Honey Cinnamon Latte

This honey cinnamon latte, or miel, is made with homemade honey simple syrup, espresso (or strong coffee) and steamed milk.

I'm a fan of small, local coffee shops.

Unlike at Starbucks, where I tend to order the same (boring?) unsweetened café latte, at small coffee shops I try to see if there's any specialty drinks that sound interesting.

And by interesting I mean, not too sweet. Or easily modified to make it less sweet.

One drink I've been seeing pop up fairly often is a honey cinnamon latte, also called a miel. I recently enjoyed a miel at Brevede Coffee Co in Lexington, Kentucky, as well as at Quills Coffee in Louisville.

I knew that I needed to start making my own honey cinnamon lattes at home!

Latte Basics

Technically, a latte is made with brewed espresso and steamed milk.

So if you want to make this at home in a by-the-book kind of way, that means you'll need a way to both brew espresso and steam milk.

We use a Delonghi Dedica espresso maker to brew espresso and steam milk. Friends of ours use a Nespresso Lattissima (a pod-style espresso maker), and it works perfectly with almost zero hands-on work.

If you're shopping for an espresso maker, check out our guide for our favorite small espresso machines.

Can I Use Coffee Instead of Espresso?

If you don't have an easy way to brew espresso at home, French Press coffee is a very good substitute.

We've even made a French Press cappuccino (or as I call it, a "faux-ppuccino", since it uses coffee, not espresso).

What Kind of Milk Should I Use for a Honey Cinnamon Latte?

We've always used dairy milk (2%) when making or drinking these lattes.

However, use whatever type of milk you normally use, dairy or non-dairy!

Just keep in mind that some milks (such as soy or nut milks) may have a stronger flavor than dairy or oat milk.

Can I Use Raw Honey?

You can; just keep in mind that you'll be heating the honey to make a syrup.

Heating raw honey may destroy some of the nutrients, so if that matters to you, use pasteurized honey instead.

How to Make a Honey Cinnamon Latte

Start by making a honey simple syrup. Simply add equal parts honey and water to a sauce pan, and heat until the honey dissolves.

Next, add some honey simple syrup to your coffee mug.

A one-half ounce of simple syrup is equal to one coffee shop "syrup pump". I prefer a "one-pump" latte, but add as much syrup as you prefer.

Next, brew the espresso into your mug.

I prefer a doppio (double) shot of espresso, but if you prefer a single, that's fine too!

Top the espresso with the warm, frothy milk.

You're almost done!

Finally, dust a little ground cinnamon over the steamed milk.

Take a sip of your honey cinnamon latte and enjoy your day!