Chai, or as they call it in India (where it originally came from, and chai means tea), Masala chai, is a beverage made from mixing boiling black tea with milk and then adding a number of herbs and spices. Chai lattes are a step up from this, mixing in espressos in order to add a little extra kick to the beverage. Typically, chai lattes are sweet with a slight spice to them and, admittedly, have an acquired taste.

Now, in order to be as fair as possible, each cup will only be in the medium equivalent of each coffee shop. It will have no extra add-ons, so that means no whipped cream, no extra syrup, nothing. At the end of the day, these are my top 5, and you may have preferences in terms of ice amount, et cetera. Finally, all the orders will be iced chai in order to account for the ice factor.

In fifth place is the Chai Latte from Seattle’s Best Katipunan. All things considered, it really is a decent cup of chai  latte, but as compared to the others, it places last. For starters, even without the ice, the flavor is already diluted with the amount of water that they add to it. The proportions are way off, as you can’t even taste the spices anymore. Admittedly, there is more “tea” than latte, but seeing as it is a chai tea latte, the balance has to be there at the very least.

Fourth place is given to Starbucks Katipunan. In a weird, similar way to Seattle’s Best, their drink is diluted as well. Unlike Seattle’s Best, however, instead of being diluted with water, Starbucks’ version is at least diluted with milk. The flavor of the chai is slowly removed, and what’s left just tastes like a classic Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino. There’s no spice, or depth to the chai latte, nor are there any hints of the aromatics, making the chai part of the drink nonexistent. If I wanted a Vanilla Frappuccino, I would have just ordered one. However, we aren’t ranking Vanilla Frappuccinos, so it gets bumped down on the list.

Third, then, would have to be Vista Coffeeteria in Vista Verde, Caloocan. Unfortunately, their version of the chai latte already comes with a big problem: it repeats the issues of both Starbucks and Seattle’s Best wherein the actual flavor of the chai is removed twice over due to being overpowered by, in their case, the milk that they used. It tastes more like another sweet milkshake rather than the actual chai itself.

Second, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Regis Centeris my choice. Flavor-wise, it almost hits the nail in the coffee-n (get it? HAHA). The right chai spice still remains in the mixture, and there isn’t too much water or milk that it gets overpowered. The espresso can also still be tasted, so it still works out. I can’t necessarily get mad at that.

So, it feels great to have drunk a CBTL chai latte. Since literally half their store name covers tea leaves, it makes sense that they know how to make proper tea lattes. I don’t feel too bloated after, and it still has a spicy aftertaste to it.

Finally, the best of the best would be the chai latte from Pickup Coffee from Bonifacio Global City. One of the best things about their chai latte specifically is the richness of the chai itself. The way they mix their drink really highlights the spices and chai that are meant to be in it. From the first sip, the initial hit of the aromatics and sting from the slight spice are so prominent.

The ice does not dilute it right away, and there’s a really lovely and delicate balance of both chai and coffee. My favorite thing about Pickup Coffee chai is how I feel after.

All in all, none of these drinks would garner a perfect score because nothing can really top the true, authentic taste of an actual masala chai. However! These do manage to satisfy the craving in their own unique ways. If you need a quick fix to get that satisfaction down, then don’t be afraid to get and chai these drinks out for yourself!