Kukicha Latte with Oat Milk, Honey and Cinnamon
Kukicha steeped at 75°C with frothed oat milk, honey and a pinch of cinnamon—a warm, creamy twig-tea latte, nutty and low in caffeine.
Kukicha is one of the gentlest teas in the Japanese repertoire, and its naturally low caffeine makes it the right base for a latte you can enjoy well into the evening. Frothing it with a little plant milk amplifies its creamy, toasted-nut character into something genuinely comforting.
Because kukicha is made from stems and twigs rather than leaves, it brews without the sharp grassiness or astringency of many green teas. That softness is exactly what lets it stand up to milk—the tea flavor stays present and nutty instead of disappearing or turning bitter.
Brew the kukicha strong but gently, using water around 75°C so it stays smooth. Oat milk works beautifully here, lending its own mild sweetness, while a touch of honey rounds everything off without overpowering the delicate tea.
Sip this latte after dinner or as the last drink before bed. Kukicha sits at level 1 on our caffeine scale, the catalog's lowest step for a Camellia sinensis tea, so this is the hot, creamy cup for the hour when a sencha latte would be too much.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp kukicha twig tea
- 3/4 cup water (about 75°C)
- 3/4 cup oat milk
- 1–2 tsp honey, to taste
- Pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)
- Pinch of kinako or toasted sesame for garnish (optional)
How to make it
- 1Brew the kukicha in 3/4 cup of 75°C water for about 3 minutes to make a strong base, then strain.
- 2Gently warm the oat milk in a small pan or with a steam wand until hot but not boiling.
- 3Froth the warm oat milk until creamy and slightly foamy.
- 4Stir the honey into the hot kukicha, then pour the frothed oat milk over the top.
- 5Finish with a pinch of cinnamon and a dusting of kinako or sesame, and serve warm.
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