How To Get Your Chai Fix On The Cheap

 

A drink that has captured the heart of Manila’s fab working class is the Chai Tea Latte. It is an adaptation of the Indian specialty drink, the Masala Chai.

A Chai Tea Latte consists of tea infused in milk. It may or may not contain coffee. It is a great alternative to coffee, for those who don’t like the strong bitter taste of a good ole cup of joe.

A Chai Tea Latte in Manila may set you back anywhere from Php 75 to Php 100 for the hot variants, and anywhere from Php 120 to Php 150++ for the Frappe versions. And that’s just good for one serving. If you consider the cost of that in the long run, that could eat into what you could actually have saved instead.

Here’s how the costs would look like, over time:

• 1 Chai Coffee – 20 Workdays, Php 75 per serve = Php 1,500 a month
• 1 Chai Coffee – 20 Workdays, Php 100 per serve = Php 2,000 a month
• 1 Chai Frappe – 20 Workdays, Php 120 per serve = Php 2,400 a month
• 1 Chai Frappe – 20 Workdays, Php 150 per serve = Php 3,000 a month

What could Php 3,000 buy?

• 2 months’ worth of electricity, for those who use it meagerly
• 1 month’s worth of  payment for a cellphone bill at a premium plan
• 2 month’s worth of payment for a cellphone bill at a mid-range plan
• 8 months’ worth of payment for cellphone bills at Sun Cellular’s Plan 350
• Around 40% of the value of a personal refrigerator
• A high-end multicooker
• 3 rice cookers from trusted brands (3D, Imarflex, Hitachi)
• A new low-end phone for the standard brands, a new midrange phone for Cherry Mobile, Torque and MyPhone
• 30 Php 100 Stored-Value MRT Cards, equal to around 200 MRT rides (at Php 15 per ride)
• 300 bus rides (at Php 10 per ride)

After seeing that, does it still make sense to get a cup of Chai every afternoon?

To help you still maintain your fix of Chai, but substituting it for something more affordable, and possibly more delicious, here are some options and recipes:

Authentic Indian Chai

• Ingredients:
• Authentic Indian Chai Leaves
• Cardamom Seeds
• Condensed Milk

• Boil with Cardamom Seeds in a pan, add Condensed Milk, and you’re good to go.

• Cost:
• Authentic Indian Chai Leaves – Php 100
• Cardamom Seeds – Php 60 per pack
• Condensed Milk – Php 25 per can

• Notes: The Indian Chai will be the most cost-effective investment in the bunch. One pack may last you months. The Cardamom will also last you months, as you only need to use 3 pods for every liter of water.The condensed milk may last you 3 days to a week, depending how much you add to your mix.

• Cost Per Serve: Around Php 20 to Php 30.

Improvised Chai Recipes

All Instant Recipe

• Ingredients:
• 1 to 2 sticks of Lipton Milk Tea
• 1 Sachet Instant Coffee

• Boil water in a kettle. Pour the contents of the milk tea and the instant coffee sachets into a mug. When the water boils, add the water to the powder. Stir and enjoy.

• Cost:
• Lipton Milk Tea is around Php 35 to Php 40 per box of 5 sticks, so each one will be at around Php 7.00 to Php 8.00
• Instant Coffee (3  in 1 mixes), depending on the variant, can cost you anywhere from Php 3.50 to Php 12.50 per sachet.

• Cost Per Serve:
• 1 Stick Lipton Milk Tea + low-end coffee: Php 11.50
• 1 Stick Lipton Milk Tea + mid-range coffee: Php 13.00 to Php 15.00
• 1 Stick Lipton Milk Tea + high-end coffee (i.e. Jimm’s 7 in 1): Php 20.50
• 2 Sticks Liptop Milk Tea + low-end coffee: Php 19.50
• 2 Sticks Liptop Milk Tea+ mid-range coffee: Php 21 to Php 23.00
• 2 Sticks Liptop Milk Tea + high-end coffee: Php 28.50

Tea Bag And Instant Coffee Recipe

• Ingredients:
• 2 to 3 tea bags of Green Tea or Orange Pekoe Tea
• 1 Sachet Instant Coffee, or just use the regular Coffee/Creamer/Sugar mix

• Boil water in a kettle. Place 2 to 3 tea bags in a mug. Add 1 to 2 inches of water to the tea bags. Let it steep for around a minute. Press if you like. Add the coffee powder or the coffee/cream/sugar mix to another mug. Pour the tea into the powder. Add more hot water to the tea and add until the mug is filled to your desired level. Stir and savor!

• Cost:
• Green Tea or Orange Pekoe could cost anywhere from Php 50 to Php 150 for a box.
• Instant Coffee, depending on the variant, can cost you anywhere from Php 3.50 to Php 12.50 per sachet. For the pure coffee powders, cost is anywhere from Php 15 to Php 50 per bag. Creamer also costs as much, same with sugar.

• Cost Per Serve:

For this costing, we’ll use the Susan Baker Chinese Green Tea costing, as it’s one of the cheapest in the market. For around Php 50, you get 25 tea bags, making each tea bag cost only Php 2.00 apiece

• Php 2.00 x 2 Pieces + Php 3.50 for Coffee = Php 7.50
• Php 2.00 x 2 Pieces + Php 5.00 for Coffee = Php 9.00
• Php 2.00 x 2 Pieces + Php 10.00 for Coffee = Php 14.00

• Php 2.00 x 3 Pieces + Php 3.50 for Coffee = Php 9.50
• Php 2.00 x 3 Pieces + Php 5.00 for Coffee = Php 11.00
• Php 2.00 x 3 Pieces + Php 10.00 for Coffee = Php 16.00

From the lowest cost of Php 7.50 up to the highest possible cost of Php 30, you’ll be spending only Php 225 to 900 a month. From the highest cost of Php 3,000 a month for 20 days of Chai Frappe, you still save Php 2,100. You also get an extra 10 days of chai bliss at this rate.

Life does not need to be lived in a costly way. If it’s really the taste and the comfort you’ll after, you can always savor a treat like a Chai Tea Latte at a fraction of a cost. Enjoy!

Photo Credits: A Mermaid's Secret