I am a chai girl forever! As an avid chai latte enjoyer, here is my ranked list of the best chai lattes (that I have tried) from local coffee shops in Athens (no corporate coffee shops).
1. Brenen’s Coffee Cafe
To me, nobody does it like Brenen’s when it comes to hot chai! Their vanilla chai is simply out of this world. I also enjoy their spiced chai and pumpkin spice chai, but vanilla is the best. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: nothing beats Two-for-One Tuesday. If you are like me, a cheapskate chai lover, then Two-for-One Tuesday is perfect because you pay for your drink on Tuesday, and then get a card for a free drink later in the week. Two for one! Why wouldn’t you do it? Girl math. Plain and simple.
2. Donkey Coffee
The vanilla chai at Donkey is so good. I hadn’t had it for a while, so I got it just to write about it in this article. The Donkey chai always receives rave reviews, and it met my expectations. It was so good! The foam was so sweet and stayed longer than 15 seconds in the piping-hot drink. The drink itself was so tasty, and it went down so easily. Donkey is very deserving of one of the best chai lattes in Athens.
3. Rise and Grind
Rise and Grind is a food truck that is becoming more and more popular in the Athens area. They are often parked right in front of the alumni gateway, but you can see their schedule and locations through their Facebook page. I just recently tried Rise and Grind for the first time after hearing many rave reviews, and I have to say, I was very happy with my drink. I just got a typical chai latte with 2% milk and it was delicious. It wasn’t too expensive either, only $5, however alternative milk ran pretty expensive. Oat milk was a whole dollar extra! (That is just plain bonks in my opinion.) The man working the register (who may have been the owner, but I am unsure) said they might soon have a whole line of flavored chai drinks soon, which I will most definitely be trying.
4. Court Street Coffee
Court Street Coffee is the first chai latte I tried in Athens, and to me, it is so nostalgic of my freshman year. It is so smooth and delicious, and just like anywhere else you can get it with whatever milk (oat milk girlies rise) or flavor syrup you want. It is too good. Yummers.
Every chai latte on this list is so good, and I highly recommend giving each of them a try!