Vegan Chai Tea Latte

I am not a coffee drinker, nor tea. Not usually. But friends often ask me to coffee places, and well, I like to drink something I don't usually get. And I hate hot beverages, so whatever I drink has to be really cold and usually on ice. Luckily, a vegan Iced Chai Tea Latte (with soymilk) is often on the menu. And they are pretty dang tasty.

I recently went to one rinky dinky coffee shop, not a chain or anything, and ordered a vegan Chai Latte. And then I proceeded to watch as the 'barista' poured my chai tea and soymilk out of tetra containers over a cupful of ice.

My thoughts went a little like this: WAIT. That's not some mystical tea brewing process. I don't need any skills! This is something I can do at home in 10 seconds. Why the hell am I paying her $4? What brand is that chai?....oh...Oregon Chai, I've seen that. That's it... next stop, Whole Foods.

And so began my recent beverage addiction.

Oregon Chai makes a vegan concentrate and you just pour it half and half with your non-dairy milk of choice. Ice is optional- though required in my book. I need instant gratification with beverages and I have no sense of good tea  (I'm not even sure it exists).  Tea tends to taste the same to me to matter what flavor is listed on the box. But, make it a latte with the extra spices and added creaminess, and it's a winner in my book. And this is perfect for the hot summer days coming up when water is just not enough for the taste buds.


Oregon Chai Vegan Original Chai Tea Latte Concentrate

Ranking: ****
***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Oregon Chai can be found at Sprouts and Whole Foods. And maybe Sunflower Market. Other stores might carry it too, I'm just not used to shopping in the tea section to have noticed.]