I rarely like to add any extras to my daily cups of tea, but there’s something magical and soul warming about a well-balanced, warm, creamy tea beverage. Tea lattes are a popular option that can be found at most coffee shops. However, another decadent tea-based treat, the tea steamer, is just as warm and cozy and can be made fairly easily on your own stovetop!
What Is the Difference Between a Tea Steamer and a Tea Latte?
Most U.S. coffee shops have some variation on the tea latte. Often, it is the chai tea latte, a sweetened cup of masala chai topped with steamed and frothed milk. (If you’d like to learn to make your own at home for a lot less than you’ll pay at the Starbucks down the road, check out our recipe.) Masala chai isn’t the only tea that can make a delicious latte, though. Most of your favorite teas can be combined with frothed milk and an optional sweetener to create a creamy treat.
A tea steamer is almost identical to a tea latte. The difference lies in how the tea base is produced. A tea latte uses a cup of tea, steeped double-strength, while a tea steamer uses a simple tea syrup.
Making Tea Simple Syrup
Don’t get scared away by the prospect of making a simple syrup. It’s a relatively easy process that only takes a few minutes, and can be done on your kitchen stove. All you need is equal parts brewed tea and sugar. The final product is well worth the work and will result in a tasty tea steamer in which the flavors of your favorite tea shine through. Plus, any extra syrup you end up with can be poured over pancakes, mixed into baked goods, or used in even more tea steamers.
I used our Reading Nook black tea for this recipe, but you can experiment with different kinds of teas. Maybe try our Abundance Blend green tea for a fun and fruity flavor, our Full Moon Chai for something spicier, or our Chocolate Hazelnut Dessert Tea for a Nutella-inspired dessert treat (if you’re looking for a similar concept with less sugar, try this Hazelnut Milk Tea recipe).
Tea Steamer
Ingredients:
- 4 teaspoons loose leaf tea
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup milk
Directions:
Steep 4 teaspoons of your choice of tea leaves in a cup of boiling water for 3-4 minutes.
Empty your cup of tea into a pot on the stove, and bring it back to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add in the sugar, and stir until the sugar has dissolved completely. This will probably take around 2-3 minutes.
Add 3-4 tablespoons of your simple syrup to the bottom of a mug, and let cool. You can save the rest of the syrup in the refrigerator for later use. It will stay good for about a month.
While your syrup cools, steam your milk. Be sure to keep the stove on low, and stir continuously to avoid burning the milk. Froth the milk if you would like to. If you don’t have a frother at home, try one of these improvised methods.
Add your steamed milk to the mug, and stir the milk and syrup together.
Elora Powell
Elora is a writer, comic-book lover, and all around geek. She loves pairing records from the 1960s with great cups of tea, and is currently becoming the kind of person that will ask you if you've ever tried Pu Erh.
FAQs
Instructions for Perfect Cup of Tea for One
- Add 1 cup/200 mL of freshly boiled water to your tea bag (in a mug)
- Allow the tea bag to brew for 2 minutes.
- Remove the tea bag.
- Add 10 mL of milk.
- Wait 6 minutes before consumption for the cuppa to reach its optimum temperature of 140 F/60 C.
This one is for those who are new to the world of tea and find most tea bitter. The acidity from most citrus fruits such as lemons, limes, grapefruits and oranges can help minimize green tea's natural bitterness and brighten up black tea's warm notes.
What to add to tea for flavor? ›
11 things to add to your tea that will up your caffeine game
- Add ginger for some added benefits. ...
- Mint will make it extra lively. ...
- Basil can give you an earthy flavor. ...
- Lemon or lime will add a nice boost of citrus. ...
- A scoop of sorbet makes for a unique dessert. ...
- Cinnamon is a simple way to add sweetness.
Add Milk to Your Tea
To smooth out the brew, add a dash of milk to your cup. The creamy texture complements dark teas and enhances their caramel-like Flavors. You can use dairy or plant-based milk to improve the taste of teas. In particular, oat and coconut milk are excellent options because they are sweet.
What is the most delicious flavor of tea? ›
As far as best-selling tea flavors, most companies (including ours) sell a lot of peach tea, rose tea, lavender tea, jasmine tea, and gunpowder green tea.
What spices taste good in tea? ›
Some popular spices to flavor tea are allspice berries, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves, hibiscus blossoms, lavender flower buds, lemongrass, cocoa nibs, mace, nutmeg, saffron, spearmint, star anise, and vanilla beans.
What added a special taste to the tea? ›
Incorporating freshly grated ginger into your tea can introduce a zingy and invigorating flavour profile. Ginger is known for its ability to alleviate nausea, aid digestion, and provide relief from cold symptoms. It can add a delightful kick to your milk tea while contributing to your well-being.
Which spice is used to flavour tea? ›
Cloves, cinnamon, ginger, mint, cardamom are mostly used . No spice is needed. If you boil tea and water slowly for long and then add pure milk.
What is a good way to make tea? ›
Bring water to a boil*, and pour over the tea as soon as it reaches boiling. Over-boiling will cause oxygen to be reduced, making the tea taste 'flat'. Use 1 tea bag per cup, or 1 teaspoon of loose tea per cup (6 oz.). Steep the tea for the required time as indicated on the chart to the right.
How to make tea on the stove? ›
Bring water to a rolling boil and immediately pour over your tea bag. Steep for a good 3 to 5 minutes. (Great taste can't be rushed—it really does take the full time to release the tea's entire flavor.) Remove the tea bag, relax and enjoy!
Use Fresh, Filtered Water
The quality of water can significantly impact the taste of your tea. Use fresh, cold, and filtered water whenever possible. Avoid reusing water that has been sitting in the kettle for too long, as it may become stale and affect the flavor of your tea.
What is the secret to making good tea? ›
Good clean water
makes the best tea. Too many minerals and metals and your tea will taste bad (think sulfur) and too few will make it flat. Do not use distilled water because it is devoid of minerals. Chlorine which is used to make drinking water safe can also ruin a cup of tea with its harsh chemical smell.
How to make tea like a pro? ›
Pour the water over the tea and steep for 3 to 7 minutes
For every other tea (black, green, oolong, dark), you can probably get away with 3 minutes. Taste the tea at this point—if you want it stronger, keep steeping! But don't just let the tea hang out in the mug/pot forever, otherwise it will get tannic and bitter.
How to make a really nice cup of tea? ›
Tea loves oxygen as it helps the flavour develop. If you boil the kettle with fresh water, you'll have a delicious cup of oxygenated tea that tastes divine. If you keep re-boiling the water in the kettle, it loses all of its oxygen and you'll be left with a really flat cup of tea. Also, only boil the water you need.
