Ever since the beginning of 2020, I’ve been slowly making my way through your blog post topic requests. In case you’re just catching up, here are the reader requests I’ve addressed on Peanut Butter Fingers so far this year:
- Marriage After Kids
- Fitness In My 20s vs Fitness In My 30s
- Week of Weeknight Dinners
- My Current Beauty Favorites
I love the fact that the blog posts you’ve requested to see on PBF this year are all over the place. Clearly you guys get how my brain works because I’ve always loved chatting with you guys about all sorts of things and don’t want to pigeonhole myself into any one specific genre. Sometimes I feel pressure to pick a niche and stick to it since that seems to be the trend with blogs and social media accounts these days but hopefully you guys enjoy seeing a variety of topics pop up in this space even though sometimes it may seem like ya never know what you’re going to get around here! Of course if you’re a longtime reader, you are probably more than used to this by now!
For today’s bog post, I wanted to provide you guys with step-by-step instructions detailing how I make my tea lattes. Pretty much the second it finally felt like fall in North Carolina, I found myself reaching for a hot beverage in the afternoon and more often than not, it looked like a cup of hot cocoa or a warm tea latte. I love the way tea lattes lend themselves to a myriad of flavors so I never seem to get sick of them. I have an entire drawer in our kitchen dedicated to different kinds of tea and definitely love a variety.
Also, I warned you guys that my tea latte process is incredibly simple but I still had a bunch of you request a breakdown so let’s get to it. Hopefully this will help those of you who have never made a tea latte before give it a try and fall in love!
How I Make My Tea Lattes
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Step One: Make a smaller-than-usual cup of strongly-brewed tea
You know the typical amount of water you use when you make a cup of tea? I’d use about 2/3 the amount of water you typically use when you make your cup of tea so the tea is extra strong. For me, this typically looks like 6 ounces of water for one tea bag, depending on the strength of the tea. Steep the tea for the amount of time noted on the box instructions. You don’t want to steep it any longer because it will often become bitter. Using less water will help you brew a stronger cup of tea versus letting the tea bag sit in your hot water for all the days.
I also LOVE using an electric kettle to warm my water for my tea. This stainless steel electric kettle is amazing as it includes five temperature presets for three different kinds of tea, coffee and boiling water.
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Step Two: Make your frothy milk while your tea steeps
No, you do not need a milk frother to make a tea latte (warmed milk also works) but as someone who likes lattes with LOTS of foam, it makes a HUGE difference. There are so many frothers out there at a variety of price points so I highly recommend adding one to your kitchen collection if you’re a latte fan! I’ve used inexpensive handheld frothers and loved them and currently use an electric frother that heats and froths the milk simultaneously that I’ve been obsessed with for a while now. (My frother was only $25 by Mixpresso and though my specific model seems to be discontinued, this looks like the most recent model.) There are SO many options out there, so ask around and do a little research to see which one is right for you.
Also, for me, I find that whole milk and coconut milk (from a can!!) produce the best foam so I’ve been almost exclusively making my coffee and tea lattes with coconut milk or whole milk for a while now.
As for the amount of milk you want in your latte, that’s a personal preference thing but I love a creamy latte, so I’m all about a lot of milk! I froth about 1/2 cup of milk for my lattes which I realize may be more than most people like, so I recommend beginning with 1/4 cup and working your way up if you find yourself desiring a creamier latte with more foam.
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Step Three: Remove the tea bag and stir in desired sweetener
Note: I do NOT like sweet tea. This is southern blasphemy, I know, but it has never been my thing. If you do like your tea lattes sweet, add your sweetener of choice now (honey, sugar, agave, stevia, maple syrup, etc.) before it’s time to add your milk.
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Step Four: Pour frothy milk on top of hot tea and lightly stir
This is my favorite part! Watching the creamy milk blend into my tea and then giving my latte a light stir before taking that first delicious sip is the best!
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Step Five: Top with cinnamon if desired, sip and enjoy!
As for the types of tea I love using in my tea lattes, I’m a little bit all over the place. Here are a few of my personal favorites with some brief explanations as to why I love them so much:
- Tazo Organic Baked Cinnamon Apple: Like apple pie in a cup! Fragrant with the perfect hint of apple and cinnamon.
- Numi Organic Roobios Tea: I fell in love with roobios tea when I was pregnant and avoiding caffeine, as its perfectly safe for pregnant women to consume and high in antioxidants. Plus, it is supposedly calming as well as anti-inflammatory and helps with digestion. I never get sick of this tea and love the hint of vanilla flavor.
- Yogi Organic Egyptian Licorice Mint / Pukka Organic Peppermint & Licorice: There’s something about the refreshing flavor of mint paired with the deep, rich flavor of licorice. The bold flavor of this tea holds up well against creamy milk in tea latte and is one of my all-time favorite flavor combinations.
- Celestial Seasonings Gingerbread Spice: I look forward to this holiday tea all year! It has a mellow gingerbread flavor I adore.
- Winter Dream Tea: This tea is a heavenly blend of roobios, orange peel, licorice, cinnamon and cloves. It has a lightly sweet flavor and is perfect for warming me up on a chilly afternoon!
