A 16 oz chai latte has about 40 to 55 mg of caffeine, roughly half of what's in an 8 oz cup of brewed coffee. USDA data for a hot tea latte, which includes chai, works out to about 43 mg in 16 oz, and Starbucks lists its Grande Chai Latte at about 55 mg. The caffeine comes from the black tea in the chai. The milk and spices add none.
A dirty chai is different: one espresso shot adds about 63 mg, so a 16 oz dirty chai lands well over 100 mg. To see what your chai leaves in you at bedtime, use the caffeine calculator.
Free toolCaffeine Cutoff CalculatorHow much caffeine is still in you at bedtime, and your latest cup.How much caffeine is in a chai latte?
Expect about 20 to 25 mg per 8 oz of finished drink, so the size you order matters most. USDA's food database lists hot tea with milk, a category that includes chai tea lattes, at 9 mg of caffeine per 100 g.
| Size | USDA tea latte estimate | Starbucks Chai Latte |
|---|---|---|
| 8 oz | about 22 mg | not listed here |
| 12 oz (Tall) | about 32 mg | about 35 mg |
| 16 oz (Grande) | about 43 mg | about 55 mg |
| 20 oz (Venti) | about 54 mg | about 75 mg |
The USDA sizes are its standard 1 cup, small, medium and large portions. The Starbucks figures are the chain's own approximate numbers for its hot Chai Latte made to the standard recipe, as listed on its nutrition page in October 2026. Extra pumps of chai concentrate mean more caffeine.
Why does chai have caffeine?
Because traditional chai is spiced black tea, and black tea contains caffeine. Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves and pepper are caffeine-free, and so is the milk.
That's also why a chai latte has less caffeine than you might expect from a 16 oz drink. Much of the cup is milk. If you want the same flavor with no caffeine, look for a chai made with rooibos or labeled caffeine-free.
Concentrate vs tea bag chai: which has more caffeine?
It depends on the concentrate's label and how many tea bags you use, but most homemade and café versions land in a similar range.
- Tea bag chai. A chai latte made with one black-tea chai bag has roughly the caffeine of a cup of black tea, since the milk adds none. That's about 30 to 50 mg, and longer steeping pulls out more. See does tea have more caffeine than coffee for how steeping changes the number.
- Store-bought concentrate. Brands vary, and most are meant to be mixed with milk. Check the label for caffeine per serving, and note whether the serving is the concentrate alone or the mixed drink.
- Powdered chai mixes. Some list caffeine on the label. If yours doesn't, the USDA estimate of about 22 mg per 8 oz is a reasonable starting point.
How much caffeine is in a dirty chai?
A dirty chai is a chai latte plus a shot of espresso, which adds about 63 mg per shot. That puts it close to, or above, a cup of coffee.
| Drink | Chai | Espresso | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 oz dirty chai, 1 shot | about 35 mg | about 63 mg | about 98 mg |
| 16 oz dirty chai, 1 shot | about 55 mg | about 63 mg | about 118 mg |
| 16 oz dirty chai, 2 shots | about 55 mg | about 126 mg | about 181 mg |
These use the Starbucks chai figures plus a standard 1 oz espresso shot. More on shots in how much caffeine is in espresso.
Can I drink a chai latte before bed?
A small chai latte in the early evening is usually fine, but a dirty chai is a morning drink. These are the latest times each one falls below about 25 mg by bedtime, using an average 5-hour half-life.
| Drink | Caffeine | Bed at 10 PM | Bed at 10:30 PM | Bed at 11 PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chai latte, 8 oz (USDA) | about 22 mg | already under 25 mg | already under 25 mg | already under 25 mg |
| Chai latte, 12 oz | about 35 mg | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM |
| Chai latte, 16 oz (USDA) | about 43 mg | 6:05 PM | 6:35 PM | 7:05 PM |
| Chai latte, 16 oz | about 55 mg | 4:15 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:15 PM |
| Chai latte, 20 oz | about 75 mg | 2:00 PM | 2:30 PM | 3:00 PM |
| Dirty chai, 16 oz, 1 shot | about 118 mg | 10:45 AM | 11:15 AM | 11:45 AM |
| Dirty chai, 16 oz, 2 shots | about 181 mg | 7:40 AM | 8:10 AM | 8:40 AM |
The 25 mg mark isn't an official limit, but it's a sensible target for sleep. Slow caffeine metabolizers, pregnancy and some medications can stretch the timeline further. For chai next to every other drink, see the caffeine in drinks chart.
How to enjoy chai without losing sleep
- Order a size down after lunch. Going from 20 oz to 12 oz cuts the caffeine by more than half at Starbucks.
- Skip the espresso after noon. The shot, not the chai, is what makes a dirty chai hard on sleep.
- Ask for fewer pumps of concentrate if you want a lighter afternoon drink.
- Make it with rooibos at night. Same spices, no caffeine.