Knowledge Base
Coffee & Tea Guides
Brew better and explore more — buying guides, how-tos, and explainers for every coffee and tea ritual.
How-To
How to Make Lady's Mantle Tea (Alchemilla) at Home
Lady's mantle tea is a mild, green, gently astringent, caffeine-free infusion made from the pleated leaves and small flowers of Alchemilla. Here is how to make it step by step, plus taste, blends, storage, and a light safety note.
How-To
How to Make Rowanberry Tea at Home (From Cooked Berries)
Rowanberry tea is a tart, caffeine-free infusion of cooked rowan (mountain ash) berries. Here is how to simmer, strain and sweeten a smooth cup, and why you must always cook the berries and never use them raw.
How-To
How to Make Peach Cold Foam for Iced Coffee & Iced Tea
A golden, mellow-sweet cap of cold-frothed milk and peach syrup — here is how to froth peach cold foam cold and float it over iced coffee, cold brew or a peach iced tea.
How-To
How to Make Pumpkin Tea (Hobak-cha) at Home
Pumpkin tea, the Korean hobak-cha, is real pumpkin or squash simmered into a warm, gently sweet, caffeine-free cup, not a pumpkin-spice blend. Here is how to make it, step by step, from fresh, roasted, or dried pumpkin, with amounts and a quick simmer-time table.
How-To
How to Make Macadamia Syrup for Coffee
A smooth, buttery macadamia syrup made by toasting the nuts and steeping them in a 1:1 simple syrup — the creamy sweetener your latte, iced coffee and cold brew have been missing.
How-To
How to Make Shiso Tea from Fresh or Dried Perilla Leaves
Shiso tea is an aromatic, caffeine-free infusion of fresh or dried perilla leaves. Here is how to make it, plus why red shiso turns a gorgeous pink with a squeeze of lemon.
How-To
How to Make Brown Rice Tea at Home
The pure roasted-rice tea known as hyeonmi-cha: dry-roast brown rice, then simmer or steep it into a warm, nutty, caffeine-free cup — no green tea, and nothing like genmaicha.
How-To
How to Make Mangosteen Tea at Home
Mangosteen tea is a tart, caffeine-free tisane brewed from the fruit's dried purple rind. Here is how to make it at home - the amounts, the simmer-or-steep method, and how to keep it smooth.
How-To
How to Make Coconut Syrup for Coffee
Make a sweet, tropical coconut syrup at home from sugar, water and real shredded coconut, with ratios, a quick coconut-extract shortcut, storage tips and easy ways to stir it into hot and iced coffee.
How-To
How to Make Spearmint Tea at Home
Spearmint tea is a bright, sweet, cooling, caffeine-free cup. Here is how to make it from fresh or dried leaves, with amounts, a steep-time table, an iced version, and storage tips.
How-To
How to Make Marjoram Tea at Home
Marjoram tea is a soft, sweet-savory, caffeine-free infusion of Origanum majorana, the milder cousin of oregano. Here is how to make it from fresh or dried leaves, with amounts, steep times, an iced version and a light safety note.
How-To
How to Make Beetroot Tea at Home
Beetroot tea is a caffeine-free, ruby-red infusion with an earthy-sweet flavor. Here is how to make it three ways - from fresh grated beet, dried slices, or beetroot powder - plus ginger and iced versions.
How-To
How to Make Simple Syrup for Coffee and Iced Drinks
Simple syrup is just sugar dissolved in water, and it is the grit-free way to sweeten any cold drink. Here is how to make it in two ratios and two easy methods, plus how much to use and how to store it.
How-To
How to Make Allspice Tea from Whole or Ground Berries
Allspice tea is made by crushing and simmering whole allspice berries — or briefly steeping ground allspice — into a warm, clove-and-cinnamon-scented cup. Here is the full recipe, the whole-versus-ground question, spiced and citrus variations, and how to store the berries.
How-To
How to Make Pandan Tea at Home
Pandan tea is made by simmering or steeping the fragrant green leaves of the screwpine plant until the water turns pale gold-green and sweet-smelling. Here is how to make pandan tea from fresh, frozen, or dried leaves, plus a lemongrass version and an iced coconut twist.
How-To
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cold Foam
Pumpkin spice cold foam is cold milk frothed with pumpkin puree, spice, and a little sweetener into a light, pourable topping. Here is the full recipe, the tools that work, and how to nail the thickness so it floats on cold brew or iced coffee.
How-To
How to Make Mulberry Leaf Tea at Home
Mulberry leaf tea is a mild, grassy-green, naturally caffeine-free cup made from dried young mulberry leaves. Here is how to harvest, dry and steep it at home, hot or iced, plus a small table for fresh vs dried leaf.
How-To
How to Make Goji Berry Tea at Home
Goji berry tea is dried wolfberries steeped in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes into a sweet-tart, golden infusion. Here is how to make it, plus variations, storage and safety.
How-To
How to Make Hawthorn Tea (Berries, Leaves & Flowers)
Learn how to make hawthorn tea from the berries, leaves, or flowers: exact amounts, steep and simmer times, hot and iced methods, sweetening, and storage.
How-To
How to Store Tapioca Pearls: Cooked & Uncooked Boba
Dried tapioca pearls last for months in the pantry, but cooked boba is best within a few hours. Here is how to store both, why finished pearls harden, and how to keep them soft and chewy.
How-To
How to Make Moringa Tea (Simple Step-by-Step Recipe)
Make moringa tea in minutes: steep dried leaf, powder, a bag, or fresh leaves in hot (not boiling) water, then strain. A mild, caffeine-free green herbal tisane, with a form-by-form guide, plus tips on strength and re-steeping.
How-To
Cortadito: How to Make Cuba's Sweet Espresso and Milk
A cortadito is a small, sweet Cuban espresso 'cut' with an equal splash of warm milk, built on a whipped-sugar espuma. Here is what it is, how it differs from a cortado, and how to make one at home.
How-To
White Chocolate Mocha Recipe (Cafe-Style at Home)
A white chocolate mocha is a sweeter, creamier take on the classic mocha, made with white chocolate instead of cocoa. Here is how to make a cafe-style one at home, hot or iced, in about five minutes.
How-To
Vanilla Latte Recipe: Hot or Iced, Cafe-Style
A vanilla latte is just espresso, steamed milk and vanilla syrup. Here is how to make one hot or iced at home, with ratios, sweetness tips, and blonde and dairy-free versions.