How to Make a Perfect Black Tea Latté

Slofoodgroup Team September 01, 2021

Black tea brewed to perfection, enhanced with fragrant spices and cream

Lattés made with tea rather than coffee have been gaining popularity as companies like Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and all of the wonderful, hole-in-the-wall,  family-owned coffee shops have begun to present a wide variety of tea drinks on their menus. This is not your typical tea latté, though. 

We have sourced the highest quality of pekoe-grade Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka for its full-bodied flavor,  high levels of caffeine, and the loads of antioxidants it contains. We brewed it at 212℉, letting it steep for 5 minutes, and enhanced the flavor with cloves, cinnamon (also Ceylon variety), and bergamot for the perfect balance. We then mixed together whipping cream and maple syrup for a bit of sweetness. The result is a fragrant black tea latté that has the ability to stimulate your mind, while also simultaneously providing a calming effect. Plus, many of the ingredients used in this recipe have suggested health benefits of aiding in immunity. 

You may be wondering why we are so specific about the types of ingredients we are using. It’s simple, really. The better the ingredients you use, the better the end product will be.

Ceylon black tea must conform to Sri Lanka’s standards of quality, which are incredibly strict in cultivation, harvesting, and preservation procedures. We chose to use Ceylon cinnamon, rather than any Cassia variety because it has a more subtle flavor and a deeper element of sweetness, which is essential so as to not overpower the intended star of the cup—the tea! You see, we set out to make the perfect black tea latté, but we would have failed entirely had we chose less-than-perfect ingredients.

Maple Cinnamon Black Tea and Bergamot Latté

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons loose leaf Ceylon black tea
• 4 cloves
• 1 Ceylon cinnamon stick
• 2 teaspoons loose leaf dried bergamot herb
• 2 teaspoons of maple syrup
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream 
• 5 cups of water
• Fresh-grated nutmeg, for serving
• Optional Ceylon cinnamon powder, for serving
• 4-6 drops of food-grade orange essential oil, for serving 

Procedure

1. Pour your water into a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Add in your cinnamon and clove and bring down to simmer for 10 minutes. 
3. Bring the water back up to just boiling (212℉) and drop in your black Ceylon tea and your bergamot. Take it off the burner and let steep for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, pour your whipping cream and maple syrup together. Use a frother to create the perfect froth. Alternatively, if you do not have a frother, you can use a jar with a lid and shake vigorously for 1-2 minutes. 
5. Pour your tea through a fine, mesh sieve, into a heat-resistant cup. 
6. Top the tea with your whipping cream. 
7. To serve: grate a generous amount of nutmeg over your cream or Ceylon cinnamon powder and top with a few drops of food-grade orange essential oil.
   

If you are setting out to make a perfect black tea latté, you absolutely need to start with a high-quality tea like this Pekoe-Grade Ceylon Black Tea.