Spiced Apple Tea Latte

This cozy spiced apple tea latte is the perfect fall drink for curling up under a blanket and relaxing. Such a comforting drink!

One of my favorite things about the fall season is getting to enjoy ALL THE HOT DRINKS.

Don’t get me wrong, I like a good latte year-round.

But there’s just something special about holding a hot mug in your hands on chilly nights. It just ups the enjoyment level for me.

This cozy, hot Apple Cinnamon Spice Tea Latte is pretty much autumn in a cup.

You’ve got the flavors of one of the quintessential fall fruits plus warm spices and creamy frothed milk.

And you don’t even have to make a coffee shop run to enjoy it! Plus it’s more affordable than what you could get at a coffee shop.

Let me show you how to make my simple recipe for this delicious homemade tea latte!

Video Tutorial: 

Here’s a video tutorial in case you learn better that way. The written tutorial and printable recipe are below!

Ingredients for a Spiced Apple Tea Latte:

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Ingredient checklist:

You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this delicious apple tea latte:

• Tea: I used English breakfast tea, but any black tea will work as well. You could try out different teas as well. Green tea might be lovely. You could also experiment with rooibos tea or another herbal tea if you’re trying to avoid caffeine. You could even use chai if you’d like try an apple chai latte. I used loose leaf tea, but feel free to substitute 2 tea bags. 
• Fresh Apple slices: I used just fresh apples in this recipe to impart the apple flavor: no apple juice or apple cider needed! Many different types of apples will work in this recipe. Gala apples, Pink Lady, Braeburn, or whatever is growing on your trees or at your local apple orchards are all good choices. Sweet apples will obviously add more sweetness to the drink, whereas something like a Granny Smith apple will be more tart. An organic apple will obviously have less pesticides. 
• Cinnamon: I used cinnamon powder (AKA ground cinnamon). Keep in mind that Ceylon cinnamon has some health benefits, but it has a different flavor than the cinnamon powder you find at most grocery stores. You could also use a cinnamon stick, but most people have ground cinnamon on hand. I use 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon, but feel free to increase to your desired strength of spice.
• Nutmeg: I adore nutmeg, but if it isn’t your thing, feel free to leave it out.
• Cloves: Again, I used ground cloves. You could substitute a whole clove if you prefer.
• Cream: I love my hot drinks on the creamy side, so of course I included cream.
• Milk: But to get the latte to froth up well, you must include milk as well. I like grass-fed whole milk.

Notes:

• You could substitute 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice blend or apple pie spice blend for the spices. The flavor profile will be a little different, but it will still work.
• If you prefer a sweeter latte, you could add a bit of maple syrup, brown sugar, or coconut sugar as well. Or, for a caramel apple latte flavor, you could add some caramel sauce.
• For a vanilla apple latte, simply add a few drops of vanilla extract, or use vanilla syrup for the sweetener. 

 

How to Make a Hot Apple Cinnamon Tea Latte:

Now simply put all of the ingredients in a small or medium saucepan. It’s okay to leave the apple peels on, by the way!

Heat to 175 degrees F over low heat on your stove top.

I had to find that balance between not heating the milk so hot that it takes on a cooked flavor, but hot enough that it will extract flavor from the tea.

Cover the pot, and let it steep for 15 minutes.

 

Then just strain out the tea leaves, apple pieces, and other solids using a fine mesh strainer. Make sure to press on the apple pieces to extract even more of their flavor and juices.

If you opted for a black tea bag or two, keep in mind that if you press on them the final drink could be more bitter.

At this point you could add a sweetener of choice if you like.

Frothing the Milk:

Now you’ll want to froth the milk and tea mixture. 

You can use an espresso machine to make steamed milk.

But don’t worry if you don’t own an espresso machine or a special milk frother! I’ve got the post just for you: 8 Ways to Froth Milk!

Or watch my YouTube video tutorial.

Serving:

Pour the frothy milk and tea mixture into your favorite mug.

You can sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon or pumpkin spice on top just before serving. Or add a dollop of whipped cream to make this extra decadent.

The cinnamon sticks in the photo are mostly for the aesthetics, but they are fun!

And there you have some scrumptious fall flavors in a mug! Brew up a cup, and imagine a day of apple picking with your favorite people.

I recommend making a double batch of this apple tea and saving half of it in a large mason jar for later. That way when you get a craving for this delicious tea latte, you can simply reheat and froth!

What cozy fall drink should I try next?!

More Tea Recipes:

• Sparkling Strawberry Jasmine Green Tea
• Starbucks Iced Green Tea Recipe
• How to Make Butterfly Pea Tea
• Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea Recipe

Make sure to check out my other latte recipes after the recipe card!

Check out my other latte recipes:

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Dirty Chai Latte

How to Make a Sugar Free Matcha Latte

Oat Milk Latte

Gingerbread Latte

Maple Pumpkin Spice Golden Milk (Turmeric) Latte

Homemade London Fog (Early Grey) Tea Latte

Originally published on: Oct 24, 2018 at 07:45