Chai tea and coffee are among the most popular beverages so far. When speaking of the morning drinking routine globally, these two beverages seem to be among the most popular types where chai appears to be considered the healthiest option. Both of these beverages have a distinctive taste, both of them are warm and can satisfy your caffeine needs, and the ‘need of keeping you awake’, but knowing this doesn’t explain the fact what makes tea chai a better version than coffee. In order to understand this, you need to compare its features.
What Is In a Chai Tea?

In recent years, healthy and flavourful chai tea beverages have gained popularity, especially in Western countries. It originates from India and it basically represents a mixture of black tea and spices like ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, clove, milk, nutmeg and sweeteners like honey or sugar. Usually, this tea is brewed either with water or with milk to obtain a creamy texture.
What Is in Coffee?
Well, coffee is another popular beverage, if not the most favourite one among many, mainly because of its appealing smell and taste. It’s a beverage best to be consumed when hot, even though nowadays, there are many cold variations that you can try. This beverage is made from roasted beans and ground and brewed with hot water for obtaining a delicious cup of coffee. Just like tea, coffee comes in a selection of different types like espresso, latte, cappuccino, macchiato and more.
Comparing Their Benefits
Caffeine Content
The first and most important thing we know about these two beverages is that chai contains significantly less caffeine. In fact, it’s said that chai contains more than 50% less caffeine which significantly reduces caffeine intake.
Generally speaking, a cup of spiced chai latte usually contains 40mg of caffeine in comparison to a regular cup of coffee which can contain around 120mg of caffeine. This is significantly less caffeine, so it isn’t strange why so many people switch to chai, especially those who want to cut down on caffeine intake. Drinking chai gives you the freedom to enjoy more than one cup per day.
Health Benefits
Given the fact that this particular tea is made with black tea and a mixture of spice which have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, this makes it one of the healthiest hot beverages so far. Did you know that in the past, this tea was used in Western medicine and by Ayurvedic doctors for treating numerous conditions including nausea and flu?!
So the next time you’re feeling sick, try drinking a cup of this miraculous hot beverage and see it for yourself. A lot of people claim its holistic benefits even after the first cup.
Coffee, on the other hand, has no holistic powers that can help you feel better, especially when sick. Aside from containing caffeine, this beverage is considered to be good for weight loss and lowered risk for diabetes, liver diseases etc. That’s because aside from caffeine, this drink also contains powerful antioxidants that seem beneficial for certain health conditions.
Unfortunately, you cannot drink that much coffee so that you can lose weight or reduce the risk of diabetes for instance because it contains caffeine. In fact, the high caffeine content in coffee is closely related to insomnia, rapid heart rate, digestive issues, high blood pressure, anxiety, headache, dizziness, frequent urination and more.
Flavour

The one thing we know about these beverages is that both of them have a different flavour and taste. This type of tea in particular is known for its complex and rich flavour, especially because of its base – the black tea which has a more robust and stringent taste.
The spices, on the other hand, are meant to add warmth and spiciness at the same time. When brewed with milk, this tea obtains a creamy texture and smooth finish which makes it unique. As mentioned earlier, the sweetness of this tea is obtained with the help of sugar, tea, honey or even stevia.
Coffee, on the other hand, is known for its aromatic, rich, intense and bold flavour. An important thing you should know about it is that its taste can be different because of the coffee bean’s type, roast level and brewing method. So, while some types can be more acidic or bitter, others can have nutty, chocolate or fruity notes. Others can even have a more smokey or earthy flavour. Just like chai, coffee can also be sweetened with the help of sugar, honey or some other natural sweeteners.
As you can see both of these beverages are different and have a different taste, flavours and benefit profile. The one you choose should depend on your personal taste and preferences. However, if we compare their specifications, it seems that chai is a healthier version, especially when you need to cut down on caffeine intake.