more or less
- Caffeine-free chai
- Chai vs coffee, green tea and cola
- FAQ
Does chai have caffeine?
Yes. Chai is black tea brewed with spices. Black tea comes from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, like green, white and oolong tea and matcha, and all of them contain caffeine. The spices add flavour, not caffeine. More: Caffeine in coffee vs tea vs green tea · How much caffeine is too much? · Caffeine pouches in the UK
How much caffeine is in chai?
There is no official figure for chai itself, so use the black tea figures:
| Drink | Serving | Caffeine | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black tea | 220 ml | about 50 mg | BHF |
| Black tea | 250 ml | about 55 mg | EUFIC |
| Tea | 1 mug | about 75 mg | NHS; Tommy's |
Sources: BHF; EUFIC; NHS; Tommy's.
Chai made with green tea would be closer to the green tea figures: about 35 mg per 220 ml (BHF) or 38 mg per 250 ml (EUFIC). More: Does green tea have caffeine?
Chai latte caffeine
A chai latte is spiced tea with milk, so if it is made with black tea it contains caffeine. Milk itself does not contain caffeine.
We could not find published caffeine figures for chai lattes from the big UK coffee chains. The Starbucks UK nutrition guide for summer 2026 does not include a Chai Tea Latte. If you need the figure, ask the chain or check its current nutrition information.
Why your cup may have more or less
- Type of tea. A study of teas commonly drunk in the UK found more caffeine in black teas (22–28 mg per gram of dry matter) than in green teas (11–20 mg per gram) (Khokhar and Magnusdottir, J Agric Food Chem, 2002).
- Brewing time and temperature. In a laboratory study, longer and hotter steeping released more caffeine from tea (Araslanova et al., Open Chemistry, 2022). Chai that is simmered for a long time may therefore have more caffeine than a quickly brewed cup.
- How much tea is used. More tea in the pot or cup means more caffeine.
Caffeine-free chai
Rooibos is not made from the tea plant and contains no caffeine. A rooibos-based "chai" blend is caffeine-free only if no black or green tea has been added, so check the ingredients. Decaf tea still contains a small amount: about 8 mg per 250 ml (EUFIC) or 2 mg per 220 ml (BHF). More: Caffeine-free tea
Chai vs coffee, green tea and cola
| Drink | Serving | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Decaffeinated tea | 220 ml | about 2 mg |
| Green tea | 220 ml | about 35 mg |
| Standard cola | 355 ml | about 40 mg |
| Black tea (chai base) | 220 ml | about 50 mg |
| Espresso | 60 ml | about 80 mg |
| Filtered or instant coffee | 200 ml | about 90 mg |
Source: BHF.
The BHF puts it simply: a cup of coffee has around 100 mg of caffeine and a cup of tea around 50 mg. For healthy adults, up to 400 mg a day from all sources is unlikely to cause adverse effects, and the limit in pregnancy is 200 mg a day (FSA and FSS, 2024).
Optimal Native caffeine pouches state the caffeine per pouch on the label: Morning Energy 200 mg, Daily Flow 75 mg and Evening Relax 0 mg, with no sugar.
FAQ
Does chai tea have caffeine?
Yes, if it is made with black tea, as traditional chai is. Use the black tea figures: about 50 mg per 220 ml (BHF).
How much caffeine is in a chai latte?
Chain figures are not published in the sources we checked. A chai latte made with black tea contains caffeine; use the black tea figures as a guide.
Does chai have more caffeine than coffee?
Usually not. The BHF gives about 50 mg for a 220 ml cup of black tea and about 90 mg for 200 ml of filtered or instant coffee.
Is there caffeine-free chai?
Yes, if it is made without tea, for example with rooibos only. Check the ingredients for black or green tea.
Read next: Does green tea have caffeine? · Caffeine in coffee vs tea vs green tea · Caffeine-free tea
Optimal Native is coming to the UK. One stack for the whole day: Morning Energy, Daily Flow and Evening Relax. Pre-orders ship from 15 December 2026.