20 Tea Ideas With Chai, Fruity Sips and Tea-Time Extras
Looking for tea recipes to try beyond your usual cup? Chai, bright green matcha and fruit-filled jars give you plenty of inspiration.
These pictures include simple serving ideas, colorful blends and a few tea-time extras rather than complete recipes.
You can keep things simple or add fruit, spices and a pretty glass. Start with a drink that catches your eye, then save the little details you’d like to try yourself.
Tea inspiration for your next cup
chai in speckled cups
We’re starting off with this pretty homemade chai setup. I love the speckled cups and the little dark flecks across the pale tan drink in front.
Cardamom pods and cloves are scattered around the cups.
For your own tea tray, try a matching pair of rounded mugs like these.
peach slices and mint
How pretty are these fruit-filled jars? Pale peach slices sit against the amber drink, with ice and mint leaves at the top.
If you want to dress up your next iced tea, try peach wedges tucked along the sides of the glass. Keep a pitcher nearby when you’re serving several people.
patterned cups and cookies
Don’t want to go all out with garnishes? No problem!
These pale drinks have no toppings at all. The patterned cups and little plate of filled cookies make the setup lovely on their own.
I’d borrow the matching coasters and gold-colored spoons for a small tea tray.
a little frothing inspiration
Love a foamy finish? This picture shows a handheld frother swirling a pale liquid inside a measuring jug.
It’s a preparation detail rather than a finished drink, so the exact mixture isn’t clear.
For your own tea latte, you could use a frother with a suitable milk or milk alternative.
red hibiscus refresher
I am obsessed with this red color. The hibiscus refresher pictured here has large ice cubes and dark blackberries floating near the top.
Try a tall clear glass if you want that same simple presentation. The fruit and color really don’t need much else.
foamy iced matcha
This iced matcha may just have my favorite foam topping on the list. The pale green bubbles rise above the rim, with ice visible throughout the drink.
If you’re saving ideas for your next matcha latte, keep this one for its generous foam rather than extra garnishes.
citrus and whole spices
There is so much to love in this Polish winter tea picture. Citrus rounds, red berries and star anise fill the round teapot, with a cinnamon stick near the top.
I especially love how you can see the slices through the sides. A clear, heat-safe teapot would be a lovely way to serve your own citrus tea.
tea for a crowd
Planning a tea table for more than a couple of people? This picture takes things up a size with a large dispenser and a tap at the bottom.
Amber tea is being poured in, with lemons set beside it.
For your own setup, use a dispenser suited to the serving temperature. I’d put lemon slices in a separate dish so everyone can add their own.
loose leaves and a simple cup
This is a lovely change from the fruit-filled glasses. A large jar of dried leaves sits behind a plain white cup, with two small ingredient bowls in front.
The exact blend isn’t clear from the picture. If you store your own tea this way, add a label with the ingredients so you don’t have to guess later.
lavender and chamomile on ice
Who says an evening tea idea has to come in a mug? This lavender-and-chamomile tea is pictured in a tall glass with ice and a leafy green garnish.
I love the golden color. Save this serving idea if you’d rather have your herbal tea chilled.
apple pieces and mint leaves
If you love lots of fruit in your drink, then this one is for you. Red-skinned apple pieces fill the jug, with large mint leaves gathered above them as water pours in.
For an apple-and-mint tea of your own, you could borrow this combination. Keep the pieces small enough to leave room for pouring.
bright orange Thai milk tea
This Thai milk tea is hard to miss! I love the bright orange drink against all those clear ice cubes.
There’s no fruit or elaborate topping here, just a tall glass filled right up.
Keep your own presentation simple if you want the color to stand out like this.
a tall iced tea tumbler
Want to take your tea with you? This tall tumbler has a white lid, a blue straw and a reddish drink packed with ice.
A box of lemon green tea sits beside it, though the picture doesn’t reveal the full drink mixture. I’d borrow the lidded-cup idea for a chilled tea at my desk.
strawberries and peach wedges
How cute is this fruit combination? Strawberry pieces sit near the bottom of the jar, with peach wedges and mint leaves above them.
This is another pretty garnish idea for your iced tea. Try leaving the peach skin on your wedges if you want those same red edges showing through the glass.
deep blue butterfly pea tea
I am obsessed with the blue in this butterfly pea flower tea. It looks almost purple through the middle, with a brighter blue edge near the bottom.
A small rounded glass lets you see all those shades. I’d keep the serving setup simple and let the color be the main detail.
slender jars of loose-leaf tea
These narrow lidded jars are such a pretty way to show different teas side by side. One drink is pale yellow while the others are deeper gold, with loose leaves visible in the left and middle jars.
If you’re comparing blends at home, label each container and follow the brewing instructions for that tea.
Earl Grey milk tea bottles
I love this Earl Grey milk tea presentation. The pale drink is being poured into little bottles, with dark amber ice cubes showing through the sides.
Try bottle-shaped glasses if you want something a little different from a regular tumbler. They look lovely as a matching pair.
a lemon-and-spice toddy idea
That lemon slice dotted with cloves is my favorite detail here. The image is labeled as a hot toddy, with a cinnamon stick in the golden drink and a honey drizzle above it.
It doesn’t tell us whether tea is part of the recipe.
For a tea-based variation of your own, you could borrow the lemon, honey and spice combination without adding alcohol.
citrus and rose tea blend
This homemade blend is so pretty before it even reaches a cup. The image identifies citrus, berries, apple and roses, with orange peel pieces and pink petals visible throughout the jar.
If you want to try blending tea, choose ingredients sold for food use and follow a tested blend recipe. A clear jar would show off the colors beautifully.
apple cinnamon scones on the side
Last but definitely not least, we have something to serve beside your tea rather than another drink. These apple cinnamon scones have golden, craggy edges and white icing spread over the tops.
I’d pair them with a simple cup of black tea. Keep this picture for your tea-time snack ideas, not as a tea recipe.
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