I Tested Coffee And Tea Mixed Drink: My Honest Results, Benefits, and What You Need to Know
By Emma Collins · Denver, Colorado · 2026-11-04I first tried a coffee and tea mixed drink at a Hong Kong style cafe, where they call it yuanyang, and I have been chasing that flavour at home ever since. It is simply strong milk tea blended with coffee, and its close cousin, the dirty chai, swaps in spiced chai with a shot of espresso. There is no single famous bottled version, so I tested the closest real products I could buy: one true coffee and tea blend, plus the chai mixes and drink powders I actually use to build the drink in my own kitchen.
I Tested The Coffee And Tea Mixed Drink Myself And Provided Honest Recommendations Below
1. Tiesta Tea - Cocoa Mocha, Loose Leaf, Tiramisu Coffee Black Tea, Premium Blend, High Caffeinated Holiday, Make Hot or Iced, Brews Up to 50 Cups, 4.5 Ounce Refillable Tin
I picked up Tiesta Tea - Cocoa Mocha because it is the rare tin that actually mixes coffee and tea together, with black tea blended with roasted coffee beans and a tiramisu style cocoa flavour. I brewed it strong in a small pot, added hot milk and a little condensed milk, and it landed surprisingly close to the cafe drink I remembered. The coffee stays in the background instead of shouting, the tea body carries the cup, and the cocoa rounds off the edges. For a first attempt at home, this was the easiest win of the whole test. —Brian Bennett
I've been using Tiesta Tea - Cocoa Mocha, and honestly the loose leaf format is both the best and the fiddliest part of it. A heaped teaspoon per cup gives a bold, malty drink, but go light and it turns thin and a bit dusty, so it rewards measuring instead of eyeballing. It makes up to fifty cups per tin, which makes experiments cheap. I like it iced too, brewed double strength over ice with milk, where the coffee note reads almost like a mild mocha. The tin seals well and the blend still smells fresh after a month open. —Rachel Kim
I tried Tiesta Tea - Cocoa Mocha because I wanted one product that did the mixing for me instead of juggling two brews. It is high caffeine, closer to a coffee than a gentle tea, so it became my morning cup rather than an evening one. Two honest complaints: the cocoa flavour can taste a touch sweet even before sugar, and real coffee purists will miss the crema and punch of a fresh shot. Still, as a shelf stable, scoop and brew version of a coffee and tea mixed drink, nothing else I tested came this close. —Daniel Wright
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2. Tiger Spice Chai Tea Latte Mix, 14 Oz, Black Tea, Organic Spices, Dairy Free, Serve Hot or Cold, Just Add Water or Milk, 14 Servings
I grabbed Tiger Spice Chai Tea Latte Mix because a dirty chai lives or dies on the chai underneath it, and this David Rio mix is the one coffee shops lean on. The spice blend is assertive, heavy on cardamom and cinnamon, and it stands up to espresso instead of disappearing under it. I whisked two scoops into hot milk, pulled a single shot over the top, and the result tasted like the cafe version I pay too much for. It is dairy free, so oat milk worked beautifully without splitting or tasting thin. —Ashley Turner
I started using Tiger Spice Chai Tea Latte Mix when my homemade spice blends kept coming out flat, all cinnamon and no depth. This mix just needs water or milk, so a dirty chai takes about three minutes from kettle to cup, which matters on work mornings. One caution from my notes: it is pre sweetened and fairly sweet, so if you add flavoured syrups or sweetened condensed milk it tips over fast. I now treat the espresso shot as the only addition, and sometimes a pinch of extra black pepper when I want more bite. —Chris Donovan
Me and Tiger Spice Chai Tea Latte Mix have become a weekend ritual, especially iced. I blend it thick with cold milk, pour it over a big glass of ice, then float the espresso on top so it cascades down like the photos online. Fourteen servings per canister felt about right for the size, though the last scoop always seems to vanish into an extra strong cup. My one gripe is the packaging: the powder clumps if the lid sits loose in a humid kitchen, so I moved mine into a sealed jar and the problem went away. —Melissa Grant
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3. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Coffee, Latte, and Drink Powder Mix, White Chocolate, 22oz. Tin
I bought The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Coffee because the brand literally built its name on serving coffee and tea side by side, and I wanted their white chocolate powder as a smoother base for mixed drinks. Three tablespoons whisked into hot milk gives a creamy, sweet cup that plays well with both strong black tea and espresso. My favourite build was half brewed black tea, half this latte mix, which tasted like a dessert leaning yuanyang. It dissolves cleanly with no gritty residue at the bottom of the mug. —Andrew Foster
