With the days a bit brighter and the nights a bit warmer, spring is nearly in full swing. Unfortunately there are still those few inevitable gloomy end of winter days left where it's rainy and barely above zero degrees. However, I've got something to keep you warm and cozy until spring is ready to stick around for good: tea lattes!
When I’m out at a café, almost 99% of the time I would order a latte. The only problem with that is they tend to be on the pricey side which isn’t so nice on our wallets. So why not create your own latte’s at home? It’s incredibly simple to make, you're able to cater each recipe to your own liking, and all the while it gives your wallet a break!
If you're looking for some classic latte recipes to make at home, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the basic instructions for making a tea latte.
Step 1: Make the tea. Steep 1 tsp of tea per cup of boiling water for 3-5 minutes depending on how strong you like your tea.
Step 2: Sweeten the tea as desired using sweeteners such as honey, granulated sugar, maple syrup, agave, stevia, or any other preference you may have.
Step 3: Choose the type of milk. The most common options are cow's milk, almond milk, soy milk, and coconut milk. I found that homogenized cows milk yields a really beautiful creamy froth and almond milk has a unique nutty flavour that compliments a matcha latte very well, but we'll get back to that in a bit!
Step 4: Froth the milk. There are two main ways of doing this. I use the Breville Milk Cafe electric frother and it's my favourite option because it heats the milk to very specific temperatures and it also makes a really foamy yet smooth milk froth. You can also heat the milk in a pot on the stove and use a hand held electric frother or a whisk to froth the milk. It's important to make sure that you don't heat the milk too hot too fast or it will burn the milk, ew!
Here are four tea latte recipes to add to your end of winter morning and afternoon drink rituals. Each recipe has tips or special instructions to help you achieve the perfect tea latte in no time at all!
This latte is perfect if you're looking to add some spice to your life! The cinnamon and ginger spices really shine through when you take that first sip from this latte. I steep my chai for 3-5 minutes depending on how flavourful I want my latte to be. If you're going with a spicier black tea such as the Cochin Masala Chai, be aware of how long to steep for because steeping it for too long can create an undesirable bitterness.
I used to be a morning coffee drinker because I love the rich taste of coffee as well as the caffeine kick to help start my day. As much as I still love coffee, it caused me to crash in the middle of my day, created an irregular sleeping pattern, and caused my skin to break out. I decided to switch over to tea in the mornings but that didn’t exactly satisfy that rich tasting beverage I yearn for in the mornings and so I started switching over to London Fogs which was the best decision ever! I still get a nice steady caffeine kick and the added milk and sugar gives me that comforting feeling to fully satisfy my morning coffee cravings. I simply love my morning London Fogs, it's always the perfect way to start my day.
If you haven’t read my last Tealee blog post, I’m a huge fan of matcha tea and matcha lattes are no exception! This Matcha Latte recipe is complimented with vanilla almond milk which is a perfect lactose free drink to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (yay!). The smooth, sweet, and nutty flavour from the almond milk enhances the delicious vegetative flavour profile of a high quality matcha tea. We left out any additional sweeteners since the vanilla flavour in the almond milk already adds sweetness to the latte.
If you like apple pies, your going to love this drink! This apple cinnamon latte comes with a side of Netflix and Chill and a big warm cozy blanket on a Sunday afternoon. I guarantee that you will fully enjoy this easy to make at home recipe. I personally like using homogenized milk with this recipe for a creamier taste but again, this depends on personal preference. What gives this latte that special something is the formosa oolong tea. used in the Apple Cinnamon Oolong blend. It has a delicious toasty characteristic that really ties together all the flavours, truly a perfect latte blend!
I hope this post inspired you to try making your own lattes at home. Each recipe takes no longer than 5 minutes to make and can be personalized to your taste. There’s something special in making your own latte, try these out and let me know which one was your favourite! Happy spring everyone! :)
I love this post! I’m usually a matcha drinker but everything looks and sounds so delicious. Might have to try out the apple cinnamon recipe.
Carrie Ly
Author