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This rooibos latte is the ultimate cozy morning drink. With naturally caffeine-free rooibos and frothy milk, it’s a flavorful and delicious start to the day.
A tea latte can be a lot easier to make than you expect and you don’t need a latte machine to do it. I’ll show you several different ways to warm and froth the milk based on what you have at home.
Need a morning coffee replacement? Look no further than this rooibos latte! It also makes the perfect nightcap drink to send you off to sweet dreams.
Table of Contents
What is Rooibos?
Rooibos is a type of naturally caffeine-free tea that’s sometimes known as red bush tea or African tea. The leaves are collected from a shrub that’s typically grown on the west coast of Africa.
Rooibos comes in both red tea, which turns a reddish brown by fermenting the leaves, or green tea, which is unfermented. The green tea is a little more difficult to find and has a grassy flavor while the red rooibos is more earthy and sweet.
Although fermented, I find red rooibos overall to be very well tolerated by the migraine community, especially since it’s low in tannins and free from caffeine!
As for health benefits, rooibos is packed with antioxidants, making it a great brain-food to start your day with.
Rooibos Tea with Milk
It seems so basic right? Combining rooibos tea with milk. But frothing the milk really transforms this drink into a glorious latte style drink.
My first pregnancy I couldn’t tolerate the smell of coffee at all, and Cinnamon Milk became my favorite drink. This pregnancy I have been really into tea, but there are limited options when you’re only able to drink decaf.
Rooibos is one of my favorite teas, but the flavor can vary greatly depending on the brand. For this recipe I tested both regular rooibos tea and rooibos chai tea.
For this combination, I found that if you used too much milk, it really waters down the tea flavor. So using a lower amount of milk and then frothing helps retain the strong tea flavor while enjoying both elements.
Why Make a Rooibos Latte at Home?
This recipe was actually inspired by the African Tea Latte from Urth Caffe. On vacation I usually struggle to find naturally caffeine free drinks that I can tolerate with my migraine disorder. This one was delicious, but very sweet for my tastes.
I also noticed Starbucks as a Rooibos Latte option, but one serving is a whooping 27 grams of sugar!
When you make a rooibos latte at home, you’ll not only save about $5 a cup, but also save yourself from a bunch of extra added sugar.
Red Rooibos vs. Chai Rooibos
I tested this rooibos latte recipe multiple ways – using Numi Chai Rooibos, The Republic of Tea Red Rooibos, and Harney and Sons Loose Leaf Rooibos.
Numi Chai Rooibos – While this still requires 2 tea bags per 1 cup, this is a great option for those craving fall spice flavors. It makes a really good latte and the spices are not dulled by the milk. To me, this was too strong as plain tea but perfect for a rooibos latte.
The Republic of Tea Red Rooibos – This is a great tea for a plain cup, but it can be a little mild for a latte. I found 2 tea bags steeped for 10 minutes to be strong enough, especially in this proportions. I prefer this on days where my pregnancy acid reflux was a little higher and the Numi had too strong of spices. It’s also great at other times of the year when you just don’t want fall spiced everything.
Harney and Sons Loose Leaf Tea – This does require a little more effort because you need to have a tea infuser. The manatea is my personal favorite. . I used 3 teaspoons for this recipe.
Ingredients Needed
This rooibos latte requires just a few simple ingredients for a delicious caffeine-free drink.
- Rooibos tea – See suggestions above. I used at least 2 tea bags for every cup to get a strong enough flavor to stand up to the frothed milk.
- Milk – Can’t make a latte without milk! My favorites are whole milk and oat milk for the best texture and flavor. Because oat milk is on the sweeter side, I find I don’t need to use honey with it. Feel free to use any milk you prefer, just understand some are more thin and won’t froth as much.
- Honey – This is optional. I find rooibos has a natural sweetness to it and rarely add it to my own, but a teaspoon is nice every once in a while!
Occasionally I’ll add a pinch of cinnamon to the top, but it’s not needed if you use the rooibos chai.
Expert Tip – If using a thin milk like hemp or seed, I recommend increasing the amount to about 1/2 cup. Since whole milk and oat milk froths much higher, it’s easier to use 1/3 cup and get almost a full cup after it’s been frothed.