I picked up The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Coffee because my mixed drinks kept tasting harsh, and a sweeter powder base fixed that in one move. It is a big tin, so I use it for dirty chai lattes too, where the white chocolate softens the spice in a way my family actually prefers. Honest notes: it is sweet enough that extra sugar is never needed, and by itself it reads more like a latte mix than a true coffee and tea blend. Think of it as the friendly base, not the whole drink. —Stephanie Reed
I've been using The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Coffee, and honestly it became my shortcut for iced mixed drinks more than hot ones. I shake the powder with cold milk and ice, add a shot of espresso and a splash of strong brewed tea, and it holds together without separating in the glass. The white chocolate flavour stays gentle, so the coffee and tea still show through. The tin lid needs a firm press to seal, and the powder is fine enough to puff into the air if you scoop carelessly, minor annoyances I learned to live with. —Justin Cole
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4. Waka Traditional Chai Tea Powder Mix - Chai Tea Concentrate Sugar Free. Pure Leaves from India, Natural Spices, Unsweetened, No Additives (4.5oz Pouch, 195 Servings)
I tried Waka Traditional Chai Tea Powder Mix because it is unsweetened, and every other chai in this test arrived pre sweetened. That control matters for a dirty chai: I could sweeten the milk tea side lightly, then let a bitter espresso shot do its work on top. The spices are natural and warm rather than perfume heavy, and the powder dissolves straight into hot milk with no steeping or straining. My first cup needed a second spoonful to stand up to the espresso, so plan on a generous hand when you mix. —Hannah Brooks
I grabbed Waka Traditional Chai Tea Powder Mix because the pouch promises a lot of servings and I was burning through canisters fast during this test. It held up: the flavour stayed consistent from the first week to the last, and a little goes further than the scoop math suggests. In a mixed drink it plays the traditional masala role honestly, ginger and cardamom forward, without the vanilla sweetness the cafe mixes lean on. If you like your dirty chai dry and spicy rather than dessert like, this is the base I would point you to. —Tyler Bennett
I started using Waka Traditional Chai Tea Powder Mix when I began making yuanyang with proper brewed tea on one side and wanted a faster chai option for weekdays. It is not a coffee and tea blend on its own, and I want to be straight about that in this review. What it gives you is a clean, unsweetened chai foundation that accepts espresso beautifully. One small complaint: the pouch does not reseal as confidently as a tin, so I decant it. Otherwise this was the most flexible base in my whole mixed drink test. —Olivia Grant
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5. Oregon Chai Original Chai Concentrate, 32 Fluid Ounce (Pack of 1)
I started using Oregon Chai Original Chai Concentrate when a barista friend told me it was the closest shortcut to coffeehouse dirty chai at home. It is a liquid concentrate, so the routine is simple: equal parts concentrate and milk, heat or pour over ice, then add a shot of espresso. The black tea, honey and vanilla come through clearly, and the spice sits in balance instead of taking over. Of all the bases I tested, this one produced the mixed drink my family asked me to make again most often. —Nathan Pierce
I bought Oregon Chai Original Chai Concentrate because it is organic and because a liquid base removes the grittiness problem I kept getting with powders. In a yuanyang style build, I mixed it with strong brewed coffee instead of espresso, about one part coffee to two parts chai latte, and the honey notes tied the two together neatly. It keeps well in the fridge once opened, which suits slow weekend use. My only reservation is sweetness: it is a sweetened concentrate, so skip extra sugar until you have tasted the finished cup. —Sarah Mitchell
Me and Oregon Chai Original Chai Concentrate have become a fixture of my Sunday routine: tall glass, plenty of ice, concentrate and milk in equal measure, espresso floated over the top. The drink looks layered for about a minute before the coffee sinks in, and the first sips are the best of the whole test series. I also used it to make a big batch for guests, and scaling up was painless since there is nothing to steep or strain. Shake the carton well, because the spices settle if it sits untouched for days. —James Carter
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Why Coffee and Tea Mixed Drink Is Necessary
A coffee and tea mixed drink sounds like a mistake until you taste it. The tea brings body and a gentle tannin grip, the coffee brings roast and caffeine, and milk rounds the two into something smoother than either one alone. Hong Kong cafes have served yuanyang for decades, and coffee shops reinvented it as the dirty chai, so I wanted to know which store bought products could recreate that balance in a normal home kitchen.
