Maybe its because of all the time I spent trying to make these drinks my own during my shifts, but while the coffee at Coffee Bean is something that I’ll always hype up, their chai drinks will always hold a special place in my heart.

But first let me tell you how to optimize them to be even more fantastic than they already are.

Chai tea lattes are made by brewing the tea from loose chai leaves in the espresso machine, and then mixing in their signature vanilla powder that contains dairy to give it that sweet, latte-like flavor. Now try that with double the powder. You’ll still get that spicy chai savor, however its sweeter and milky-er, making it a tad bit more enjoyable, and giving you a bit more of a sugar rush to make up for the lack of caffeine actually in the beverage.

And now it’s been a while since I’ve had one of these myself, but during my time as a barista at the Bean, I discovered a substitution in the Chai Ice Blended’s that changed my life.

The Ice Blended’s are made with a special mix of concentrated espresso extract, non-fat milk, and the vanilla powder, however a Chai Iced Blended is made with the powder, pre-mixed Chai latte, and water. The trick to making it the most refreshing, yet sweet coffee/tea beverage, is to substitute the water with your choice of milk, I prefer this with almond milk, and of course, add an extra scoop of the vanilla powder.

Trust me, try this, and thank me later.