Save on Starbucks Chai Lattes with This Clever Extra-Pump Hack for Home Brewing

Starbucks chai lovers can now stretch their lattes and save with a budget hack that uses extra pumps of chai concentrate. By ordering an iced venti with 12 pumps of chai, customers can create multiple chai tea lattes at home without breaking the bank.

A Budget-Friendly Starbucks Hack for Chai Lovers: Maximize Flavor, Minimize Cost

While homemade oat milk chai tea lattes are delightful, Starbucks’ version offers a unique depth of flavor, and it all comes down to their specific chai tea concentrate. The blend incorporates black tea, classic spices like cardamom, black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, sugar, honey, ginger juice, vanilla, and citric acid. Yet, indulging in a Venti Iced Chai Latte can cost $5.95 before any additional syrups or sauces.

There's a budget-friendly workaround for avid chai enthusiasts looking to enjoy the Starbucks flavor at a lower cost. Instead of ordering a standard venti Iced Chai Latte (which includes six pumps of chai), customers can request 12 pumps at no additional charge. This way, they get extra concentration, which can later be used at home to create multiple chai lattes. To ensure the concentrate is not watered down, request no ice.

Stretch Your Starbucks Chai: How One Venti Can Make Multiple Lattes at Home

A grande Iced Chai Latte contains four pumps, while a tall one includes three. By ordering a venti with 12 pumps, customers can stretch one drink into two ventis, three grades, or four tall lattes when diluted with milk at home. For consistency, ordering the drink with the same type of milk available at home—whether 2% whole, almond, or coconut milk—may help replicate the Starbucks experience. Extra syrup or sauce flavors like mocha, brown sugar, or pumpkin can also be added, though they will raise the price.

This money-saving hack also applies to hot Chai Lattes, where a venti with 12 pumps costs the same as a regular venti. However, the hot version includes water, steamed milk, and foam, which may need to be fixed in the refrigerator. For best results, opting for no milk foam and warm milk instead of steamed may help, though the iced version is generally more practical for this method.