Chai Tea Latte
This all started because I'm not a coffee drinker. And at work there was a Starbucks machine that had the option of chai. And this was the only thing I would drink from the machine. But sometimes the machine displayed alerts about cleaning being needed. And these would persist for days or weeks. So I thought that is probably not good to keep using the Starbucks machine. So if I really wanted a chai, I would start buying it from a store, that way I could be confident the machines were cleaned.
Then I just have a hobby of trying things from all over. When I was doing my gluten challenge, I would try a donut from all the shops. (Come to find out there are way more coffee shops than donut shops)
So I've been trying hot chai lattes from every shop around, and after I'd gone around 20, I started to write this blog. So I'm putting this into Best / Good / Forgettable / Bad / Worst
This whole project is really silly, because shops may use the same mix, so it's the exact same product in different shops. And it depends on who made it, and how well they did. So it really isn't fair to put them in categories after one visit. The most fair method would be to ask for the name of their chai product, and whether it's liquid, a mix, or actual tea brewing.
But this is just for fun. I've gotten to see a lot of new places, just due to seeking out chai lattes. I have gotten a chai latte from 66 places now.
Best
Eleos Coffee House - Northeast Kansas City
After a 5K in a part of town that I rarely have visited, I thought of looking up coffee places to continue my chai challenge. And luckily my sister and I went to Eleos Coffee. And they made a homemade chai that was excellent. It seems like they have a good ministry to refugees as well. So I will definitely be back here with my wife.
Broadway Cafe - Westport
We went here on my wife's birthday. The chai had a unique flavor,I could taste honey, and my wife could taste lavender. I give it high marks because it was so different, but also still good.
Equinox - Family Tree Nursery
I thought the chai latte was really good, but my wife got it once and it was too spicy. All in all, this is the most unique atmosphere for coffee, because there are seating options in the greenhouse.
Summer Moon Coffee. Great environment, and multiple chai tea options
Chambre. This is a coffee truck that I found in Shawnee. This had a really good taste and consistency
RevoCup, Lenexa. This is the original chai latte that I had, and is consistently good. They blend it themselves.
Jinkies! Coffee and Hangout
MAPS Coffee (Lenexa)
Savoy Tea
Good
McLain's - Went in the drive-through, and came out with a good chai latte
Starbucks - These are everywhere, but the chai is solid
Rebel Coffee - Thanks to my brother-in-law for buying me this after we grabbed lunch in Midtown.
Whole Foods Coffee Bar - At the new WF in Overland Park
Second Best Coffee I went here after a 5K nearby
The Market at Meadowbrook (Hugo Chai tea). Found this and stopped by here because Odyssey wasn't open yet. It was very busy at 10 AM, with breakfast eaters. I'd like to go by there sometime for lunch.
Goat Hill (Post Coffee Co) - unique place with jazz music playing. I stopped by here after doing a 5K at the Liberty Memorial.
Socially Tea KC - this is an actual tea brewing, so I'm inclined to give it a better ranking. There are also several flavors of tea latte that I'd like to try in the future. It was good, but didn't feel like it rose up the ranks to Best yet.
Breathe Coffee House - Hays KS, on our way to the Denver area
Hammerhand Coffee - popular coffee shop in Liberty Missouri. Got this after I visited a church up there
Golden Grounds Coffee (truck) - I was happy to see this when I participated in the KCCC 10K, because that meant I got to try a new chai latte. I bought this right after my run, and they maybe thought I was weird to order it hot, because that I was already so hot and worn out from that run. But that is my tradition, to always order it hot. I thought it was really good.
Normal/Typical
This means it wasn't anything special, it was neither bad nor good.
The Filling Station, Johnson Drive
7 Brew Coffee
Bloom Baking Company (Lighton Tower) - this is a coffee shop inside an office building where I don't work. So one of the more random ones.
Caribou Coffee (vanilla chai)
The Roasterie Café
Panera Bread
Pilgrim Coffee Company - they actually brew the tea at this place, which is ideal, but still it was just ok.
Black Dog Coffeehouse
Bare Necessities
Station 3 Coffee Shop
Crows Coffee
Mud Pie
Brew Ha Ha
Foundry Church Coffee House
Lakeview Village Bistro - this is random, but my parents live in this senior living community, and there is a coffee shop
Homer's Coffee House - It was actually not forgettable at all. It was very spicy. But it was fun to see my college acquaintance here, who is the general manager of the store.
Gallagher's Coffeehouse - Used a powder. I started paying attention to methods.
Ozark Coffee Company (Sedalia, MO) -Bought this during my visit to the ragtime festival
Parisi (old Overland Park) - Great environment. Used Harney & Sons liquid mix.
PT’s Crossroads - Possibly the only one I've gone to without planning. I was headed toward a different place in the Crossroads on Southwest Boulevard, then spotted PT's, and I pulled to the side of the road.
Sweet Tee's Coffee Shop - I didn't visit this place, but my wife brought a chai home for me.
City Market Coffee Roasters - Went here after taking the streetcar
Urban Prairie Coffee - Wife brought home this chai for me.
