Forget The Milk: 12 Things To Put In Your Tea

Bored with your same old tea? Get ready to branch out and explore an exciting world of new flavors. Many tea drinkers, from casual dabbler to seasoned connoisseur, know that one of the most common supplements to add to a cup of tea is milk. Many will also choose to add sugar depending on their sweetness preference, leading to the inevitable question of “One lump or two?”

There is a fantastic variety of things besides milk that can transform your regular cup of tea, and all of them are completely natural. If you’re struggling to give up dairy in your tea completely, many of the additives can be used along with milk. 

But first,

Choose from black tea, green tea, oolong, or caffeine-free rooibos. Unflavored loose leaf tea is the best, but quality tea bags are also a good option. 

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Sometimes you just need a bit of a kick to your everyday brew. Spices, fruits, herbs are good companions for black or green teas, as well as chocolate, flowers, ginger, and even alcohol.

Here are 12 things to put in your tea in place of (or along with) milk:

Citrus fruits gel well with either black or green tea. There is a variety of options when it comes to adding some citrus to tea, all of them lend a brighter tone to the brew. You can either drop beautiful slices in your cup or squeeze in the juice. While tea with lemon is classic, lime, grapefruit, or orange are also great choices depending on your tea base. And if you want to delve into the exotic, consider some passion fruit or yuzu.

Citrus green tea makes for a refreshing iced tea, even better in combination with mint, peach, honey.

If you are fond of fresh and bright notes, don’t overlook Earl Grey, the world-famous citrusy tea with its iconic bergamot flavor.

Cinnamon will provide your black tea with some depth and warmth. Cinnamon spiced tea will make you think of a cozy autumn day. You can use the powdered version, but we suggest brewing your tea with a cinnamon stick, which will infuse the flavor without leaving behind any of the gritty texture from the ground spice. 

Another spice, cardamom, has an even more powerful flavor than cinnamon. The smell of it will instantly transport you to the streets of Mumbai. Spicy, rich, warm, and aromatic, cardamom is one of the most sensational additives, but be careful not to overdo: the flavor is intense. You can also go the whole nine yards by adding cloves, nutmeg, allspice and making a cup of Masala Chai tea. Cardamom and other spices traditionally go well with black teas. However, green tea version of spicy chai is also gaining popularity. Spicy types of tea are lovely with a splash of milk.

By adding herbs, you can naturally provide your tea with earthy, effervescent tones. Some herbal choices include lavender, lemongrass, lemon verbena, mint, all the way to tulsi basil and rosemary. Herbs often go best with lighter teas such as green or white tea and even unaccompanied.

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Not only will this addition give you the most gorgeous cup of tea, adding flower buds or dried petals can deliver an incredibly aromatic and inviting flavor. Flowers are often used in tea blends. The most pronounced and flowery is probably Jasmine green tea. Rose, hibiscus, and honeysuckle lend more subtle, intriguing flavors to both black and green teas.

Instead of the usual sugar, or even honey, try pouring a bit of maple syrup into your tea for both sweetness and the unique taste of maple. One benefit of this natural sweetener is that it dissolves easily in both cold and hot drinks, unlike honey which will seize up and crystalize in cold temperatures.

Sangria doesn’t have to be the only drink with the wow factor of fruit. Try sliding in some cut up stone fruits like peach or nectarine, or plop in some pitted cherries, raspberries or pomegranate seeds. Even apple can work! Just add a few thin slices to a hot cup of tea and let it steep for a couple minutes. As a bonus, after you finish the tea, you get the pleasure of digging out all those delicious fruity chunks. When fresh fruits are not available, use dried strawberries, blueberries, or fruit jams

Vanilla makes everything taste good, doesn’t it? Well, tea is no different. Scrape in a bit of fresh vanilla bean if you have a gourmet palette, or mix in a splash of vanilla extract if you’re in a pinch, but remember – less is more. Real vanilla extract is a concentrated flavor.

To deliver a spicy kick to your tea, brew it with grated or thinly sliced fresh ginger. A perfect tea for stuffy nose, sore throat, or even for calming an upset stomach, ginger brew supplies endless health benefits on top of zesty taste. A cup of tea with ginger is guaranteed to increase your blood flow, wake you up, and get you ready for the day.

Looking for something to help you truly relax? Try spiking your tea with rum, bourbon, or perhaps some Bailey’s Irish Cream (or really whatever else you feel will blend well). Your tea experience is sure to be heightened to new levels. Now, it can be ‘happy hour’ at any time. It could also work great with iced teas.

Last but not least, this option is probably the most daring and unexpected, but chocolate-infused tea might just become your new favorite hot beverage, whether you stir in a bit of melted chocolate or sprinkle in some cocoa powder or cacao nibs. You can choose how sweet or dark you want the chocolate flavor. It also pairs well with milk. Just be aware that this flavor goes better with certain types of tea, namely black or chai. It is not recommended to use chocolate with lighter teas like green and herbal tisanes.

Add warm, sweet, and welcoming flavors to your black teas and rooibos. Try cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, maple syrup, whiskey or a combination of them for welcoming and relaxing black tea blends. For a brighter and uplifting cup of black tea, use red fruits, berries and citruses.

Juicy fresh accents such as mint, jasmine, peach, basil are great to put in green and white teas. All kinds of edible flowers and herbs, either fresh or dried, can be used for the purpose.

However, there are no strict rules when it comes to tea making. Your tea experience can only be limited by your imagination.