Question of the Day
- Do you make tea lattes? If so, do you have any tips or tricks you implement when you make your lattes that you’d like to share?
- What is your favorite kind of tea?
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Excited to try this! My favorite tea is celestial seasonings sugar cookie sleigh ride, I stock up when I see it because I can’t find it often!
Yum, this sounds so incredible! I’ve been meaning to pick up a milk frother and seeing this idea is definitely even more of an incentive to do so. Thanks so much for these tips!
I was on a Trader Joe’s winter blend obsession for a while and now I’m in love with Celestial Seasonings Bengal blend. Soooo good. Also love medicinal throat coat tea and TJs Moroccan mint green tea mixed with homemade lemonade in the summer for an Arnold palmer variation.
ahhhh! the bengal tea was one of my favorites years ago!! i need to bring that tea back into my life!
I love a yummy warm mug of tea in the cold winter months, too! Have you tried Harney and Sons tea? Target carries the brand – my favorite is the Hot Cinnamon Sunset, so fragrant and perfectly spicy. All of their tea are extra special.
Also, on a random note, I just finished The Huntress by Kate Quinn (Alice Network author) and it was another great WWII historical fiction! You may enjoy it, too!
oooh! that sounds so good!! i’ll look for that one on my next target run. thanks for the recommendation! it sounds like a flavor that would hold up well in a tea latte!
and thank you for the book recommendation!
I also just read The Huntress and it was SO GOOD! Best book I’ve read in a while, highly recommend!
I love all the tea by David’s Tea company online! My favorites are their Mother’s little helper (sleepy tea), chocolate almond and their peppermint chocolate teas!
peppermint chocolate sounds right up my alley! do you feel like it has a rich cocoa flavor? i’ve tried so many “chocolate” teas and they’ve all come up short for me!
have you tried tazo glazed lemon loaf tea yet? Thinking it would be amazing in a latte
oh my gosh just the sound of that one sounds amazing!! where do you get it?
Publix and Harris teeter and target all have it! It’s in a purple box with a photo of a piece of lemon loaf on it.
awesome! thanks!
I have seen the Rooibos tea and been curious to try it!
You said you drank it while pregnant.
So is it safe to drink postpartum and with breastfeeding?
absolutely!!
I have serious envy over your tea drawer! Lately, I’ve been loving the Yogi Honey Chai Tumeric Vitality tea. It’s caffeine free and SO delicious. I honestly have never made a tea latte at home but I need to start adding this to my routine. Plus, I love using a cup of tea to satiate my after dinner sweet tooth and get me feeling cozy for bedtime!
My husband is always making jasmine milk tea (hot and cold!) but I also love Starbucks green tea latte, so homemade matcha tea + coconut milk or matcha + chai tea lattes are excellent also (the chai gives it a nice kick!).
Your tea drawer is magnificent! I go through phases with my tea cravings. Sometimes I want a creamy latte like tea and other times I just want a simple black tea.
OMG!!!!! Thank you so much for this recipe!!! I have been wanting to love tea for a long time as far as having something decaffeinated to drink in the pm. I tried this today and absolutely love it!! Unfortunately I needed to add 2 packs of stevia to it but it was a wonderful warm drink and now can finish all of the teas in my pantry with this new recipe! Thanks so much!!!!
I’m so so glad you liked it!!!
Oh man, I’m SO jealous of your tea drawer! So many choices! My all-time favorite tea is MarketSpice Cinnamon-Orange. I always pick some up when I’m in Seattle (though they sell it online, too). I haven’t been to Seattle since last summer, though, so I haven’t had any in awhile! My go-to right now is plain ol’ Bigelow Peppermint. Nothing very fancy, but I love the taste!
Oh man, a tea latte sounds amazing right now! What a perfect bedtime sweet tooth craving filler. I’ve been a milk frothing fiend since you recommended getting one a few years ago, can’t live without it now!
It’s the best!!!! I use mine 1-2x every day!
Fun looking at your tea drawer! Great post- there are so many teas I’d love to try still but favorites include Tazo Zen tea, Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime, and Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange Spice (caffeine free, btw) (this tea is super hard to find anywhere but I have been getting it on Vitacost.com. I HAVE to have it-my all-time fav. I buy several boxes at a time). Never tried a tea latte but I think I will now!
Awesome
Thanks for this post! I am a tea lover as well so I’m looking forward to trying some of the teas you mentioned. Are there any that you enjoyed while nursing? I know pregnant and nursing mamas have to be careful with some teas for various reasons. I’m currently nursing and wondered if you had any recommendations for safe teas that won’t diminish supply. Thanks!
Based on the teas you listed, I bet you would like Harney & Sons hot cinnamon spice tea. I get it on Amazon and it is so good!
I’m really looking forward to making a tea latte later! They’re just so warm and satisfying.
I’ve never thought of making a tea latte! I’ll definitely be trying this out.
Can you make the milk without a frother? How would I do this?
Have you ever tried the special lactation teas?
Made one with Earl Gray this afternoon! Delish!
I have recently started making these as well! I also recently learned that most tea bags have plastic in them (as a sealant). I am now on a hunt for plastic free tea bags. So disappointing!