As someone who dislikes the taste and jitters of coffee, I have long searched for an alternative morning drink to power me through my day. My senior year of high school, I turned to chai, a trendy black tea from India, and soon grew addicted. Along with my best friend and fellow chai enthusiast, I would scavenge New York City in search of the best oat milk iced chai latte.
Served hot or cold, chai packs warmth in its myriad of spices, including cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Despite its spice, the drink is approachable and delicious. Cafes across the world have adopted chai as a menu item. My current top pick is from Kolkata Chai Co. on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It has just the right degree of sweetness and a spicy kick without any flavor being too overpowering. I can almost taste it as I write this.
But alas, this isn’t NYC anymore. Moving to Hanover, I knew I would need to adjust to Dartmouth Dining variations of chai in order to survive on a college student budget. Novack, the Fern and Ramekin all serve solid options, but they all use the same concentrate and can get a little repetitive. So, over Week 7, with DBA low and levels of sleep deprivation high, I decided to explore what the iced chais on Main Street have to offer.
4. My Brigadeiro: 6/10
My 16 oz iced chai at My Brigadeiro came in a compostable cup topped with a mini chocolate brigadeiro, the shop’s specialty and namesake. It was the perfect small mid-afternoon treat — rich and fudgy, with nice textural variation from its sprinkled coating. Though the brigadeiro was great and the store’s ambiance was charming, My Brig’s chai was not my favorite. It arrived in my hand an ombré of browns, a visible separation between the chai concentrate and the oat milk poured over top. While I don’t expect a brigadeiro bakery to be freshly brewing chai, a little stir would have sufficed so I didn’t have to see exactly where the chai mix stopped and the oat milk began. Even after I mixed the drink, the color was unusually light. It looked like straight oat milk, and tasted like it too. The flavor lacked the complexity and spiciness of chai that I so adore, and as I sipped away at it, I got a little sick of drinking it. I would classify it more so as a generic dessert drink than chai.
3. Dirt Cowboy: 6.5/10
Nestled at the corner across from Collis, Dirt Cowboy is a mysterious presence. While I’ve walked past its dark tinted windows many times, I had yet to try it until my grand iced chai excursion. The interior of the cafe is straight business, with only a small bar with stools against one of the front windows. I thought that the store didn’t have the most welcoming atmosphere on its own, but the outdoor seating and fluffy dog lying on the floor make up for it. Service was quick and I was leaving with iced chai in hand before I could fully peruse all of the baked good offerings of the day. The chai had a nice tan color to it. Its flavor, however, left me confused. The chai tasted like honey and water. It had a good level of sweetness, not sickening but not sugarless, and I managed to finish it within five minutes. I didn’t hate it, but it really didn’t taste like chai at all.
2. The Works: 7/10
Prior to this adventure, I had visited The Works once before, during Week 1 of fall term. Hearing such great things about it from friends throughout the year, I wanted to return to test their iced chai. The restaurant feels like a homier version of Panera, with exposed brick walls and dark wood seating, a sort of rustic sleek. With two full storefronts-worth of seating, The Works feels spacious — I imagine it would be a great place for a day-long study session. The iced chai was huge and not half bad. It tasted exactly like what it was: chai concentrate and oat milk. While not complex, the flavor was solid, especially for a place with such an extensive food and beverage menu. My friend who had never tried chai took a sip and was a big fan, so I’d dub The Works’ iced chai a good entry-level option.
1. Still North Books and Bar: 8.5/10
Sitting on Allen Street, a right turn off of Main Street as you walk away from campus, Still North always feels serene to me, even during busy hours. While the bar area is a bit of a tight space, the limited seating in the cafe encourages customers to explore the bookstore part of the establishment. The first thing I noticed while grabbing my iced chai from Still North’s marble counter was the color, an enticing golden brown hue. I took my first sip with high expectations, and nearly jumped for joy when the spiciness of the drink hit my taste buds. The chai came pretty unsweetened, but after a dash of simple syrup, it moved up the ranks to become my favorite chai of the four. Sitting at one of the cafe’s outdoor window seats while finishing my chai, I was a very happy camper.
Final Thoughts
All of the iced chais had their flaws, and none quite matched up to my favorites from home. But comparing a city of more than 8 million people to a small town in New Hampshire is a little unfair. Aligned with the larger “small college, but there are those who love it” mindset, we work with what we’ve got. Embracing secluded small-town life might mean sacrificing my access to top-tier chai, but I think it’s worth it. I had a blast doing this taste test, getting to revisit some of my favorite Hanover spots and checking out some less familiar places. I encourage everyone to do the same, if not to seek out chai, to gain an appreciation for the world that lies just outside of campus.
