There is no single right answer when it comes to choosing between chai concentrate and chai powder.
Both can make a chai latte. Both have their place.
But they are very different products, and if you care about what ends up in the cup, it is worth understanding the difference.
For us, it comes down to a few things.
Flavour. Ingredients. Consistency. Speed. Cost.
And, ultimately, the kind of chai you want to put your name to.
What is chai powder?
Chai powders are designed with convenience in mind.
They are easy to store, usually have a long shelf life and can be relatively inexpensive per serving. Add the powder to milk, mix or steam and you have a chai latte ready to go.
For a busy café, there is plenty to like about that.
The biggest difference tends to be in the cup.
Many chai powders contain tea, spices, sugar and other ingredients blended together into an instant powder. Depending on the product, they can also be very sweet.
That sweetness can make for an instantly appealing drink, but it can sometimes leave the tea and spices fighting for attention.
And for us, chai should taste like chai.
You want warmth. Spice. Tea. Layers of flavour.
Something with character.
What is chai concentrate?
A liquid chai concentrate takes a different approach.
Typically, the tea and spices have already been brewed and extracted into a concentrated liquid. Behind the bar, you simply measure the concentrate, add milk and serve.
It gives you the flavour of a brewed chai without asking your baristas to start simmering spices every time someone orders one.
Personally, this is the approach I prefer.
But then I would. We make one.
Why we chose concentrate
When we created Jeeves & Jericho Chai Fusion, we did not start by deciding we wanted a liquid product.
We started with the cup.
We wanted chai that tasted like somebody had actually made chai.
Tea.
Spices.
Heat.
Extraction.
Flavour.
Then came the tricky part. Making that work in a modern café.
Preparing chai completely from scratch can be a beautiful process, but simmering tea and spices to order is not especially practical when you have a queue at the door and six flat whites waiting to be made.
A good concentrate sits somewhere in the middle.
You get the depth and spice character that comes from brewing tea and spices, with the speed and consistency a busy café actually needs.
That balance is what interested us.
What about consistency?
This is one of the biggest advantages of a well made concentrate.
The recipe can be incredibly simple.
Measure.
Add milk.
Steam.
Serve.
Once your team knows the ratio, there is very little room for variation.
The chai someone orders on Monday morning should taste like the chai they order on Saturday afternoon, regardless of who happens to be behind the bar.
Consistency might happen behind the scenes, but customers notice it in the cup.
Is chai powder cheaper than concentrate?
Sometimes.
But do the maths before making the decision.
The price of a tub compared with the price of a bottle does not tell you how much the finished drink costs.
Calculate how much product you actually need for one chai latte.
Then add your milk and packaging and compare the true cost per serving.
You may find the difference is smaller than expected.
And if one chai costs an extra 15p per drink but gives you considerably more flavour, ask yourself what that 15p is buying you.
If the finished chai is selling for £4 or more, saving every possible penny is not always the same thing as creating the most profitable drink.
A chai that people love, recommend and come back for has value too.
So, which should you choose?
It depends on your café.
If you are running a high volume operation where simplicity, shelf life and keeping ingredient costs as low as possible are the priorities, a powder may make perfect sense.
If you run a speciality café where flavour, ingredients and the experience in the cup are central to what you do, we would lean towards a good brewed chai concentrate.
Not simply because it comes in a bottle.
Because of what that brewing process can bring to the flavour.
Whichever route you choose, our advice is the same.
Taste them side by side.
Use the same milk. Use the same cup size. Make each one according to its recommended recipe.
Then forget about powder versus concentrate for a moment and taste what is actually in front of you.
Which has the best balance of tea and spice?
Which would you happily finish?
Which feels at home alongside the rest of your drinks menu?
And most importantly, which one would your customers come back for?
Because format matters.
But character in the cup matters more.