Dirty Chai

Also dirty chai latte

A chai latte 'dirtied' with a shot of espresso. The caffeine figure here counts only the espresso; the tea adds more.

SpecialtyServed hotFrom United States

Volume
270ml9.1 US fl oz
Espresso
1shot
Caffeine
64mgderived, USDA FDC
Coffee to milk
1:6.0

The build

Watch it made, step by step
Mug, 300 ml. Layers in pouring order from the bottom, drawn by volume.
  1. Spiced chai concentrate60 ml22%
  2. Milk180 ml67%
  3. Espresso30 ml11%
Volume
270ml
Caffeine
64mg
Espresso
1shot

Scales every component together, so the ratio holds; caffeine scales with the coffee.

A chai latte with a shot of espresso; the tea's caffeine is extra and not counted here.

Caffeine

Derived
64mg

in a 270 ml dirty chai

USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy caffeine per 100 g scaled to the coffee volume in components, assuming 1 g per ml. FDC 171891 (Beverages, coffee, brewed, espresso, restaurant-prepared) 212.0 mg/100 g x 30 ml.

USDA FoodData Central record 171891 · read 2026-10-26

A derived figure: the reference food's caffeine per 100 g scaled to the coffee in this build. Real cups vary with the coffee, the dose and the shot.

Variants by country

1
NameCountryHow it differs
filthy chaiUnited StatesTwo shots.

History

Popular account

Emerged in North American and British cafés in the 1990s or 2000s; no documented inventor. We have not found a primary source for this account.

Western café hybrid of masala chai latte and espresso.

Popular account

Parts of this story are repeated widely but were not confirmed against a source this atlas accepts. They are kept as the story people tell, not as fact.

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