How to Make a Tea Latte at Home: 6 Recipes Beyond Chai

Chai gets all the attention, but almost any loose-leaf tea can become a creamy, café-style latte. The secret to how to make a tea latte at home is not a special machine. It is brewing the tea stronger, not longer, so it can stand up to the milk without turning bitter.

Below you will find the master method, a ratio table you can use with any tea, and six recipes that go well beyond chai: jasmine, English Breakfast, Moroccan mint, iced mango, chamomile ginger and peach rose.

In this article

1. How to make a tea latte at home: the master method
2. Ratios for any tea
3. Six tea latte recipes
4. Best milks for tea lattes
5. Troubleshooting
6. FAQ

How to make a tea latte at home: the master method

A tea latte is simply a strong tea concentrate topped with steamed or frothed milk, often lightly sweetened. The concentrate is the part most people get wrong. If you brew a normal cup and add milk, you get pale, weak milk tea. If you steep much longer to make it stronger, you pull out harsh tannins. Instead, double the leaf and halve the water.

1. Measure double the leaf. Use 4 to 6 g of tea (about 2 heaped teaspoons) for one latte.
2. Use a small amount of water. About 4 oz (120 ml) at the right temperature for the tea.
3. Steep for the normal time. Do not extend it. Stronger comes from more leaf, not more minutes.
4. Strain and sweeten. Stir honey, sugar or syrup into the hot concentrate so it dissolves.
5. Add milk. Heat and froth 6 to 8 oz (180 to 240 ml) of milk and pour it over the tea. For iced lattes, pour cold milk over the concentrate and ice.

No frother? Heat milk in a small pan, then shake it in a sealed jar (half full, lid on tight, with a towel over it) or whisk briskly. Our oat milk latte guide has more frothing tips for plant milks.

Ratios for any tea

Six tea latte recipes

1. Jasmine honey latte

Floral, silky and light. The jasmine aroma blooms in warm milk.

• 4 g jasmine green tea
• 4 oz (120 ml) water at 175°F (80°C)
• 2 tsp honey
• 6 oz (180 ml) whole milk or oat milk

1. Steep the tea for 2 to 3 minutes, strain and stir in the honey.
2. Froth the milk to about 140 to 150°F (60 to 65°C), warm but not scalding.
3. Pour the milk over the tea and spoon the foam on top.

2. English Breakfast vanilla latte

Malty, robust and comforting: think of a cup of builder’s tea dressed up for a café.

• 5 g English Breakfast tea
• 4 oz (120 ml) boiling water
• 2 tsp brown sugar or maple syrup
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 8 oz (240 ml) milk

1. Steep 4 to 5 minutes, strain, then stir in sugar and vanilla.
2. Froth the milk and pour it over the tea.
3. Finish with a pinch of cinnamon if you like.

3. Moroccan mint latte

Fresh, cooling and sweet, inspired by Moroccan-style sweet mint tea.

• 4 g Moroccan mint green tea
• 4 oz (120 ml) water at 175°F (80°C)
• 2 tsp sugar or honey
• 6 oz (180 ml) milk
• Fresh mint sprig

1. Steep 2 to 3 minutes with a few fresh mint leaves, then strain.
2. Sweeten while hot, add frothed milk and garnish with mint.
3. For an iced version, pour the sweetened tea over ice and top with cold milk.

4. Iced mango tea latte

Sweet, tropical and made for summer afternoons.

• 6 g Mango Treat fruit tea
• 4 oz (120 ml) boiling water
• 1 tbsp simple syrup or 2 tbsp mango purée
• 6 oz (180 ml) cold milk or coconut milk drink
• Ice

1. Steep 5 minutes, strain and stir in the syrup or purée.
2. Let the tea cool for a few minutes, then pour over a glass full of ice.
3. Top with cold milk and stir. Coconut milk makes a great dairy-free version.

5. Chamomile ginger bedtime latte

Caffeine-free, gently spicy and soothing to sip at night.

• 5 g Chamomile Ginger herbal tea
• 4 oz (120 ml) boiling water
• 2 tsp honey
• 6 oz (180 ml) oat milk
• Pinch of nutmeg

1. Steep 7 minutes, covered, then strain and stir in honey.
2. Froth the oat milk and pour it over.
3. Dust with nutmeg.

6. Peach rose latte

Fruity and floral, with a pink tint. Because this blend contains tart cranberry, add the tea to the milk rather than the other way around and use a creamy oat or whole milk.

• 5 g Peach Paradise herbal tea
• 4 oz (120 ml) boiling water
• 2 tsp simple syrup
• 6 oz (180 ml) whole or oat milk, warm or cold

1. Steep 5 to 7 minutes, strain and sweeten.
2. Pour the warm milk into a mug, then slowly pour the tea in.
3. Taste and adjust sweetness. It is also lovely over ice.

Best milks for tea lattes

Tea latte troubleshooting

• Tastes weak and milky: use more leaf, not a longer steep, and reduce the milk to 6 oz.
• Bitter or drying: steep time too long or water too hot for green tea. Stick to the times above.
• Milk curdled: fruity or tart teas can split some milks. Use oat or whole milk and add the tea to the milk slowly.
• No foam: use colder milk before frothing and a barista-style plant milk.
• Too sweet: fruit blends taste sweeter than they are; start with half the sweetener.

Teas for these lattes

Every recipe above uses a tea from our tea collection. Jasmine is hand-picked green tea paired with fresh jasmine blossoms, sweet and silky. English Breakfast is a malty blend of African and Indian black teas, built to stand up to milk and sugar. Moroccan Mint combines green tea and fresh mint, and Chamomile Ginger is a caffeine-free blend of chamomile, ginger root and lemon myrtle. Prefer the spiced classic? Our dirty chai latte adds a shot of espresso.

Tea latte FAQ

What is the difference between a tea latte and milk tea?

A tea latte uses steamed or frothed milk poured over a strong concentrate, like a coffee latte. Milk tea usually means tea with a splash of milk, or Asian-style milk teas with their own methods.

Can I make tea lattes with tea bags?

Yes. Use two bags in 4 oz of water. Loose leaf usually gives a fuller flavor.

Do tea lattes have caffeine?

Lattes made with black, green or jasmine tea do. Chamomile Ginger and Peach Paradise are caffeine-free herbal blends.

Can I make the tea concentrate ahead?

Yes. Brew a batch, strain and refrigerate for up to two days, then heat or pour over ice with milk.

Last updated October 2026.

Keep reading: History of the Latte · Dirty Chai Latte · Tea