Seleno Coffee - Interesting location in an office park, and literally in an office building. However, the chai latte was just a standard taste.
Java City Coffee - Aspiria Campus
This is one of my most unique chais, because I think this place is only open to employees on the Aspiria Campus. My company just moved my office to that campus, so I naturally I tried out the chai. It seemed like a standard offering, but it was fun to walk from my office to buy this.
Mr. D's Coffee -This has been near my place for a while, but I didn't realize they had a Chai Latte until my wife told me.
Aurora Cafe - This is in my old office building. I was surprised at the high price (above $8). But I was happy to find one of those hidden chai latte places.
Paint Glaze & Fire | Ceramics & Coffee House - I heard about this one when my daughter attended a birthday party there. It is one of those hidden places with chai. I thought the David Rio chai was flavorful - I had never heard of that brand. I wish I would have known it would be sugary though, I would have asked for 50% sugar. So this would have been in the good category, but it was too sugary for me. I would like to try David Rio chai again though.
Cardboard Corner Cafe - This is a fun place for games. I rolled the dice on a chai latte but it fell into the normal category. This also is one of hidden places where I've bought a chai.
The Lemon Cake Bakery - They used Tazo, but it tasted fine.
Odyssey Coffee - Brand new shop near 95th and Nall. I went there one week after it opened.
Cupitol Coffee (West Loop Chicago) I was on a rare business trip, and this was my one chance at a chai latte, because it was a short trip. I walked over to this place from my hotel. It turned out to be just a normal chai latte!
Daylight Donuts I walked over there from my house. I was just glad it wasn't bad like the other donut shop with the chai latte. Overall it was a normal chai latte.
Geo's Cafe This is a new place as of June 2025, and it is next to International House of Prayer. I don't know if it is affiliated with IHOPKC. I was already in the area, so I stopped by and had a decent chai.
151 Coffee This is a brand new place on Metcalf that took around a year to build and open. I found that it was just ok, and I wouldn't buy a chai latte here again.
Bad
Outta the Blue Cafe - I'm just putting this into Bad due to the cost. That is maybe not fair, but this was the only time my body reacted to the cost of one of these chai lattes. Seeing the $7 feels different than the $6.
Scooter's Coffee House - They may be good at some coffees, but not the chai
Prayer Box (Shawnee) -They used a box of Tazo Chai mix available at the grocery store. Maybe many companies do, but this chai lattes tasted mostly like milk, and not much flavor. My wife agreed, she went with me on my quest to this one.
Caribou Coffee (spiced chai) - Really bad. Don't buy this.
Entity Coffee Lounge - A brand new coffee shop, that was already a bar at night. But I think they used a large cup, and a medium amount of chai mix. It was one of those times where the milk taste is much stronger than the chai flavor.
Rize N Shine - this was my first and only (so far) ordering of chai at a restaurant with a meal, served in a mug rather than a to go container. So my expectations were low, due to it not being a coffee shop. However, it didn't taste quite right, and I believe they used water as a base, rather than milk.
Groundhouse Coffee, Gardner KS In fairness to my other rankings, this was the sugar style of chai latte, where it was more of a treat. I actually liked it, but it is not what I would traditionally consider a chai latte.
Worst:
Lamar's Donuts. I was kind of surprised a donut place had coffee, but they have lots of offerings. I ordered chai latte, and the lady reacted as if she'd never heard of it. She asked her coworker to make it, since he knew how to work the machine. The milk frothing process was cool, and I watched as they pumped syrup in about 20 times, I had a bad feeling about this. As I drove off, I noticed it was emitting a bad smell. Anyway, it didn't taste good either. Like really bad. They were really trying, but they don't know how to do this.
Kolaches and Coffee I went there on an afternoon which is unusual for me, but I was excited to find another chai. It was really disappointing though. It was just like the chai from Lamar's - served extremely hot, but also with a disgusting taste. I poured it out on the snow when I got the the office. This was among the cheapest chai lattes though at the $4.15 price point.
Billie's Grocery
The De Dona Chai was of the spicy variety, but I believe in addition to that, it was unsweetened. It says that right on the menu, I don't blame them for that. It just wasn't good.
Einstein's Bagels
It just tasted bad, I don't know if it was a powder mix or a syrup. But the froth was nicely done.
Dunkin'
More of the sugar variety
Dutch Bros - I'm going to start calling this Sugar Bros, because everything I've had there has been too sweet.
Paris Baguette - This is again in the worst category because of all the sugar. This blog should probably have a "Too Sugary" category. Even my wife and daughter thought it was too sugary, so I wonder if they made it correctly.
Have not tried yet:
Hi Hat coffee
Oddly Correct
Chai Cafe - obviously it would have chai, and it has authentic chai selections from different parts of the world.
151 Coffee (not open yet)
Opera house coffee city market
Bonus
I tried a Golden Turmeric latte from these places, I don't recall why I didn't get Chai:
POUR Coffeehouse (Western Lenexa)
Scout Coffee (Lee's Summit)
I tried the Chai Milk Tea from Boba Love (Lenexa). It tasted good, but it only takes a few sips to finish. I will ask for low ice next time, in order to get more of the drink.
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