Frothy, creamy and rich tea latte served over ice is a summer classic. What makes tea perfect for making lattes is that you can choose from hundreds of flavours. What makes it even more perfect is that you can make it at home within 10 minutes. This step-by-step guide will show you how to make a perfect iced tea latte in no time.
What is a tea latte?
Latte, a popular drink made with coffee is not a coffee drink at all. When ordering a latte, you will typically get a coffee with steamed and frothed milk. However, the word latte simply means “milk” in Italian, and not coffee. What makes latte a latte is the way it's made. A typical latte will have more milk than tea or coffee, and a layer of frothed milk on top. While the store-bought tea lattes always have the right consistency, the home-made ones may seem tricky to make. The good news? It's not that tricky at all. Just, don't rush through steps. And this really is the most important advice you'll need to make the best tea latte.
What is an iced tea latte?
Iced tea latte is simply a latte served over ice. Just like a typical latte, it's made with steamed and frothed milk too. Shaking cold milk will never give the same texture and mouthfeel as steaming. And here's even more good news – you don't need a milk steamer or a coffee machine to make a perfect latte at home.
Want to make tea drinks with cold milk? Frappes and milkshakes are milk-based drinks too, but made with cold, rather than steamed milk.
Do you need a milk steamer for making a tea latte?
No, you don't. While there are many techniques out there, and many will work great, the second-best choice for making a proper tea latte is an electric hand frother. A simple and inexpensive hand frother is an indispensable tool if you like making drinks with tea. It will make it a whole lot easier and faster to forth not only milk, but tea powders such as matcha too. We've tried many different ways of making the perfect frothed milk that will create a beautiful layer on top of the tea, and using a hand frother immediately once you start heating the milk works the best. The whole process is described below.
Will a hot latte served over ice be cold enough?
Yes, definitely. Use a larger glass and fill it with ice. For example, this recipe is for 300 ml tea latte, served in a 400 ml glass filled with ice. You don't need to heat the milk for too long though. Simply start frothing immediately when you turn on the heat and froth until you get thick foam with no visible bubbles. If you want to use a sweetener that's not easily dissolved in cold drinks, add it either to milk or to a strained tea when it's still hot.
What is the best tea for making an iced tea latte?
Coffee is usually easier to use for making lattes than tea because it has a stronger flavour, more intense colour and different texture. But many teas can be great too. Some teas are gentle are will not go well with a lot of milk, but teas with caramel, malt, chocolate, smoky, and bergamot notes will all make great lattes. Darker roasted oolong teas and even stronger green teas are a great option too, and so are herbal caffeine free pure of flavoured rooibos teas.
When making an iced latte, choose strong teas that taste great iced. Simple Assam, Earl Grey, berry flavoured rooibos will all be strong enough for making lattes.
How much tea do you need?
Using the right amount of tea leaves is important too. Coffee latte is typically made with a shot of espresso, usually made with 2 teaspoons of ground coffee. The same goes for making a tea latte. For making a flavourful drink, always use 2 teaspoons of tea leaves. You can add a teaspoon more, especially if you are making a caffeine-free iced tea latte so you don't need to worry about the caffeine content.
Can you use tea bags instead of loose tea?
You can use either loose leaf tea or tea bags. Choose flavourful (pure or flavoured) teas with smaller broken leaves. The easiest way to steep loose tea is using disposable paper tea filters. Some infusers may be too small for 2 teaspoons of tea leaves and won't allow leaves to expand. Alternatively, use a reguar, small teapot. However, from experience, paper filters are one of the best things to have if you love making drinks with tea. They really do make the whole brewing process easy and simple.
Updated: 22nd June 2023
Perfect Iced Tea Latte
Equipment
- small saucepan
- 400 ml glass for serving
- teapot, infuser or a disposable tea bag
- Teaspoon
- Kettle
- electric hand frother
- straw (optional, but recommended)
Ingredients
- 100 ml of freshly boiled water
- 5 grams of broken loose tea leaves (or 2 tea bags)
- 1 teaspoon of honey (or another sweetener) (optional)
- 200 ml of milk
- 1 glass of ice (glass for serving)
- sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Bring fresh water to a boil.
- Steep 5 grams of tea leaves in 100 ml of boiling water for about 5-7 minutes.
- While the tea is steeping, add milk to a saucepan and start heating on a medium low.
- Start frothing it with an electric hand whisk.
- Whisk until there are no large bubbles left and you have a thick layer of foam, then turn off the heat. This may take a few minutes.
- Fill a large glass with ice.
- Strain the tea into the glass.
- Slowly pour in frothed milk and top up with foam.
- Add sprinkles and serve.