Are you dreaming of PSLs and warm sweaters? September is close enough for me to start on fall trends like chai lattes. Let's explore some ways to get the most flavor possible!

First things first when it comes to creating a latte, be it hot or cold- you want to start off with a good strong base. This means steeping your base tea in a stronger, more concentrated way than you usually would.

The best way to do this is using a gravity tea maker like our IngenuiTEA 2, which can hold more loose leaf than an infuser basket and you can add as little or as much water as you want to, meaning it's the perfect tool to help you create that concentration. Four teaspoons of tea, 4oz of water, 1 1/4 cups milk or dairy alternative and a 16oz mug is where you'll want to start off.

Although that sounds like a lot of tea to use for one drink, it's the perfect baseline for creating a latte, be it hot or iced and will ensure your latte is the best it can be. Unlike bottled tea you can buy, there are no additional ingredients, no preservatives, sugar or fillers so all of your lattes rely on that strong base.

So you've created the base for your latte, but why stop there, why not turn the indulgence level up to 11 and treat yourself! Here's a few different methods you should try:

1. Tea Infused Milk

Take the milk you are going to use for your latte and either add in the tea you are going to use as the base or a different tea with a complimentary flavor profile and steep whatever you choose in the milk overnight.

Yes, milk has a flavor but it isn't too strong so by doing this you're making sure that you aren't watering down your latte with a liquid that has little to no flavor on its own.

You can also do the same thing with cream, half and half and even dairy alternatives like oat and soya milk. It doesn't really affect the texture of the milk, so it can also still be frothed no matter if you do a hot or cold froth.

Such a minimal change will help to make your lattes feel much more indulgent.

2. Tea Ice Cubes

If you're more of a fan of iced tea lattes than hot tea lattes, a great way to stop your iced latte from being watered down by not only the milk, but also by the ice is to use steeped tea to create ice cubes and add them into your latte instead of just regular ice, as it adds absolutely no flavor and simply just waters down your drink.

You can do this with any tea, as long as it isn't too acidic. Should you be creating them from scratch for a specific purpose, you can either use the same tea that you're using for your latte base or a different tea with a complimentary flavor profile.

Try out a Matcha latte with Honeybush Banana Nut ice cubes, a Chocolate Truffle latte with Strawberry ice cubes, or a Rooibos Pecan Turtle latte with Honeybush Hazelnut ice cubes for a caffeine free version.

3. Using Steeped Tea Instead of Water

This works best when preparing a latte that uses a powdered tea as its base and it's simple to do!

Simply take the water you would usually use to prepare your matcha/powdered tea and use tea instead. This can be done with both flavored teas or tisanes and also with traditional teas depending on your preference.

If you're using flavored teas, you can create your own flavored Matchas this way and your lattes will be truly unique. It's about finding combinations that work well together!

For example, if you have a partially nutty Matcha and a blend that contains nuts, this would be a great pairing to amplify the nutty flavor. If you have a somewhat creamy Matcha and a blend with a high level of creaminess, this would be a great addition to it bring that flavor profile out. But contrasting flavor combinations like Matcha and Earl Grey Chai also work.

Finding your favorite combinations comes down to experimenting. If you're more of a fan of traditional teas, we find combinations like Matcha with Milk Oolong or Genmai Cha work like a dream.

Keep in mind, you should only combine Matcha with another caffeinated tea if you know you can handle concentrated levels of caffeine. That combination works best as a morning wake up and is not something we recommend doing if you are sensitive to caffeine.

These are just a few quick things you can add to your latte tool belt that will take you next to no time but leave you with so much more variety. The great thing about tea lattes is that they aren't specific to a season and can be enjoyed in a multitude of ways throughout the year. If you do give anything in this post a try, be sure to share with us your delicious works of art over on instagram tagging @adagioteas and using the hashtag #myadagio.