Cold blue tea and vanilla oat milk make a mild, creamy drink. This original oat/maple version uses the infusion-and-chill method described by Oh, How Civilized, whose recipe uses dairy sweet cream. The large base contains about 496 ml before ice; a 24-ounce glass leaves room to stir.
Prep: 10 minutes. Total: about 45 minutes, longer if chilling is needed. Yield: 1 large serving (about 496 ml before ice).
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dried culinary butterfly pea flowers (Clitoria ternatea)
- 1 US cup (240 ml) freshly boiling water, plus water to restore strained tea
- 1 US cup (240 ml) chilled oat milk
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) vanilla extract, optional
- Ice for serving
Method
- Pour boiling water over the dried flowers in a heat-safe vessel. Cover and steep for 5 minutes.
- Strain completely and add water as needed to restore the tea to 240 ml. Cool promptly in a shallow heat-safe container over an ice-water bath and refrigerate until cold. Allow about 30 minutes cooling or longer until cold.
- Stir maple syrup and optional vanilla into the cold oat milk. Put a modest amount of serving ice in a clear glass holding at least 24 US fl oz (710 ml).
- Pour in the milk mixture, then the cold blue tea slowly over a spoon. Layers may mix; stir and serve immediately.
Timing, Color and Milk
Prep takes about 10 minutes, the covered steep takes 5, and cooling may take 30 minutes or more: allow about 45 minutes from scratch and longer until cold. With tea already cold, assembly takes about 5 minutes. Plain butterfly pea tea has no coffee or Camellia sinensis; check blended tea products for caffeine. Stable layers and a lavender color after stirring are not guaranteed; the milk formulation, pigments and pouring affect appearance.
Omit lemon from the milk latte: acid can destabilize milk or plant drinks and change their taste. To see the color shift separately, put 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the finished blue tea in a small clear cup and add 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice, then stir. This is a separate demonstration portion, not an ingredient added to the latte. For a citrus drink, use the linked butterfly pea lemonade instead.
Complete Flavor and Size Options
For lavender latte replace the 15 ml maple syrup with 15 ml cooled lavender syrup. Make a small component by heating 1/4 US cup granulated sugar with 60 ml water and 1/2 teaspoon dried culinary lavender, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat, steep 5 minutes, strain and cool; allow about 30 minutes, longer until cold. Measure recovery, use only 15 ml and refrigerate surplus. This flavor change does not guarantee a purpler drink.
For spiced blue latte add 1/16 teaspoon ground cardamom and one washed 2 mm slice fresh ginger to the flower infusion; steep and strain with the same method. Keep milk, maple and optional vanilla unchanged. For coconut latte replace the oat milk with 120 ml stirred full-fat canned coconut milk plus 120 ml cold drinking water, keeping all other measures unchanged. This retains the 240 ml milk-phase measure with a richer flavor; refrigerate the opened can as labeled.
For two smaller servings make the same base and divide both milk and tea equally between two 16-ounce glasses with ice, about 248 ml liquid per glass. For hot service omit ice, brew and restore the same tea, gently heat the 240 ml oat milk to about 140 F (60 C), stir in maple and optional vanilla and combine in a heat-safe mug holding at least 600 ml. Do not seal or shake hot liquid; serve promptly. Allow about 15 minutes total for this hot option.
Make Ahead
Keep the strained tea covered at 40 F (4 C) or below and use within 3 days as a conservative quality target. Prepare milk mixture near serving and follow its package storage limit. A three-day tea target does not supply an all-week schedule. Store dry flowers as the package directs in a sealed dry container; no universal two-to-three-year life is assigned. Vanilla extract may contain alcohol; omit it or use labeled alcohol-free flavoring if that matters for service.
Preparation and Storage
Wash fresh produce under running water before cutting, and scrub firm fruit or cucumber. Use culinary botanicals sold for food or tea, not ornamental flowers. Keep ready-to-drink juices, opened milk and commercial mixers as their labels direct.
Refrigerate prepared bases promptly at 40 F (4 C) or below in clean covered containers. Cool hot infusions in shallow heat-safe containers or an ice-water bath; do not wait indefinitely for them to reach room temperature. Refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90 F (32 C). Keep party pitchers refrigerated or on ice at refrigerator temperature. Add bubbles and serving ice at the last moment.
Use fresh-fruit/herb bases the same day, or within 24 hours, for flavor. Use strained tea or homemade syrup within 3 days. These are conservative house quality targets, not tested shelf lives. Finished fizzy drinks are best served immediately. Follow any shorter ingredient-label limit. Honey is unsuitable for infants under 12 months.
More Drinks
- Butterfly Pea Flower Lemonade That Changes Color
- Purple Butterfly Pea Gin and Lemon Cocktail
- Lavender Simple Syrup Recipe
Sources and Recipe Notes
Published sources inform the method. House portion sizes, recovery marks, flavor variants, clocks and shorter storage targets are specified here; no kitchen or shelf-life testing is claimed.
