Iced Drinks

An iced chai latte is cold-brewed or steeped-and-chilled spiced black tea combined with milk and served over ice. It’s sweet, warmly spiced (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, clove), creamy from the milk, and refreshing in a way that hot chai isn’t. The home version is significantly better than Starbucks. Starbucks uses a pre-mixed chai concentrate (Tazo Chai) with a lot of added cane sugar. Making it yourself lets you control the spice intensity, sweetness, and chai quality — and add an espresso shot for the dirty version. ...

An iced matcha latte is ceremonial-grade matcha whisked smooth with a small amount of hot water, then poured over ice and milk — the result is a vibrant green, earthy-sweet drink that’s the perfect cold alternative to iced coffee. The key to a great iced matcha latte at home is two things: good matcha (grade actually matters) and proper whisking technique. Rush either one and you get a gritty, bitter drink that tastes like lawn clippings. Do it right and you get something that tastes better than what most cafés serve. ...