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Tea is a great alternative to water. A cup of tea is almost calorie free, but only if you don’t add any condiments. Not only you don’t need to worry about calories, but tea may actually help reduce the caloric intake from sugars and fats [1]. However, if you drink your tea as latte, or add only a splash of milk, it will provide additional calories. So how many calories in tea with milk can you expect?

Are there any calories in tea?

Try searching for how many calories Camellia sinensis tea has, and you will probably find that it contains one or two calories. A serving of matcha may contain a couple more, but even that’s negligible.

With any real pure tea (white, yellow, green, oolong, black or dark), if you don’t add condiments, you don’t need to worry about calories. Even if you would drink a whole tin of matcha powder in a day (do not try this), you would still get less calories than from a can of average 12 oz soft drink.

What makes tea richer in calories are the condiments – milk, sugar, honey, creamer, syrups or fruits. Some of them, such as lemon, will add only a few calories, and others much more, for example honey.

How many calories in tea with milk

Let’s say an average cup of black tea has 2 calories and 100 ml of a whole milk with 3.5% fat has around 70 calories. On the other hand, skimmed milk has around 40 calories per 100 ml, and plant-based milks usually have around 40-50 calories per 100 ml. Unsweetened milk alternatives may have lower than 15 calories per 100 ml.

Read more - The most popular types of milk for tea

Calories in tea with milk

To make a cup of tea with milk, you will use only a splash – 5-7 ml. This means you will add only 5 calories to your tea if you choose whole milk. With skimmed milk, you will add less than 3 calories, same as with most plant-based alternatives. Undoubtedly, a cup of black tea with full fat milk will taste much better than a cup of tea with skimmed milk. With a difference of only 2 calories, using a whole milk for making regular tea with milk is a very guilt free choice. But keep in mind, only if you add a splash.

Calories in tea latte

Tea latte is usually made with at least 50-100 ml of milk, but some lattes can be made with more milk than water. And that’s where the choice of milk will make a difference if you are conscious about calorie intake.

Let’s say you are making a large cup of tea latte with 150 ml of tea and 100 ml of milk. 100 ml of skimmed milk will add 40 calories to your tea, and whole milk will add 70. If you only drink tea lattes, 3 lattes with whole milk would contain 216 calories, and with skimmed milk 126 calories. However, to make the best latte, richer whole milk is a better choice. Barista milk alternatives will usually offer a great texture and foam, with fewer calories than regular sweetened milk alternatives or whole dairy milk.

Calories in Teh Tarik

Teh Tarik, a Malaysian milk tea, is unique because it’s made with condensed milk. Condensed milk will give a perfect texture to this tea, but it also contains more calories than regular milk. 100 grams of sweetened condensed milk will have over 300 calories. Unsweetened will probably to have less – around 120. Even though you only need to add a tablespoon of condensed milk to Teh Tarik, it will add at least 60-70 calories to your tea.

Calories in Boba Tea

Boba tea, a Taiwanese tea-based drink with tapioca pearls, ice and milk may contain different amount of milk – or no milk at all. On average, you will need about 40-50 ml of milk to make a regular classic boba tea. This will add 20-40 calories to your drink. But boba tea contains many other ingredients, so it may be higher in calories than other milk-based teas.

Find out more about Calories in Boba Tea.

Should you worry about calories from milk in tea?

If you are drinking a regular cup of black tea with milk, you don’t need to worry about calories. Whichever milk you choose, it will provide negligible calories. But if you love drinking lattes or different milk teas, the amount of tea you drink and the type of milk will make a difference. Keep in mind though, if you drink your tea with sugar or honey, they will add additional calories too.

Read more - Adding milk to tea - top reasons for and against

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Always consult with your medical practitioner when making health-related decisions.

Sources

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6099746/