An Ordering Pro-Tip For Stronger Chai At Starbucks

From iced, shaken espressos to toasty matcha lattes, the Starbucks menu is vast and versatile, and it's no secret that its employees can customize orders to suit the tastes of its millions of daily customers, even if the drink modifications are longer than the Book of Genesis. If you're a Starbucks sommelier who's regularly on the hunt for cheeky coffee and tea hacks, there's one chai latte tip that will give you stronger-tasting sips without making your barista do backflips.

A Starbucks chai latte is made with black tea infused with cloves, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, cardamom, and star anise to provide the woodsy taste of the tea with a cozy and warming depth. The concentrated tea blend is combined with water and milk for a creamy, full-bodied latte-drinking experience. However, ordering the latte without water will give you a stronger taste of chai and a bigger hit of caffeine. Tea concentrates are brawny, intense forms of a blend's flavor profile, but when water is introduced, this strapping intensity is diluted for more palatable and less activating sips. Requesting a Starbucks chai latte without water culminates in a beverage with a more robust chai flavor that's subtly curbed by the introduction of milk, ensuring that your morning or afternoon pick-me-up flaunts bold but never brash flavors with a heavy-handed caffeine kick.

Ordering a water-free Starbucks chai latte will give you a cup full of caffeine and flavor. But whether you're a stock investor, elementary school teacher, or just waking up from a nap, maximizing caffeine content is often of the essence, regardless of reason. Luckily for those who keep an eye out for Starbucks drinks with the most caffeine, there are some additional chai latte ordering hacks you can tack onto the no-water request to get even more pep in your step.

Instead of ordering a plain Jane chai latte, request a dirty chai without water. Not only will you get an extra hit of caffeine from the undiluted tea concentrate, but you'll also get an added shot of espresso for a blast of energy straight to the head. For those seeking a bite-sized amount of espresso, request a half-caffeinated shot, and your barista will infuse a 50-50 ratio of caffeinated and decaf espresso into the latte. For a mellow take on a dirty chai, request a scoop of matcha to receive a tea-based caffeine booster that prevents espresso-induced jitters.

From sugary Starbucks pastries to hearty breakfast sandwiches, the coffee chain offers customers a lineup of provisions to pair with their beverages. If you're among those who need a bite of food for every sip of caffeine to prevent sweaty palms and an upset stomach, some Starbucks food menu items pair particularly well with those strong, water-free chai latte flavors.

For something savory, the double-smoked bacon, cheddar, and egg sandwich is a great chai latte pairing as the savory, smoky bacon bolsters and complements the warming spiciness of the tea blend. Need something on the lighter side? Starbucks' bacon & gruyère egg bites offer a similar pairing of flavors without weighing you down. For something sweet, a chocolate croissant is the perfect companion to those bold chai flavors, imparting your latte with a rich and decadent sweetness that cuts through the drink's many spices. Move over peanut butter and jelly because it's no secret that pumpkin and chai-inspired spices are a match made in heaven, making Starbucks' pumpkin loaf the quintessential sweet treat to order alongside a water-free chai latte.

Regardless of your food pairing, a waterless chai latte is an easy way to get a more flavorful take on a Starbucks favorite. If you're a consumer of courageously caffeinated beverages with feverishly fierce flavors, this low-maintenance Starbucks hack is for you.