While coffee and chocolate are a common pairing, tea and chocolate are not necessarily put together that often. Coffee does go extremely well with chocolate because the two products share a lot of common notes and flavors. Tea may be milder (generally speaking) and not have flavors that mirror those of chocolate, but many teas can compliment chocolate quite well.

One of these teas, for me, is Earl Grey. The black tea has a strong note of bergamot, which makes the tea strong enough that it comes through even when put into a glass with chocolate. I’ve had earl grey tea-infused chocolates, but this time around I combined chocolate with straight earl grey tea to make a Chocolate Earl Grey Tea Latte.

The tea latte starts with strongly brewed ear grey tea that is topped off with steamed milk, sweetened with chocolate and sugar. I like to use dark chocolate and I always melt it into the milk, as it will incorporate much more smoothly with milk than it will with the tea. You can use hot milk instead of steamed, too. The drink has a great combination of black tea, chocolate and a hint of citrus – and it all works beautifully, even if it’s a combination you wouldn’t ordinarily try!

Chocolate Earl Grey Tea Latte
6-oz hot earl grey tea
6-oz milk
1-oz dark chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp sugar, or to taste
cocoa powder, for topping (optional)

Pour earl grey tea into a 10 or 12-oz glass.
Steam milk (or heat in a small saucepan). Add chopped chocolate and sugar and stir until well combined. Pour into tea.
Dust with cocoa powder before serving, if desired.

Apple cider is one of my favorite winter drinks, not just because it’s tasty, but because like its seasonality. It is something that I only drink in the winder and I like it served piping hot. While there are many different brands of apple cider (and ways to make your own spiced cider), you don’t really get the variety of flavor with cider that you get with tea. Combining tea and cider seemed like an easy way to combine two of my favorite drinks into one new one that is perfect for a cold day.

This Chai Tea Spiced Cider is simply chai tea that is steeped in apple cider, as opposed to water. The spicy tea gives a lot of flavor – and a subtle tea note – to the sweet apple juice, and the combination of hot cider and spices is ideal for taking the chill off. It’s good enough that I wouldn’t be surprised to see it pop up on the menu board at a few coffee shops. Using cider that is already spiced will yield an even spicier drink, though plain apple cider works perfectly with the chai tea. You can use any tea brand that you like and loose leaf works just as well as bagged tea. I use loose leaf for a larger batch, but will often use bagged tea for convenience when making just one cup.

Chai Tea Spiced Cider
8 to 10-oz apple cider
1 chai tea bag
or 1 tbsp loose leaf chai tea (approx)

Heat the cider to almost boiling in a microwave safe cup or in a small sauce pan. Add tea and steep for 2-3 minutes. Remove tea and serve in a large mug.
Garnish with a cinnamon stick, if desired.

Serves one. Recipe can be doubled or modified, to taste.

I’ve been on a tea latte kick lately and turning at least half of my cups of tea into latte versions. To do this, all you really need to do is add some sweetener and steamed milk to the drink. The trick to a successful latte is finding the right sweetener. Some teas simply need a little sugar. Others need a little vanilla. For my Irish Breakfast Tea Latte, I like to use honey.

Honey compliments the dark, smooth flavor of Irish breakfast tea quite well (especially Punjana, but this is also true of other types) and adds sweetness without distracting from the tea. Frankly, a good Irish breakfast tea should be able to stand up to a generous amount of milk whether it is sweetened or not, but adding the honey makes for a more satisfying and well rounded drink. And yes, it is perfect with breakfast.

Irish Breakfast Tea Latte
8-oz good Irish breakfast tea, hot
3 tbsp honey
4-oz milk

Pour very hot tea over orange zest into a large mug or measuring cup. Allow to steep for 1-2 minutes, then stir in vanilla syrup and strain out orange zest.
Steam milk, or heat it in the microwave and whisk until very frothy, and pour it into the sweetened tea.
Serve immediately.

Makes 1.

A tea latte is not just tea with milk in it. It’s a strongly brewed tea with hot, steamed milk added and they’re usually served lightly sweetened. Unlike regular coffee lattes, tea lattes open up dozens of flavor possibilities because you can make them with just about any type of tea. A London Fog tea latte, made with earl grey tea, is a great choice, but when the weather is cold I like to make my tea lattes with something a little spicier as the base.

This Orange Chai Tea Latte is made with chai tea and a little bit of orange zest to give it a bright, fruity note. You can use any type of chai tea that you have – I used Zhena’s Gypsy Coconut Chai in this batch because just about any kind will work well. I simply poured the hot tea over some freshly grated orange zest and let it steep for about a minute. This released some of the oils of the orange and added some extra flavor to the tea. A little orange extract will work if you don’t have a fresh orange on hand, but orange juice isn’t a good option as it might curdle your milk. Strain the orange zest out before topping the latte with steamed milk. I sweetened my tea latte with a little vanilla syrup, but there is so much flavor in here that you almost don’t need it at all. The orange goes perfectly with the spicy chai flavors without overwhelming them. A twist on top gives the whole drink a nice orange scent before serving.

Orange Chai Tea Latte
8-oz strong chai tea, hot
1 tbsp orange zest
3 tbsp vanilla syrup or honey
4-oz milk
twist of orange zest, for garnish

Pour very hot tea over orange zest into a large mug or measuring cup. Allow to steep for 1-2 minutes, then stir in vanilla syrup and strain out orange zest.
Steam milk, or heat it in the microwave and whisk until very frothy, and pour it into the sweetened tea. Squeeze twist of orange zest over the cup.
Serve immediately.

Makes 1.

When it’s cold outside, a hot cup of coffee or tea can go a long way in warming you up. And while they might be fine on just your average winder morning, but around the holidays, it’s nice to make things a little more interesting with some dressed up drinks.
A Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha is my top pick of this holiday season. It has a caffeine kick, rich chocolate flavor and just enough peppermint to make it refreshing, to boot. Garnish yours with a sprinkle of chopped up peppermint candies, or simply use a candy cane as a stick stick. I stock up after Christmas when they’re on sale so I have them all season

If you’re a white chocolate fan, a White Chocolate Mocha Bianca is the way to go. This drink is creamy and smooth, made with white chocolate and coffee. The white chocolate is sweet enough that you don’t need to add sugar, so the drink seems even easier to make than hot chocolate.

Speaking of hot chocolate, Drinking Chocolate is a must-try for chocolate drink fans. This variation on hot chocolate includes dark chocolate, milk chocolate and cocoa powder all in one drink. It is thick and rich tasting, a chocolate drink that can stand on its own as dessert. You can add a shot of espresso, too, if you want something with a little coffee in it, as well.

A tea latte, like the Vanilla Rooibus Tea Latte or Earl Grey Tea Latte is a great non-coffee option. These drinks are made with strong tea and steamed milk, and are lightly sweetened. I like adding a little vanilla into them to give them a rounder flavor. You can use just about any type of tea you like, too.

My last pick isn’t a coffee drink at all, it’s a Caramel Apple Cider. This drink starts with steamed, spiced cider and it is laced with caramel sauce and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. It might sound like a strange combination – especially with the whipped cream on top of the apple cider – but it really works. The drink is sweet, festive and very warming, both because of the spices and the temperature of the drink. And if you want to make it even more warming, or more adult, I think you might be able to get away with a splash of brandy in one, too.