How to Froth Milk for Lattes
There are so many options you have when it comes to frothing milk at home, even if you don’t own an espresso machine.
Handheld milk frother – The handheld frother requires warming the milk before using, but it’s a super easy process. Make sure the whisk is submerged under the milk and be careful to not touch it to the bottom of the cup or it will splatter. This froths the milk in just under 30 seconds! (Picture 2)
Espresso Machine – If you do own an espresso machine, begin by placing about 1/3 cup of milk in a stainless steel cup and turning on the machine. Allow it to heat up the steam, and carefully place the milk under the spout. Move your hand in circles gradually shifting the cup up and down to get the milk to froth up. You may also need to tilt your cup to a 45 degree angle while steaming the milk to get it extra frothy. (Picture 3)
French press – If you own a French press, you can place the warm milk in the canister and press up and down to froth the milk. I find this a little labor intensive, especially with the extra dishes, but if you only make this once in a while the French press will do the job.
There are even more ways you can do this, including a detachable milk frother. It may be worth the investment depending on how often you make at-home lattes.
Milk to Tea Ratio
I tested this rooibos latte several different ways and found that I enjoyed having a larger tea to milk ratio. My personal favorite is 2/3 cup of rooibos tea to 1/3 cup of milk, which becomes about 3/4-1 cup when steamed.
Most latte recipes will have you use half milk and half tea, but I do find that since most rooibos brands are lighter in flavor, it tends to get lost doing half and half.
If this is your preference, I recommend increasing the tea bags to 3 per serving to really concentrate the flavor.
How Long Should Tea Steep?
Because you do need to start with a very strong tea, I recommend steeping red rooibos at least 7-10 minutes.
If you use rooibos chai, that tends to give a stronger flavor so roughly 5-7 minutes should work fine.
What to Pair with A Tea Latte
If you’re looking for a few warm and cozy bites to pair with your rooibos tea latte, I recommend trying the following recipes.
- Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins
- Mini Quiche
- Cinnamon Oat Scones
- Blackberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Banana Applesauce Muffins
Spiced Drinks
If you’re looking for other non-alcoholic drinks like this rooibos latte, don’t miss these recipes. The Sleepy Girl Mocktail is especially great before bed!
Drinks
Easy Wassail Recipe (Non-Alcoholic)
Drinks
Sleepy Girl Mocktail with Tart Cherry Juice
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review in the recipe card! Don’t forget to tag me @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram, and follow along on Pinterest for more great recipes!
Rooibos Latte
Equipment
- 1 milk frother, french press, or latte machine
Ingredients
- 2 rooibos tea bags
- 2/3 cup hot water
- 1/3 cup milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon honey (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat and pour 2/3 cup of water over 2 rooibos tea bags. Let it steep for 5-10 minutes, until dark.
- Meanwhile, if using a handheld milk frother, warm tea in a small pot over medium heat or microwave for about 20-30 seconds. Use the device to froth the milk until light and fluffy – transforming 1/3 cup of milk to about 1 cup of frothed milk.
- If using a latte machine, pour milk into a steel cup and angle the cup, moving it in a circular pattern, till milk is frothed and warmed through.
- At the same time, pour the frothed milk and steeped tea into a mug, finishing the top with the foam from the milk. Serve warm. Taste and add honey as needed.
Notes
- If using loose leaf rooibos tea use 3 teaspoons.
- If using a French press, pour warm milk into the bottom and press up and down till milk is light and frothy.
- If you prefer a more milk-heavy latte, you can use 1/2 rooibos and 1/2 frothed milk, however this will decrease the flavor of the rooibos. You may need to add another tea bag or steep for longer for a stronger flavor.
- I find using oat milk, 2%, and whole milk to yield the best flavor and texture. If using oat milk, you most likely won’t need to add honey to sweeten.
- For an extra flavor boost, sprinkle with cinnamon on top.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Alicia This is a new type of tea in my pot. It just looked like black tea with milk. The tea was like the old Teteley advert and enjoyable. Thankyou Alicia
You’re welcome, Kevin!!
can you use half and half or heavy creamer as froth? what about adding vanilla flavoring?
thanks
I’d use half and half! Vanilla is fine.