Spicy Vanilla Iced Tea Latte

Make flavored ice cubes to avoid diluting the tea. Add edible flowers, whole herb leaves, or berries before you fill the ice trays for a fun, flavorful surprise.

Ingredients

• 4½ cups fresh water
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 2 scraped vanilla beans or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 8 thin slices of fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons whole cloves
• 6 each cardamom pods
• 1 tablespoon of whole pink peppercorns
• 6 star anise (more for cubes)
• 2 tablespoons chopped edible flowers, mint leaves, or herbs, optional
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla
• 3 bags of black tea leaves
• 3 bags of red vanilla tea (rooibus)
• 2 cups milk (any type)

Directions

1. Boil water in a 3-quart pour-spout pan featuring Teflon™ nonstick.
2. Add cinnamon sticks, vanilla seeds or extract, ginger, cloves, cardamom pods, peppercorns, and star anise. Simmer 10 minutes to make a spice concentrate.
3. Remove from heat and strain concentrate into one ice cube tray (add star anise, flowers, and mint in tray for fun if desired); freeze.
4. Bring remaining brew back to boil and remove from the heat. Whisk in vanilla, add teabags; steep 8 minutes.
5. Strain tea (should be 3½ cups) and chill one hour.
6. Divide ice cubes evenly among glasses. Pour ⅔ cup of tea into each glass; top with milk. Stir & serve.