Cardamom Latte With Honey – Hot Or Iced!

Equipment

A great latte needs frothy milk but you don’t need a fancy coffee machine to froth milk at home. Below are some options if you don’t own a milk frother.

• Milk frother – A handy tool but not essential
• French press – Most homes have an Ikea French press stashed somewhere! If you’re making the hot version of this recipe then you can preheat the french press to maintain the temperature of the milk.
• Mason jar – A jar with a lid works well to create a subtle foam.

• A food thermometer is helpful – Using a pot on the stove rather than a microwave ensures that the temperature doesn’t go over 160°F – the temperature at which milk begins to break down causing it to change flavor. 
• Tea strainer or fine sieve
• Two large mugs or latte cups

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 2-4 shots of hot espresso or 1.5 cups of hot, strong coffee. – If you don’t have an espresso machine strong pour-over coffee, instant, or brewed will work fine.
• 2 cups of whole milk – For an extra creamy latte I sometimes use 2/3 whole milk with 1/3 heavy cream. Alternatively, you can use barista milk.
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 tsp honey – You can add as much honey as you like to adjust the sweetness of your latte according to your taste buds.
• optional: a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, cocoa powder, or brown sugar to serve
• Ice for iced cardamomlatte

Instructions (Hot)

1. Preheat your French press or milk frother if using. 
2. Heat the milk together with the ground cardamom in a saucepan over medium heat. You can use a thermometer to monitor the temperature (aim for around 140-160°F).
3. Pour the milk and cardamom mixture through a fine tea strainer or sieve to remove the ground cardamom and froth the milk.
4. Whisk together the espresso and warm honey.
5. Pour an equal amount of the sweetened espresso into each of the two large mugs.
6. Gently pour the frothed milk over the coffee and sprinkle with brown sugar, cocao powder, or ground cinnamon before serving.

Iced Version (Iced version)

1. Whisk together the coffee and honey and chill for at least 20 minutes. You can also prechill your glasses if you wish.
2. Heat the milk together with the ground cardamom in a saucepan over medium heat (aim for around 140-160°F / 60-71°C), as described in the hot method. Allow the infused milk to cool completely, then chill it thoroughly in the refrigerator (at least 20minutes).
3. Once the cardamom-infused milk is chilled, pour it through a fine sieve to remove the ground cardamom, and then froth the milk.
4. Divide the chilled coffee and honey mixture between two large glasses with ice. 
5. Gently pour the frothed milk over the coffee and sprinkle with ground cinnamon, cocoa powder, or brown sugar before serving. 

Variations

Both of these recipes can easily be made vegan by substituting regular milk with dairy-free milk. Oat milk is my personal preference. Barista blends make the best foam!
You may prefer to adjust the sweetness depending on what type of milk you use as some milks are naturally sweeter than others.
You can replace honey with vegan-friendly maple syrup or a little brown sugar. 

If you enjoyed this recipe then you’ll love this Nordic Spiced Saffron Hot Chocolate and this warming Swedish Blueberry Soup. You might also enjoy this post on How To Make The Perfect Babyccino!