Kitchn Love Letters

I Rarely Write Product Reviews, but This Tiny Tin Truly Wowed Me

published Sep 29, 2024
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Credit: Raymond Forbes LLC/Stocksy

While I’ll have a morning latte occasionally, my wake-up drink of choice has always been a chai latte. I love how the medley of spices and strong tea fuse together with creamy milk. 

The chais from coffee shops or made with store-bought chai concentrates have never done it for me — they’re usually too sweet and not spicy enough. So if I wanted good chai, I had to make it at home — until earlier this year, when I found the unicorn of chai mixes. Thanks to Soul Chai, my quest for the perfect at-home chai ended.

Credit: Mara Weinraub

What’s So Great About Soul Chai Masala Chai Powder?

Chai spice blends were always too much work: I had to simmer the spices with tea first and then strain (not my preferred wake-up activity). Soul Chai powder has no added sweeteners — only very finely ground and strained high-quality spices and black tea. All you have to do is dissolve it in hot water (like instant coffee) with your sweetener of choice, then top with milk. 

No fussing with tea bags, simmering, or straining. The flavor is intense with spice and tea, and I can make it as milky or as sweet as I’d like. Oh and, start to finish, it takes me less than two minutes to make a chai latte.

The tin it comes in may seem tiny, and the price might not seem so tiny (almost $20), but there’s a whopping 40 servings in each tin if you prepare it according to the package directions. Each cup prices out to be a bargain when compared to what you’d pay for a barista to make a chai latte for you. I also love that the tin is so small that it stores easily, unlike cartons of chai concentrate that take up space in the fridge. And while I haven’t used it this way yet, apparently you can also use it in baking or cooking.

Credit: Mara Weinraub

Besides the original masala chai, it also offers a caffeine-free version made with rooibos instead. The rooibos one is also tasty and a great option for an afternoon treat — especially because I don’t like drinking caffeine later in the day.

Credit: Mara Weinraub

What’s the Best Way to Make Soul Chai Masala Chai Powder?

I like my chai quite spicy and not super sweet, so this is how I make a chai latte with Soul Chai Powder.

  • Dissolve 1 1/2 teaspoons chai powder and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar in 3/4 cup hot water; the package suggests 1 teaspoon, but, like I said, I like mine spicy.
  • Top with 1/2 cup steamed and foamed oat milk.

For an iced chai latte, I do the following:

  • Dissolve 1 1/2 teaspoons chai powder and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar in 1/4 cup hot water.
  • Stir in 1/3 cup cold water.
  • Add ice and top with 4 ounces cold oat milk (foamed first if I have the time).

The beauty of Soul Chai is that you can tinker with the amounts of any part of your chai to your liking! If you do pick some up, try to use it up quickly — as like all spices, the flavors will diminish over time, and the powder does start to get a little clumpy after a few months (but the clumps are easy to break up).

Buy: Soul Chai Masala Chai Powder, $19.50 for 2.8 ounces (40 servings) at Soul Chai, or find it in local stores

Have you tried this chai powder? Tell us about it in the comments below.