Explore my favorite DIY coffee and tea recipes, tips on top brands, and ways to customize your drinks at home. With most of the recipes, I have found it is just the base, and you can add all the extras you want.
I like to add flavored creamer, such as sweet cream, caramel, peppermint (when available), and many more. Additionally, when I am at my parents’ house, I use half and half as the creamer, along with a little bit of milk. Afterward, I’ll add the syrup I prefer. As for teas, I mainly like to add vanilla to chai.
Some of my favorite brands to use at home, as well as brands I would love to try later, after college, are listed here. First, for the cups—any cup works, but I tend to forget to clean my cup right after I’m done with it. Therefore, I’ve found some plastic cups that I can use multiple times. For instance, if I make coffee today, that cup is now dedicated only to coffee. In general, I prefer cold drinks over hot ones, unless it’s hot chocolate or really cold outside. As for both hot and cold cups, I’ve found some great options on Amazon. Here are the hot cups, cold cups without straws, and the cold cups with straw links. I like these cups as it is really easy to put my DIY coffee and tea recipes in when I make them.
Next, the flavor brands I like to use. I currently use Torani. I like their easy-to-pour bottles than their pump bottles, but that is also because I do not have enough space to have them all out. A couple of other brands I would love to try are Monin, Davinci Gourmet, and 1883 Maison Routin. I would like to try Transcendence Coffee at some point, too.
Another product is either coffee grounds or teas. For coffee, I like to use instant coffee instead of coffee grounds. I have found that for the way I make my coffee, the finer the grounds, the better. The brand I like to use is Nescafe Gold Espresso. I have heard that Ice Roast works just as well. For grounds, I will use what ever I can find. I like when I can find local beans and ground it fresh. I have used Chocolaterie Stam beans and it smelled so good. For teas, I like to use both bags, loose leaf, and concentrate. What I use when I make my tea, it depends on how I feel at that time. For chai, I like the concentrate, but for when I make sweet tea, I like bags.
Below are the DIY coffee and tea recipes I use and where I got the recipe from unless I have made it or lost who I got it from.
Coffee Recipes
I found this recipe on TikTok. The creator is MainStMuse.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee
- 4 oz water, a little warm works best, but cold is just fine
- Ice
- Flavoring
- Creamer or milk of choice
Instructions
- In your cup, mix water and the coffee until it is all mixed. Add ice, flavoring, creamer, and milk.
- I have found that with this recipe, I just had to play around to find the best combination of flavoring, milk, and creamer.
Cinnamon Coffee
Ingredients
- 1 cup brewed coffee
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Milk or cream (optional)
- Sweetener (optional)
Instructions
- Brew your coffee as usual.
- Stir in the cinnamon while the coffee is still hot. You can use a spoon or shake it in a jar if you like.
- Add milk and sweetener to taste.
- Enjoy the warm, spiced flavor!
Whipped Coffee (Dalgona Coffee)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 1 cup milk (any kind)
- Ice (optional)
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine instant coffee, sugar, and hot water.
- Using a hand mixer or whisk, beat the mixture for about 2-3 minutes until it becomes light, fluffy, and forms stiff peaks.
- Fill a glass with ice and pour the milk over.
- Spoon the whipped coffee mixture on top of the milk and stir it in before drinking.
Coffee Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee (cooled)
- 1 frozen banana
- 1/4 cup milk or yogurt
- 1 teaspoon honey or sweetener (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Brew your coffee and let it cool.
- Add the coffee, frozen banana, milk/yogurt, honey, and vanilla extract into the blender.
- Blend until it is smooth.
- Pour into a glass and enjoy a creamy, coffee-packed smoothie!
Tea Recipes
Honey Almond Tea Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup hot water (or brewed tea, like black or green)
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon honey (adjust to taste)
- 1/4 cup milk (or almond milk for a more almond-flavored drink)
- Optional: A pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg for extra warmth
Instructions
- Brew your tea (if using a tea bag or loose tea) or simply heat water to a near-boil.
- Add almond extract: Stir in 1 tablespoon of almond extract. This gives the tea a nice nutty flavor.
- Sweeten with honey: Stir in the honey until dissolved. Adjust the amount based on how sweet you like it.
- Add milk: Pour in the milk (or almond milk if you’re going for more almond flavor). Stir everything together until well combined.
- Optional spices: If you want to add a bit of spice, sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg on top. It adds a nice layer of flavor.
- Serve and enjoy.
Lemon Ginger Tea
Ingredients
- 1 cup hot water
- 1-2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger (or ginger powder)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1-2 teaspoons honey (optional)
Instructions
- Boil the water and pour it into a mug.
- Add the ginger: Grate a small piece of ginger (about 1-2 teaspoons) and add it to your mug.
- Add lemon and honey: Squeeze in fresh lemon juice and stir in honey for sweetness (optional).
- Let it steep for about 5-7 minutes, then strain out the ginger if you grated it fresh.
- Enjoy: Sip slowly and enjoy the warm, spicy-sweet combo!
Chai Tea Latte
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1-2 teaspoons loose leaf Chai tea or 1 Chai tea bag
- 1/2 cup milk (or any milk alternative)
- 1 tablespoon honey or sugar (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- Boil water and steep the Chai tea for about 3-5 minutes.
- While the tea is steeping, heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat. You can froth it if you have a frother, or just heat it until it’s warm and slightly steamy.
- Sweeten the tea with honey or sugar to taste.
- Once steeped, strain the tea (if using loose-leaf) and pour it into your mug.
- Add the milk to the tea and stir. Optionally, sprinkle some ground cinnamon on top for a spicy kick.
- Sip and enjoy your cozy, creamy Chai!
Mint Tea
Ingredients
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 handful of fresh mint leaves (or 1-2 teaspoons dried mint)
- 1 teaspoon honey or sugar (optional)
- A slice of lemon (optional)
Instructions
- Boil the water and pour it over the mint leaves in a mug or teapot.
- Steep for about 5 minutes, depending on how strong you want the mint flavor.
- If desired, add honey or sugar to sweeten it.
- Optionally, add a slice of lemon to give it a citrusy zing.
- Strain the leaves if you’re using fresh mint, or just sip straight from the teapot.
- Enjoy this light, refreshing tea.
Add the products you like to use or your DIY coffee and tea recipes in the comments or DM me on Instagram.