Hello, and welcome! I am so happy to have you here to tell you about mugwort latte today. If you have heard about mugwort latte, you know a few things about Korean cuisine and trends. So I welcome you warmly, and you might love my blog as I have a lot of Korean cultural insights, travel posts, and recipes here.
Introduction to Mugwort Latte
What is Mugwort Latte?
Mugwort latte, called a ssuk latte in Korean (ssuk means mugwort), is a popular Korean latte made with mugwort. Mugwort is a type of herb that has an earthy fragrance, and it is used in many Korean dishes, both savory and sweet.
Korea is one of the countries with the largest number of cafes in the world and it has created many amazing latte and tea trends to capture many people’s tastes and preferences.
Mugwort, ssuk, is considered one of the healthy ingredients that old people like. Cheekily, they call it 할매입맛, which means granny’s taste! Hahaha. But don’t let that stop you from having a mugwort latte, because this latte is so delicious and healthy. Contrary to what people say about mugwort being an old taste, mugwort becomes so trendy when it is recreated into a latte! Therefore, mugwort lattes are served at trendy fancy cafes. Mugwort has regained its popularity among young people by turning into a latte. All the power to mugwort.
Must-Try Korean Latte Trends
Many trends were created in cafes in Korea. There are not only many cafes in Korea, including Korean dessert cafes, that serve traditional Korean desserts and drinks. I love visiting them when I’m in Korea. 🇰🇷
Both regular cafes and Korean dessert cafes serve traditional sweets and drinks, including those with modern tweaks and fusion styles. It has become very popular among young generations in Korea and around the world.
Some of the traditional Korean drinks include misugaru and yulmu-cha. I grew up drinking these drinks in Korea, like how European kids grow up drinking non-alcoholic mulled wine in the winter. All of these drinks are so great, either cold or warm. I can’t wait to share all of these recipes with you all, so you can try them at home without having to fly to Seoul every time you crave these sweet, gorgeous, satisfying drinks.
A Little about Mugwort
What is Mugwort in Korean Food?
You might have seen mugwort in Korean dishes or recipes. If you don’t have any experience tasting and smelling mugwort, let me try my best to explain it to you. 😊
Mugwort is an herb characterized by a distinctive aroma, quite similar to the sage herb. The look of mugwort leaves shares some similarities with sage as well, having a light greyish-green hue and a soft, slightly fluffy texture.
Belonging to the same botanical family as daisies, mugwort grows leaves that resemble those of daisies and emits a fragrance akin to daisy leaves. In Korea, various plants from the daisy family are commonly consumed: daisy flowers are brewed into tea, mugwort is used in rice cakes and soups, and glebionis coronaria is incorporated into stews. These plants typically have a slightly bitter taste accompanied by hints of daisy or sage fragrance.
I have a mugwort rice cake recipe on my blog if you are interested in Korean dessert that uses mugwort.
How Does Mugwort Taste Like?
Mugwort has an earthy smell similar to that of sage herbs or daisies and a slightly bitter taste.
You can think of a mugwort latte as a cousin to a matcha latte for its earthy, grassy, and slightly bitter taste.
If you are not very familiar with the mugwort flavor, then you can use a little bit just for the color and a hint of fragrance. Mugwort itself is a little bitter, but you will barely taste it when it’s in a mugwort latte. It’s pleasantly sweet and bitter, creating a beautiful flavor balance.
If you are not convinced enough to try mugwort because of the taste and smell, well, let me tell you about the health benefits you can get from mugwort!
Ingredients I Used for Mugwort Latte
1. Mugwort Powder
This is a high-quality mugwort powder from Korea that has a deep, dark green color and its signature mugwort smell. It contains 6.3 oz or 180 g of powder, which is a good amount for you to make lots of mugwort rice cakes and mugwort lattes from my recipes!
2. Condensed Oat Milk
NATURES CHARM Sweetened Condensed Oatmilk, 11.25 OZ
This is a can of sweetened condensed oat milk! It’s so perfect to make a quick latte with this, as it is condensed milk. Using condensed milk in a latte is a great idea if you like your coffee sweet, creamy, and rich.
Condensed milk is a concentrated form of milk that has been cooked down and sweetened, so it adds both flavor and texture to your latte. It also dissolves easily in hot or cold coffee, so you don’t have to worry about stirring or clumping. It also makes a better foam for your latte.
Personally, I love this condensed oat milk for delivering the taste and scent of mugwort so well. Also, the condensed oat milk doesn’t give any stomachache for a lactose-intolerant person like me.
Mugwort Latte Recipe | The Ultimate Guide to Korean Ssuk Latte
Ingredients
Method
- In a cup, add milk, condensed milk, and mugwort powder. Mix thoroughly.
- Take a glass and fill it up with ice. Pour the mugwort milk mixture. Mix it again with the ice to make it cold.
- In a pot, add the milk and the condensed milk. Heat it and remove it immediately from the heat once it starts to boil.
- Add mugwort powder to the pot and whisk it thoroughly.
- Optionally, you can make cream foam with additional condensed milk with a frother. You can use milk to make the foam with a milk frother.
- Pour the foam on top of your latte. Enjoy!
Tips to Mugwort Latte
1. Eat with Korean Desserts
A mugwort latte is an iconic Korean latte, so pairing it with a Korean dessert such as a rice cake is a great idea. If you want to go full-on mugwort, try it with mugwort rice cake or just some Korean rice cake like songpyeon or sweet potato rice cake.
