Kratom Chai Tea

Whether you love the taste of kratom tea, or you desperately want to mask it, our kratom chai tea recipe is for you! There are many “enhanced” chai tea blends available with mitragynine extract infused in them, but that’s not a “kratom tea” by our definition.

For us, kratom tea tea has to be a full-spectrum water extraction of the kratom leaf. Just how THC or CBD oil isn’t the same as a full-spectrum cannabis experience, mitragynine infusions don’t provide a kratom tea experience.

Prepare to get fancy, because we’re outlining the best kratom chai tea recipes out there! Looking for a recipe to brew your kratom chai from scratch? We’ve got a separate post with our kratom chai latte recipe (which can also be brewed as just a kratom chai, without the steamed milk).

Spices in Chai Tea

Chai tea is a delicious infusion of spices with black tea (C. sinensis). The black tea brings its wonderful and distinct flavor, as well as it’s moderate amount of caffeine to the beverage.

The spices contribute to a fantastic aroma and worldly taste. Chais often vary between spicy and flavorful, and mild and sweet.

Oftentimes honey is added to chai to round out the swirling vortex of spices and herbs which make chai distinct from any other tea. 

Chai is different from a standard black tea in that it includes these other spices.  The spices added to chai include four parts cinnamon, two parts cloves, two parts cardamom, two parts allspice, four parts ginger, and two parts nutmeg.

If you’re looking for a chai on the sweeter end, reduce your ginger and substitute more cinnamon. Plus, you can always spoon in some agave, coconut sugar, or honey to sweeten it after you’ve completed your brew!

Of course, a chai tea is more than just spices! Usually, chai tea includes the leaves of Camellia sinensis to give it a kick and add some more flavor. A little caffeine only adds to the overall sensory delight that is chai tea.

Caffeine vs Black Tea

We discussed in the introduction that mitragynine-infused chai is not the same as kratom chai tea. To help make this point clear, imagine a chai tea that’s infused with caffeine, but without any actual black tea leaves in it.

Caffeine is naturally extracted from either coffee beans, tea leaves, or another source of caffeine. Otherwise it is synthesized in a lab. The chai is then taken in bulk and sprayed with a caffeine and alcohol mixture; the alcohol is used so that it evaporates rapidly and doesn’t encourage the growth of microbes.

This tea has the flavor of chai spices, and still gives you the caffeine you’d otherwise get from the tea leaves. This is a safe way to get flavorful caffeine, sure, but it is in no way a beloved, traditional chai tea. In the same vein, infusing chai spices with mitragynine is not a kratom chai tea: just as how black tea contains a multitude of other molecules (and flavors) in it beside caffeine, so does kratom.

In focusing on just caffeine or mitragynine, you miss the forest for the trees — or, a few levels farther down, you miss the entire leaf for a single alkaloid. Mitragynine is kratom’s most abundant alkaloid, but it is only one of forty alkaloids that have been identified in the leaves so far.

What is Kratom Tea?

Kratom tea is a beverage made from the leaves of the kratom tree, and has been brewed for hundreds of years. Traditionally consumed in Thailand, kratom tea is rapidly growing in popularity around the world. Kratom tea is enjoyed for its effects, which are currently believed to be mediated through mitragynine and its similarly structured alkaloids.

Kratom tea has traditionally been consumed alone, without any additives. Recently, however, Thai youths have been mixing soda into their tea for a super-sugary variation. For the past decade in the United States, kratom tea has been surging in popularity.

Some extra-sweet kratom tea variants have hit the market, but it is really taking off in the functional tea market paired with other herbal blends. They are usually categorized by their vein colors.

Kratom tea has many functional properties. White veins and green veins may be energizing with small servings, while medium servings can soothe the body and promote a general sense of wellness. Red veins at medium to high serving sizes help promote relaxation and can pair nicely with a bedtime ritual.

Check out this post for answers to all your kratom tea questions!

Kratom Chai Tea (Bags): A Match Made in Heaven

There are several ways to make a kratom chai tea, all with varying degrees of difficulty. The easiest is to simply add a kratom tea bag and a chai tea bag to a thermos and let steep for 20 minutes. You can also add some lemon juice to increase the strength of your brew, though the result will taste different from a typical chai.