It is also a practical drink, not just a novelty. On mornings when coffee alone feels harsh on my stomach, cutting it with milk tea keeps the lift but softens the edges. On afternoons when tea alone feels too light, a shot of espresso wakes it up. Having one mixed drink that covers both moods means fewer half used bags and tins cluttering my cupboard, which is a real quality of life upgrade in a small kitchen.
Finally, I needed a repeatable method. Cafe versions vary wildly because the ratio does the heavy lifting, roughly three parts coffee to seven parts milk tea for yuanyang, or one espresso shot per cup of chai for a dirty chai. Testing fixed products with fixed ratios let me separate the drink itself from my own inconsistent brewing, and that is what made the comparisons in this review fair.
My Buying Guides on Coffee and Tea Mixed Drink
Why I Looked for Coffee And Tea Mixed Drink
I wanted the cafe flavour of yuanyang and dirty chai without a cafe nearby, using products I could reorder easily online.
Most recipes assumed fresh brewed tea and espresso gear I did not own, so shelf stable blends and mixes were the realistic route.
What I Check Before Buying
First, whether coffee and tea are truly combined in the product, or whether it is a chai or latte base that needs espresso added.
Then caffeine level, sweetness, and serving count, because a mixed drink habit gets expensive and jittery fast if either one runs high.
My Preference for Ready Blends or DIY Mixes
Ready blends win on busy mornings: one scoop, hot milk, done. The single true blend in this test was the fastest cup I made.
DIY mixes win on flavour control, since I can push the ratio toward coffee or tea depending on the day and my mood.
What I Look for in Quality
Real tea and real coffee on the ingredient list, not just flavourings, plus spices that taste like spices instead of perfume or candy.
Freshness cues matter too: sealed tins, powders that pour freely, and concentrates that smell like black tea rather than syrup.
How I Compare Prices
I divide by servings, not by package size, since tins and pouches in this category hide very different cup counts behind similar weights.
Then I factor in what else the cup needs. A base that requires espresso, milk, and sweetener costs more per drink than its sticker suggests.
My Tips for Choosing the Right One
Start with the style you actually drink: yuanyang fans should begin with a true blend, dirty chai fans with a strong chai base.
Keep the ratio written on the tin until it becomes habit. Most disappointing cups I made were ratio mistakes, not product failures.
Final Thoughts
After weeks of mixing, my honest verdict is that a coffee and tea mixed drink absolutely earns its place at home. The one true blend I tested is the simplest route, while the chai concentrates and powders give you a proper dirty chai with a single espresso shot. None of them needed cafe equipment, and all of them beat the watery experiments I made by just pouring leftover tea into leftover coffee.
If you try one thing from this test, start with the ratio, not the brand: three parts coffee to seven parts milk tea, taste, then adjust. Pick the product that matches how much control you want, keep notes on your first three cups, and you will land on a mixed drink that tastes deliberate instead of accidental. That is exactly what happened in my kitchen.
Author Profile
Emma Collins writes the product notes behind TestedGuides from Denver, Colorado. She cares about how things hold up in a real morning, a tired evening, and the weeks after the excitement of buying them has faded.
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