When it comes to herbal tea, have you ever wondered about the addition of milk? For some people, it can be a splash of milk; for others, it can be almond milk, coconut, or other milk alternatives to add to their tea. But why do folks add milk to their tea? For some, it’s personal preference, while for others, it’s an easy way to cool the tea quickly or change its flavor. There are also bubble tea and tea lattes that include milk as an ingredient in making the beverage. Some folks find it appalling and would never consider adding it to their tea. Where do you find yourself in the preference of adding milk to your cup of tea? Team milk, or I would never?
Which Types of Milk Can You Put in Herbal Tea?
There are many types of milk, and yes, you can add them to your herbal teas. If you’re getting your tea from a coffee shop, you may be limited in the types of milk you can add. However, when making your cup of tea at home, you have some great options from whatever you can pick up at your local grocery store. This can include but is not limited to coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, cow’s milk, rice milk, dairy-free milk, cold milk, and warm milk. How much to add is up to personal preference; it can range from a little bit to a lot. If you’re new to adding milk to hot tea, I recommend starting with a smaller amount to help you get a stronger flavor of the tea before you choose to weaken it.
Benefits of Herbal Tea
There are many benefits that can come from herbal tea – it’s why it’s a crowd favorite when you’re looking for a warm, soothing beverage. Most commonly, the temperature of tea should be 70°C. The benefits that can come from a cup of herbal tea include pain relief, reduced stress, improved sleep, enhanced hair and skin health, improved blood pressure, reduced anxiety, improved brain function, and boosting the immune system. It’s a helpful way to stay hydrated while giving a boost of health benefits as well. To maximize the benefits of the tea, follow steeping recommendations and use organic and fresh ingredients when possible. If you have questions about how much tea you can safely consume in a day, please speak with a medical professional.
Which Types of Tea Can I Add Milk To?
You can use a pre-packaged tea bag or loose-leaf tea that you make yourself. The type of tea can be based on which types of tea you enjoy. For some folks, they will add milk to chamomile but not to green tea. Others find milk goes best with a black tea such as English breakfast tea or Earl Grey tea. Let’s dive into each type of tea to discuss what is recommended with each tea flavor.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is a classic herbal tea that is well-liked by most folks. It’s often thought of as a great tea when you have a cold and are feeling sick and unwell. It can also be the perfect choice for a calming tea with no caffeine, great as a good IBS relief tea. You can add milk to chamomile tea, but as it’s a lightly flavored tea, the best way to add milk is to do it slowly. It can overpower the gentle notes of chamomile quickly, and the types of milk can impact flavor and taste. For example, chamomile tea has a floral taste with herbal notes; adding almond milk will add a nutty tone to the flavors. Recommendation: 1-2 tablespoons of milk; you can increase as needed.
Peppermint Tea
This is a favorite tea for many health issues such as pain, trouble focusing, and when you’re feeling sick and unwell. Peppermint is a powerful tea, and it goes great with most milks! It’s common to add milk to peppermint tea as most folks find it can soothe the peppermint flavor, and it can also add sweet notes with flavored milk. Peppermint tea goes well with most milks such as cow’s milk, almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, and soy milk. You can also use milk to make a hot tea latte that’s peppermint-flavored. Recommendation: 2-3 tablespoons of milk.
Rooibos Tea
Are you a fan of Rooibos tea or a Rooibos latte? Rooibos tea, also known as red tea, is a herbal tea that often has a bolder flavor than its neighboring herbal teas. Leaving this tea to steep for 5 minutes is recommended to help the flavors develop! You can add hot milk and make a tea latte or add cold milk based on your personal preference. Honey pairs well with Rooibos tea as well with milk. Similar to chamomile, you want to add it slowly at first to not water down the flavor palette accidentally. This depends on the flavor profile and how strong the brew is. Recommendation: 1-2 tablespoons of milk; you can increase as needed.
Bonus Tea: Oolong Tea
Oolong tea is a tea we would not recommend adding milk to. It has a delicate flavor palette, and milk can often be overpowering with this type of tea. Oolong tea is a powerful tea with many health benefits; the most notable is that it’s full of antioxidant properties. Most tea lovers typically have oolong tea as is, without adding anything like sweet honey, warm milk, or maple syrup. This does not make for good tea lattes, as this type of tea is often too gentle of a flavor and gets overpowered as a latte. Do you find there are dramatic changes in your tea when you add milk to oolong tea? Recommendation: No milk.
Summary
So which types of tea are you tempted to add milk to? Each person has their own ranking of the best tea and their personal preference on how much milk to add to their hot tea. Whether it’s tea in china cups or an on-the-go cup as you rush between meetings, tea has many powerful benefits that make a great addition to your day. Will you be adding tea to your next cup of herbal tea?