Everyone loves a good latte. When made well, it’s delicious, creamy, and a surefire mood-booster. But sometimes, the latte craving comes at inopportune times — like, for example, when you’re dangerously close to reaching your daily caffeine limit. Or when, God forbid, you have no coffee in your kitchen.
Firing up the old espresso machine or running down to your local Starbucks for a midday pick-me-up sounds tempting, but sometimes, as much as it pains us to say it, drinking another serving of coffee isn’t always the best choice. So what then? How do we curb the craving for a good latte without the risk of being overcaffeinated?
Try a green tea latte, of course!
WHAT’S A TEA LATTE?
While a classic latte is made with a shot of espresso and steamed milk, a tea latte takes espresso and replaces it with brewed tea.
When making one of these lattes, you have several tea varieties to choose from, depending on the flavor and caffeine content you’re after. Some of the most popular types of tea used are the classic black tea, Earl Grey, chai, and, last but certainly not least, the type we’ll focus on here: green tea.
Green tea boasts an array of health benefits we think are well worth mentioning. These tea leaves are packed with all sorts of antioxidants that have been linked to improved brain function, burning fat by boosting metabolism, cancer prevention, and a decreased risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol.
It does contain a bit of caffeine, however, the typical 8-ounce cup has around 25 milligrams, which is significantly less than black tea or coffee. This slight boost isn’t enough to give you a case of the jitters, but it has been known to give you gentle and steady stimulation while boosting your focus and concentration.
DELICIOUS GREEN TEA LATTE RECIPE
YOU’LL NEED:
- 1 green tea bag
- 1 cup of hot water
- 1/4 cup of milk
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of honey
- 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
- A saucepan
THE PROCESS:
Step 1:
Begin by steeping your green tea bag in a cup of hot water. It typically takes about five minutes to brew a good cup of tea, but for a stronger cup, leave the bag submerged a little bit longer.
Step 2:
Pour your dairy or non-dairy milk — whichever you prefer— into a saucepan, and add cinnamon, sugar, and honey, and let the ingredients warm on medium heat for about three minutes, whisking or stirring the mixture occasionally.
Step 3:
Pour the tea into a mug, and add the milk mixture over it.
Step 4:
Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top of your drink, and you’re finished!
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ENJOY!
A green tea latte is a perfect choice when you want to enjoy a smooth and creamy beverage without fear of high caffeine levels making your heart race. And while the drink contains two core ingredients — tea and steamed milk — the recipe is somewhat customizable.
For example, instead of using tea bags, stir a green tea powder into the hot milk mixture instead. Or if you’re not the biggest fan of honey, use maple syrup as a sweetener. And for an extra bit of flavor, add a few drops of vanilla extract to your green tea latte. On a hot day when you need a drink to help you chill out, try it over ice.
If this recipe has given you a newfound appreciation of tea, be sure to give other tea-based beverages a try, too. You can’t go wrong with a classic chai latte, and our green tea drink’s cousin, the matcha green tea latte, hits the spot every single time.
Calming Green Tea Latte
A smooth and creamy cup of tea that can be customized to be your perfect drink that you may start choosing over a regular cup of coffee.
Ingredients
- 1 green tea bag
- 1 cup hot water
- ¼ cup milk (any preference)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Steep your green tea in hot water.
- Place milk, sugar, honey, and cinnamon in a pot on the stove at medium heat. Whisk occasionally for about 3 minutes.
- Pour green tea into a mug and then pour the milk mixture over top.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon, or stir your latte, and enjoy!
