There's something so comforting about a cup of freshly brewed coffee, but sometimes a cup of joe just doesn't cut it and you need something fancy. This London Fog Tea Latte will do the trick. A combination of espresso andEarl Grey black tea, it’s unique and delicious. And did I mention it’s ready in only 10 minutes?
Sure, you can go to any old coffee shop and get a couple of London fog lattes, but if you have some almond milk, black tea to steep, vanilla extract, coffee or espresso, and some sweetener, you'll be all set! You can even get a little adventurous and top it off with some driedlavenderor lavender flowers. I didn't have dried lavender, so I topped mine with chocolate shavings. Easily the best decision I've made all day.
Black tea contains prebiotics, which help grow good bacteria in the gut. The molecules in black tea are also larger, allowing it to stay in the intestines longer. Not only does this promote beneficial bacterial growth, but it also regulates your metabolism.
Studies have shown that harmful bacteria in the gut is associated with obesity. However, when consuming black or green tea, the good bacteria provided by the prebiotics fights the harmful bacteria, promoting a lean body mass. [1]
Black tea is the only tea that provides a probiotic called Pseudobutyrivibrio. Pseudobutyrivibrio produces butyrate—an important anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acid. [2]
When you reduce inflammation, you help aid in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease. [3] Additionally, short-chain fatty acids have a very beneficial impact on your gut flora.
There's nothing worse than waking up and still feeling tired or hitting that midday slump. There's some truth to all the memes you see about someone who feels like a completely new person after a cup of coffee.
Coffee helps fight toxicity in the body due to the amount of antioxidants it contains.
While there are no studies that link antioxidants and increased energy, foods and drinks containing antioxidants have been shown to increase energy expenditure.
One study, in particular, had a group of people drink 100 mg of caffeine and then measured their energy expenditure after consumption. Their energy levels increased 8–11 percent, accounting for 79–150 more calories burned.
That may not seem like a lot, but it adds up very quickly. In just one week, it's an extra 1,000 calories—just from sipping coffee. [4]
For this recipe, you can use any nut milk. I've tried it with almond, cashew, and macadamia. I typically stay away from conventional dairy simply because it's a highly inflammatory food.
All of the kinds of nut milk I listed above have some great benefits and are also a part of a plant-based diet.
Also, all of these nut milks, as you may have guessed, offer up the same benefits as the original nut that made the milk.
Almonds, cashews, and macadamia nuts have loads of antioxidants, which helps neutralize unstable molecules (known as free radicals) and lower oxidative stress.
Specifically, vitamin E (a fat-soluble vitamin) is a powerhouse when it comes to warding off those pesky, inflammation-causing free radicals. By doing so, it's further delaying the chances of developing harmful diseases associated with inflammation, which is the root cause of most diseases. [5]
You can use any bag of black tea to steep for this London fog tea latte, but Earl Grey tea bags are, by far, the best. With just a few, simple steps, you'll be sipping your way to tea town and telling me “thanks a latte” for this great recipe.
Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2
1. In a mug or cup, steep the tea for 4 minutes, and then strain the tea.
2. In a high-speed blender, add all ingredients except the chocolate shavings. Blend on high until well-combined.
3. Serve in two coffee mugs and top with chocolate shavings (or dried lavender). Enjoy!
