We are about a month into fall, which means you’ve probably had quite a few chai lattes already. But did you know that Starbucks actually has a variety of chai drinks? Unfortunately, they took the pumpkin chai off the menu this year, but Starbucks always has regular chai tea, hot and iced chai lattes, and a chai creme Frappuccino.

Before I get into the review of these four drinks, I should make a disclaimer. I may be allergic to something in chai tea. Whenever I drink Starbucks chai lattes or DavidsTea chai tea, my tongue gets very tingly. However I don’t get that feeling with Starbucks chai tea or Argo Tea’s chai lattes. I don’t know what the difference is, but the tingly feeling causes me to not finish most of these drinks that I am reviewing, despite how delicious they are.

Chai Tea

Most people don’t know that you can get chai tea not as a latte, especially at Starbucks. I recommend specifying that you don’t want the latte when you order. This tea honestly doesn’t have much taste, except for a hint of spice. However, I have read that you can order the plain chai tea and then add milk for a cheaper version of the chai latte.

Chai Latte

Starbucks has both hot and iced chai lattes, and both are delicious and perfect for fall. They have a typical chai taste of cinnamon and some cardamom. The hot latte has lots of froth, which I love, while the iced latte is smooth and well blended. Unfortunately, I don’t get either of these often because of my possible allergy, but I find that the iced latte makes my tongue less tingly than the hot one does. However, I generally like hot lattes better than iced lattes, so if you don’t have allergies, I recommend getting it hot.

Chai Creme Frappuccino

Starbucks is known for the Frappuccino’s, and their creme drinks are perfect for non-coffee drinkers. But what most people don’t know is that they have two specifically for tea drinkers: the chai creme and the matcha creme Fraps. The chai frap tastes very similar to the iced chai latte, but more frozen and blended. I recommend this drink when you’re craving chai in the hot summer months. Something odd about this drink was that it did not make my tongue tingly. However, I don’t know if it was the Frappucino base or the regular milk (I forgot to ask for almond milk like usual) that reacted with whatever I might be allergic to in a way that made me not allergic. Either way, I will be reaching for this drink and the plain chai tea whenever I need a pick me up this fall.

Pumpkin spice might be all the rage right now, but there are so many classic chai drinks to try at Starbucks as well this fall. Plus, these drinks are available all year long, making them perfect in the spring (or whenever you just want a chai) as well.

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