Of course, you can pair it with a regular breakfast or brunch of your choice, like a blueberry pancake! Yummm.
2. Adjust the Condensed Milk Amount
Some like it sweeter, some like it thicker, and some like it sweeter and thicker. If you are one of them, use more condensed milk as you prefer. Condensed milk is a great way to easily adjust the sweetness and creaminess of a drink or dish.
Also, if you are using plant-based condensed milk like the one I suggested, then you will have no issue with stomachache from being lactose-intolerant. Whew!
3. Cold vs Hot Mugwort Latte
Like many other lattes or coffee drinks, you can serve it either cold or hot. I personally really like hot mugwort lattes in the winter (but maybe it’s because I live in Norway now and it is always cold) because the smell of mugwort is so calming and comforting.
If you want to make a cold mugwort latte, pour mugwort latte mix into a cup full of ice and serve.
Other Recipes with Mugwort
1. Mugwort Rice Cake 쑥절편
Adding mugwort to Korean rice cake is one of the most common ways to use mugwort in a recipe in Korea.
If you love mugwort, then try this mugwort rice cake recipe! This Korean traditional mugwort rice cake is easy to make and you can enjoy it in many different ways with the choice of dip. The most common one is either with honey or toasted sesame oil, and I recommend dipping the mugwort rice cake with some date syrup.
It’s so fragrant, sweet, and chewy! We love enjoying them by lightly heating them in a pan to get some crispiness.
2. Mugwort Soup 쑥국
Mugwort soup with fermented Korean bean paste, doenjang, is one of my favorite soups. Mugwort is available in the spring season, so this is a seasonal food that is only available in Korea during spring. This soup is more of a home-cooked meal and not usually sold in a restaurant so I always ask for this mugwort soup to my mom when I’m in Korea in the spring.
Mugwort Health Benefits
Interestingly enough, mugworts exist all over the world but in many places in the world it is considered as a weed and people don’t even recognize this plant.
But there is mugwort on the fields in Europe. I even picked some wild mugwort in the field in Norway.
1. Greens for Anti-Aging
Mugwort powder is often used in Korean dishes to give green colors to the food. It usually has a slightly deeper color than matcha powder.
The green pigments in green vegetables signify the chlorophyll content in plants and chlorophyll has countless health benefits when consumed by humans, as I wrote in a blog post about leafy greens list and why you need to eat more of them.
When we eat greens and get some sunlight, the chlorophyll in the greens activates CoQ10 generation in our bodies, which has a huge anti-aging effect on our bodies! It is incredible to think about. So how about you eat this mugwort latte and go for a little walk to get some CoQ10 generated in your body to get younger?
2. Anti-Bacterial
When applied topically on our skin, mugworts have strong anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory power to calm down our skin. It also has a calming effect on itchy skin.
Many K-beauty products contain mugwort extract for acne-prone skin, like this one.
Image Source: I’m From Korean Official Website
[I’m From] Mugwort Essence 5.4 Fl Oz | 100% Vegan Mugwort Extract
This hydrating and refreshing Korean essence toner made out of mugwort soothes sensitive and irritated skin. It is also good for redness relief. I also love the calm, toned-down golden color of the essence; it makes me feel like I’m dabbing some tea on my face.
Other Korean Latte Recipes
Here are other Korean latte recipes you might want to check out!
Korean Sweet Potato Latte (Goguma Latte) 고구마라떼
If you are a pumpkin spice latte lover, you might also fall in love with this sweet potato latte. With sweet potato puree, it is so creamy, nutty, and sweet. It can be made into many variations: sweet potato types, hot or cold, and with or without espresso.
Korean Black Sesame Latte Recipe | Healthy Protein Drink
This black sesame latte recipe is great for anyone looking for a healthy protein drink. Learn how to make this popular Korean latté with simple ingredients.
Strawberry Latte Recipe | Inspired by Starbucks Strawberry Latte
Inspired by the strawberry latté at Starbucks, this strawberry latte has a great harmony between strawberries and milk. Learn the strawberry latte recipe here.
Blueberry Latte Recipe | With Blueberry Cheong and Syrup
You can make blueberry latté with blueberry cheong and syrup. Or you can make some blueberry paste to make some delicious blueberry latté! Learn more.
Other Latte Recipes
Vanilla Matcha Latte Recipe | Japanese Matcha Drink Recipe
This vanilla matcha latte recipe is a beautiful green tea matcha drink recipe! You’ll fall in love with the earthy, round, slightly bitter, and sweet flavors.
Chai Latte with Pumpkin Spice | Easy Homemade Latte Recipe
Make this delicious, cozy, and festive chai latte with pumpkin spice! This recipe is easy to follow yet so comforting, sweet, and nice. Learn both iced and hot lattes.
My Thoughts on Mugwort Latte
I hope you enjoyed this blog post about the mugwort latte, one of the very interesting trendy Korean lattes!
Mugwort is a special herbal ingredient that is loved in Korea so I find the mugwort latte to be a very iconic Korean latte. If you are a matcha lover, I hope you try a mugwort latte too, because they are in the same green latte family 💚
I can’t wait to make this for my friends and family in Norway and give them a taste of Korea. Make this mugwort latte and let me know what you think of this recipe.
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