Gilded Lily Iced Latte

This latte is just as delicious as it is magical. It is made with our Gilded Lily Irish breakfast tea, agave syrup, and cream.

 

We decided that the best way to add even more delight to this latte was with floral ice cubes — we will go into full detail on this in a moment...

 

What is a Tea Latte?

A tea latte, similar to a latte made with coffee, is just tea that has been improved with the addition of milk or cream. It can be enjoyed hot or iced at any time of the day.

 

Components:

• Gilded lily - this recipe is perfect if you are in search of a new way to serve this decadent morning blend.
• Agave syrup - this sweetener comes from the Mexican agave plant and contains carbohydrates, and good fats, along with many vitamins and minerals. We love agave in our tea because we find that the flavor does not take away from the flavor of whichever tea we are drinking.
• Heavy Cream - nothing makes a latte more decadent than a good creamer. We like to use non-dairy heavy cream or creamer {such as those made of oat milk or coconut}, but you may use whichever you like. {Note: if you choose to go with a sweetened creamer we advise you not to use a sweetener such as agave like we listed above. Too much sugar will often ruin the taste of your tea and make for an unpleasant experience that should be nothing short of magical.}
• Floral ice cubes - to top off your magical latte you will certainly need a garnish. These flowery ice cubes certainly fit that bill! You can use whichever edible flowers you can find for this. If you have access to a fruit & vegetable garden - you are in luck as the flowers produced by herbs, fruits, and vegetable plants are often edible. We encourage you to have fun with this, friends and fae! Create a color palette that you find pleasing and add those flowers to your ice cube tray. PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE CONSUMING ANY FLOWERS. 

 

Pairings:

This latte can be easily paired with more traditional light breakfast fare such as croissants, muffins, etc. However, as friends and fae, we always want to encourage thoughtful and creative tea and food combinations. Try this latte with an almond croissant, a spiced muffin, a slice of pound cake, etc.

 

Why Gilded Lily?

This tea blend was inspired by the Irish fairytale Yellow Lily, and the delectable treats described therein. This tea tastes of spiced Beltane cake that has been decorated with lemon icing, and sugared almonds.

Gilded Lily has an Irish breakfast tea base {a blend of Ceylon and Assam black teas}, and while nearly all black teas can be paired with milk full bodied breakfast teas {such as Irish & English} are best served with cream.

Not all teas are good for making lattes, some flavors might be too acidic and probably won't blend well with milk products (we are not entirely sure how Enchanted Slumber would work - but perhaps we should try). Our fairies will be testing out various latte recipes and posting them on TikTok and Instagram. However, only the best recipes will be shared here on our blog. This is one such recipe...

 

Method:

The first thing you’ll want to do is prepare your floral ice cubes. Dearest friends and fae, if you have never made floral ice cubes before, please note that you must ensure that the flowers you use are edible {grown without pesticides}. If you are unsure of where to find some here are a few places where you can buy them online: Bask Farms [woman of color owned, just like us!], Gourmet Sweet Botanicals.  Add a few flowers and flower petals to an ice cube tray top off with water and freeze until solid!

 The next thing you will want to do is grab a beautiful glass, this latte is so lovely that for the best drinking experience, it should be displayed appropriately (note: beautiful drinks belong in beautiful glasses, see the Gilded Tea Room).

Next, add your agave syrup to the bottom of your glass. We like agave the most because we find that it does not change the flavor of the tea, but rather enhances it and brings out the natural sweetness of the flavors, and dissolves incredibly quickly. You can also use simple syrup for this if that is your preference as unless it is flavored it will not alter the flavor of your tea/latte. However, we do not recommend using granulated sugar or honey, as they will not dissolve properly in your iced latte and honey often changes the flavor.

When adding your syrup to your glass you might choose to get extra fancy and drizzle your syrup along the inside of your glass, rather than just pouring it into the bottom. We only recommend this if you are feeling like a true kitchen fairy, as accidents happen.

Now, it is time to steep your tea! We are using Gilded Lily and the normal instructions are as follows: steep 1 tsp in 180° F/82°C water for 2-4 minutes. However, we will be brewing this tea strong (double the recommended time/4-6 minutes) so that the flavor comes through when we add the heavy cream.

 While your tea is brewing carefully pour your floral ice cubes into your glass... then take a second to admire the beauty of your impending latte creation.

 Once your tea is done steeping carefully pour it into your glass until it is about 2/3 of the way full. To top it off add your cream or milk of choice. If you want your latte experience to be even more luxurious, froth the cream in a separate cup before pouring it over your tea.

 All that is left to do now is stir it up with a straw and enjoy! {If you don't particularly care for the aesthetic appeal of a layered latte, and you would rather not spend as much time stirring - our kitchen fairies recommend first dissolving your syrup into your hot tea then adding it and your heavy cream on top of your ice.}

 

 

Ingredients: 

• 1/3 cup of water
• 3 tsp of Gilded Lily, or 3 Teabags
• 1 cup creamer of choice
• 2 tsp of agave syrup
• floral ice cubes

 Steps:

1. Add your syrup to the bottom of your glass.
2. Add your floral ice cubes.
3. Steep your Gilded Lily Irish breakfast tea in 180° F/82°C water for 4-6 minutes.
4. Pour brewed tea over ice.
5. Add your cream to your glass.
6. Stir to dissolve syrup into your latte.
7. Enjoy!

**If you decide to give this delightful treat a go, please tag us friends and fae! We would love to see your magical latte creations!