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.

The vanilla rooibos tea I have at home is Adagio’s Vanilla Rooibos. It’s an herbal tea made by blending vanilla beans in with rooibos – and the vanilla flavor comes through wonderfully, giving the tea an impressive natural sweetness. Since the tea has a bold flavor and is a bit sweet to begin with, it’s a great choice for a tea latte, where added sweetness will only bring out the natural sweetness of the tea and the flavor of the vanilla will still stand out over the addition of milk.

The tea latte is easy to make by brewing strong tea – use twice as much as you normally would – and adding in some hot milk. Steamed milk is ideal, but if you use a small whisk to froth up regular milk you’ll get a good result, too. I usually sweeten tea lattes with vanilla syrup if I have some on hand, but regular sugar works out just fine, too.

Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte
8-oz double strength vanilla rooibos tea*
4-oz milk
1-2 tbsp vanilla syrup (or sugar)

Make double strength tea by doubling the amount of tea (or using two bags) when you brew your tea.
Steam milk or warm it in the microwave and whisk until frothy.
Put tea and syrup/sugar in a tall glass and stir well. Sweeten to taste, if needed. Top with hot milk and serve.

Serves 1

*You can use another vanilla flavored tea and still get great results.