Rooibos Latte (Caffeine Free Alternative)
A caffeine free red latte: strong rooibos concentrate, steamed frothed milk and a vanilla or cinnamon finish. Creamy, naturally sweet, good at any hour.
A rooibos latte, sometimes called a red latte or red cappuccino, is South Africa's caffeine free answer to the coffee shop latte: a strong rooibos concentrate softened with steamed, frothed milk and a touch of vanilla or cinnamon. Rooibos has the body to carry milk much like a strong Black Tea, and because it has none of the tannin that turns milky black tea grey, it stays smooth and a clean red brown rather than thin. It uses Tetley Redbush Pure, a Rainforest Alliance certified rooibos from South Africa's Western Cape, so with no caffeine it is a latte you can happily have late in the evening.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Rooibos Latte (Caffeine Free Alternative) recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/rooibos/rooibos latte caffeine free alternative/
For a flavoured version try the vanilla rooibos latte, and if you want the plain cup first, see how to brew pure rooibos.
You'll need
- 3 Tetley Redbush Pure rooibos tea bags
- 120ml freshly boiled water, to make a strong concentrate
- 180ml milk of your choice (whole dairy froths best; oat is the best non dairy for foam)
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup, to taste
- A quarter teaspoon vanilla extract, or a pinch of ground cinnamon, to finish
Method
- Make a concentrate: steep the 3 rooibos bags in just 120ml of just boiled water for 7 minutes. Little water and three bags give a strong base that the milk will not water down.
- Squeeze and remove the bags. Stir in the honey and vanilla while the tea is hot so they dissolve fully.
- Heat the milk to about 65C, steaming but not boiling. Boiling scalds milk and collapses the foam.
- Froth the milk with a steam wand, a handheld frother, or by shaking it hard in a sealed jar for 30 seconds then microwaving for 20 seconds to set the foam.
- Pour the rooibos concentrate into a warmed cup, add the hot milk while holding the foam back with a spoon, then spoon the foam on top.
- Finish with a light dust of cinnamon or a few drops of vanilla. For a red cappuccino use equal concentrate and foam; for a milkier latte add more milk.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Tetley Redbush Pure, 40 Tea Bags 100g
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