Instagram Food Wars: The Downtown Chai Trifecta

Well, it's January and apart from the occasional flirtation of warmth from Mother Nature, it's pretty damn cold outside. That, combined with a New Year's resolution that seems to be sticking around for once (I'm actually losing weight AND working out... we'll see how I'm doing at the end of February) I decided this month to feature not nice hot coffee, but the best chai tea that downtown has to offer.

Why downtown? Well, if I went after every place that served chai this would be very long post- but really, most of my coffee/chai drinking revolves around work and the places I could conceivably reach (or ask someone to fetch me some and bring it back while it remains relatively warm) are few. So, I limited myself to the downtown chai trifecta: Starbucks, Teaspoons and the Java House.

First up: MASALA CHAI TEA, The Java House.

I love the spice in this. It's just right and it doesn't hit you until it's on the way down and then it lingers in the after taste. It's smooth and smells amazing- and it tastes amazing as well. (They also offer just a plain old Chai Tea made from Republic of Tea Chai but I wanted to see how good the house chai was at the old Java House and it's good. Worth a taste.


Second up: SPICY CHAI, T-Spoons.

Well, there's spice and then there's spice apparently. T-Spoons gets some plaudits for having not one, but two options- a Sweet Chai- the more traditional variety and then a Spicy Chai, which has more nutmeg and apparently some ground pepper in there as well. Being adventurous, I went with the spicy option and I'm happy to report, I made the right choice. The nutmeg is palpable and there's just the faintest hint of pepper. As promised, there's also a KICK to it that warms you right up. In the words of Charlie Sheen: Winning.


Finally: CHAI LATTE, Starbucks.

The initial taste didn't impress me. It tasted soapy and slightly lukewarm- but it improved with taste as I drank it. The flavors were mild but the spicy aftertaste didn't kick in until the end of the latte- but overall I was left wanting more. I didn't feel like I was robbed- like a lot of times I get coffee and tea from Starbucks- but there was better tasting chai out there.

The Verdict: T-Spoons! Java House was in it right up until the end but only T-Spoons had the flavor and the kick that made their chai a real pleasure to drink. They are the winners of the first edition of Instagram Food Wars of 2013 and the Kings of the Downtown Chai Trifecta!