Below, we’ll share some slightly more involved recipes: a couple of our favorite methods, recipes, and more to set you off on your kratom chai tea journey!

Kratom Chai Tea: Easy Breezy Brewing

This kratom chai is fairly simple, and you can even make it on the go if you have access to hot water. For this recipe you’ll need:

  • 1-2 chai tea bags
  • 1-3 kratom tea bags
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • A vacuum-sealed thermos
  • Optional: 1 tsp organic cane sugar, to taste

First, start boiling some water and toss your kratom tea bags into your thermos. Once boiling, fill your thermos with the water and cap it. Let the kratom tea bags and water steep together for 20-30 minutes.

After steeping the kratom, open your thermos and add your chai tea bags. You can leave the thermos uncapped, but allow the chai tea to steep for 5-7 minutes.

Remove your chai tea bag from the thermos, and enjoy when ready! Some agave or sugar can be added for some sweetness and to cut back on the bitterness of the kratom.

Kratom Chai Tea with Steamed Milk

A great way to make a quick, delicious kratom chai tea is to follow the instructions for a dirty chai latte. Want to brew your latte from scratch? Jump over to our kratom chai latte recipe and open up your spice drawer! The recipe below is much quicker, because it uses a pre-made chai concentrate. A dirty chai latte is a chai concentrate steamed with a milk (soy, almond, or oat are our favorites). A shot or two of espresso is then added to the latte, giving it the “dirty” element. We’re replacing the espresso with Top Tree tea bags to make our kratom chai.

For our “dirty” kratom chai, we’ll need:

  • 1-2 kratom tea bags
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup chai concentrate
  • 1 cup milk of your choice
  • A steam wand
  • A thermos or small saucepan

To start, we’ll brew a strong kratom tea. This means we’ll use more kratom tea bags and less water than we usually would. You can adjust the amount of each ingredient you’re using to get the serving size of kratom that works best for you.

If you’re using a thermos, place your tea bags and boiling water into the thermos and cap it. Let this steep for at least 20 minutes while you prepare your other ingredients. If you’re brewing your kratom tea on the stove, you should add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more water. Add the tea bags and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and leave over heat for 15-20 minutes. You can simmer for a shorter amount of time if you prefer a lighter tea.

When your kratom is almost done steeping, Combine your chai concentrate and milk. Take the chai and milk mixture and froth it with the steam wand. You should stop frothing once it has reached a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you brewed your kratom tea on the stove, transfer it to a mug or thermos. Then, pour your steamed chai mix over your kratom tea. Sweeten to taste, and enjoy!

Steam Wand Alternative

If you don’t have a steam wand, you can froth your milk of choice using a jar or an immersion blender. If you have an immersion blender, you can heat your milk in a saucepan and then blend it until it’s bubbly. If you don’t have an immersion blender, all you’ll need is a microwave, and a sealable, microwave-safe container. We love using mason jars. To start, simply add you milk to your container. Seal your container and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds.

You should be left with a frothy, bubbly liquid. Unseal your container (so you don’t make a pressure bomb), and microwave it until hot but not boiling. (Depending on how much liquid you’re heating up, this could range from 30 seconds to a minute and a half.)

Once you remove the jar from the microwave, should have a B-level frothed milk for your enjoyment! Nothing beats actual steam wands that are used at coffee shops, but this one is a close second for making delicious kratom chai lattes at home!

When to Drink your Tea?

Kratom chai tea is a delightful beverage for anytime of the day – which is great news considering that once you try it you’ll be craving it all the time! Delicious!

However, we recommend playing around with the amount and type of kratom you put in your kratom chai tea depending on when you drink it. For us, the morning is the time for a white vein. The afternoon best pairs with a green vein. And red veins are for bedtime!

We hope you enjoy your kratom chai tea!

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Soren Shade
Soren Shade is the Founder and CEO of Top Tree Herbs. He was the producer for Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia, and continues to produce the Hamilton Morris Podcast. He writes with a holistic look at natural and synthetic pharmacology, traditions-of-use, and a love for freedom of consciousness. You can find Soren rock climbing or advocating for sensible drug reform and anti-prohibition.

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