Get A Stronger Starbucks Chai With This Ordering Tip

With fall right around the corner, it's almost time for seasonal Starbucks beverages to truly shine. While coffee aficionados will be jumping to get their hands on the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Iced Pecan Crunch Latte (a new drink debuting on the fall 2024 menu), tea lovers tend to gravitate toward the chai beverages instead. So if your go-to is a Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks, we have advice for how to get a stronger cup this year.

The chain makes its chai latte with milk, water, and a chai concentrate that also includes water, along with a variety of spices and other flavoring ingredients. So when baristas are making your drink, they're diluting the concentrate a bit with the water. They may do this so the flavor (or caffeine content) isn't too overpowering. However, if you want a stronger drink, simply ask that they omit the water. You'll still get all the rest of the components here (including the steamed 2% milk and milk foam), but your cup will ultimately be richer and more flavorful.

Luckily, it's super easy to request a stronger Chai Tea Latte at Starbucks. If you're ordering through the app or website, you can simply choose "No Water" under the Add-ins dropdown. Or, if you want a little bit of dilution but not as much as Starbucks typically includes, go with "Light Water." If you prefer your chai lattes iced, you don't have to make this distinction since the chain only adds water (outside of what's already incorporated in the concentrate) in the hot drinks. However, the ice may melt and end up watering down your cup that way, so feel free to ask for light or even no ice if you prefer.

If you want even more chai goodness in your cup, you can, of course, ask for more chai pumps than what comes with the basic beverages. But keep in mind there are plenty of other tasty ways to upgrade your tea lattes. We previously ranked the absolute best Starbucks chai drinks, and you can easily up your caffeine content by adding a shot of espresso or adding chai syrup to an Iced Matcha Latte. Or, start with an Iced Latte with blonde espresso and incorporate pumps of chai for a fall-inspired twist. If a sweeter concoction is just what you're going for, give your drink a bold mocha upgrade or pair it with brown sugar, cinnamon caramel, or cinnamon dolce syrup.