Switching up the afternoon pick-me-up
I am a creature of habit. Every morning I eat the same breakfast: an English muffin accompanied by a cup of coffee (brewed in my BUNN® My Café® MCU of course) with a splash of cream. My habitual afternoon pick-me-up: a latte. However, the past couple weeks I’ve been breaking the mold and trading in my afternoon latte for a tea latte.
I first heard about tea lattes from our in house specialty tea adicionado, Kris Houser. I love lattes, so naturally I was intrigued by this beverage and decided to test it.
So what exactly is a tea latte? A tea latte is similar to standard latte which consists of a shot of espresso and steamed milk. However, a tea latte substitutes tea for the espresso. The mixture of the tea with the milk offers a nice balance, and makes a great afternoon drink, especially if you're looking for an alternate to coffee.
Creating the drink is fairly simple. Start by brewing a cup of double strength tea. Kris suggests a simple black tea, like an earl grey, so it can compete with the milk. I use the Pod Drawer with My Café MCU and place a tea bag inside the Drawer to brew a single cup of tea. (To make the tea double strength I reduce by half the amount of water I usually brew to 4 ounces from my usual 8 ounces.) If you own a regular BUNN multi-cup brewer, we have many customers who place tea bags in the carafe to make tea.
Next, you will need to steam milk. There are several ways to achieve steamed milk, and you can choose the one that best suits you. TheKitchn.com has a simple process listed here http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/tips-techniques/how-to-make-milk-foam-without-a-machine-100716 that requires no equipment. You can also purchase a milk frother. Once you’ve steamed the milk add it to the double strength tea. You’ve created a tea latte! I’ve also topped off my tea latte with a pump of sugar- free vanilla syrup to add a sweet flavor.
Prefer a cappuccino? Well then sip on a warm teapuccino. A traditional cappuccino consists of a shot of espresso with equal parts steamed & foamed milk. Just like a tea latte, substitute tea for the espresso to create a teapuccino.
According to Kris, tea lattes and teapuccinos are increasing in popularity at tea shows like the World Tea Expo, and are an emerging tea trend. If you are eager to try these beverages, but don’t want to create them at home ask your local barista to craft you a tea latte (or teapuccino)!