37 replies to this topic

[heidih]

It is getting warm here in Los Angeles. I am kicking off this year's topic with black tea, Valencia orange and fresh ginger slices. Show us your pitchers and describe your brews as we enter summer in the Northern Hemi. Last year's topic, in case you need ideas, can be found here

[rod rock]

Wow that seems nice and refreshing! I actually always buy ice tea in store, but i will follow this topic to see something interesting i could start making for beautiful refreshing and healthy drink for this hot days. :)

[Jason Perlow]

There's a ton of fresh mint growing in our backyard. I intend to harvest it soon and make an herbal tea out of it. We do it every summer, tastes great over ice, mixed with black tea or just by itself.

[Katie Meadow]

I take a few lavender buds and make a lavender simple syrup which can be easily kept in the frig. I add a splash to iced black tea or to lemonade.

[Justin Pinkney]

I'm continuously hoping that the UK will give me good enough weather to warrant ice tea, not much luck so far though.

[Chris Hennes]

There's a ton of fresh mint growing in our backyard. I intend to harvest it soon and make an herbal tea out of it. We do it every summer, tastes great over ice, mixed with black tea or just by itself.

What's your strategy for this? Just mint and hot water?

[Jason Perlow]

There's a ton of fresh mint growing in our backyard. I intend to harvest it soon and make an herbal tea out of it. We do it every summer, tastes great over ice, mixed with black tea or just by itself.

What's your strategy for this? Just mint and hot water?

Just mint and hot water, yes. And any sweetener you want to add, along with black tea, if you want regular tea in it. Brew it up in a pot, pour it into a container to cool down, put it in the fridge when it reaches room temp.

[heidih]

I do pretty much the same with mint and with the pineapple sage (attached image). The latter makes a really soft floral brew. For a pitcher I put a few fistfuls in a bowl just to hold the foliage, pour over hot water to infuse for about 10 minutes, pour into pitcher and top off with cold water.

[Jason Perlow]

Just made up a fresh batch of mint iced tea. Just mint, hot water, and some stevia packets added to sweetness. Amazing over ice, especially on a blisteringly hot day like this in the NY metro area. Hit 99 today.

[Jason Perlow]

I do pretty much the same with mint and with the pineapple sage (attached image). The latter makes a really soft floral brew. For a pitcher I put a few fistfuls in a bowl just to hold the foliage, pour over hot water to infuse for about 10 minutes, pour into pitcher and top off with cold water.

What do you do with pineapple sage besides make a tissane with it? Does it have other culinary uses?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

What do you do with pineapple sage besides make a tissane with it? Does it have other culinary uses?

OMG, yes, as a flavouring on pineapple-stuffed drunken chicken!

[janeer]

I spent three horrid years in Nashville, but did come away with a huge appreciation for this "Picnic" iced tea. I like to make it about 8 hrs before serving and leave in the cinnamon. I sometimes sub unfiltered apple cider for some of the juice.

[Wholemeal Crank]

A friend recently suggested what turns out to be a very nice combination for an herbal iced tea: rooibos, hibiscus, and mint. Tart and refreshing when chilled. I prepared some as a hot infusion and chilled it overnight, very nice. But I made too much and the 2nd day version was not worth drinking.

[Jason Perlow]

Roasted Barley tea, called "Boricha" in Korean is actually drank hot during summer months. It has an interesting smoky flavor and is a good accompaniment to Asian food.

[Chris Hennes]

How is it chilled?

[Jason Perlow]

How is it chilled?

I've normally just seen it poured over large tumbler glasses with ice, at least at Korean restaurants in the NYC area.

[Jason Perlow]

Ah, I meant to say "Drank cold" in summer months. Missed the edit window. Yes, it's very good cold.

The tea is also referred to as "Mugicha" in Japanese culture. There's a eG Forums thread from 2004 where we talked about it at length.

Edited by Jason Perlow, 23 June 2012 - 10:14 AM.

[CKatCook]

Just made up a fresh batch of mint iced tea. Just mint, hot water, and some stevia packets added to sweetness. Amazing over ice, especially on a blisteringly hot day like this in the NY metro area. Hit 99 today.

I am betting that would be good with cucumber slices in it...

[Naftal]

My favorite teahouse (Goldfish Tea) makes large batches of Gunpowder green tea and Keemun B black tea, and uses them when people ask for iced tea.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Now that I'm getting some actual summery-type weather here, it's time to make Horchata the way that Lojanas intend it to be made: strong and cold! I'll post back with pictures; my tea caraffe is nothing much, but the contents!

[Wholemeal Crank]

What do you do with pineapple sage besides make a tissane with it? Does it have other culinary uses?

Can't believe I missed this the first time around. Pineapple sage is one of my favorite herbs to grow, for the beautiful plant, and for the tasty leaves and flowers. I use it mostly in desserts--it is stunning in pinapple sage poached pears, especially when I can top the whole with fresh blossoms; gives a wonderful twist to an apple pie or applesauce; lifts an almond from interesting to wow. I've also used it in some spring and summer 'refrigerator soups'--fresh vegetable soups made with whatever came home from the market. It works very well with rosemary in those.

And, since I'm finally home during a proper heat wave, drinking some more chilled tea. Broke out the glass infuser mugs for the first time in while, dropped in a spoonful of some cheap sencha (I bought some of this in a local shop and found it was ok chilled but not so good hot), added cool water, and put in the fridge. The infuser mugs have glass filter inserts that clog too easily for me to enjoy regularly using them for hot tea, but they're just right for this use:


Chilled tea by debunix, on Flickr

Edited by Wholemeal Crank, 12 August 2012 - 08:12 AM.

[heidih]

Market had Tazo Passion Tea bags on sale so I snagged some. This is the passion tea that Starbucks sells as one of their iced tea selections. It is refreshing in a tart way but also has spicy undertones. The ingredients list is: hibiscusflowers, natural tropical flavors, citric acid, licorice root, orange peel, cinnamon, rose hips, lemongrass, and fruit juice extract for color. Why you would need more color using jamaica/hibiscus surprises me unless the quantity is very low. I have a source for good quality jamaica in bulk. I think I will play with this general concept to create my own blend. I have citrus, rose hips, and lemongrass in the garden.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Bulk hibiscus is cheap in the local hispanic groceries. After the cooling sencha start to the day, it's been more cold brewing in the heat with some yellow tea plus a hibiscus blossom, very nice.

[sadistick]

Recently been really enjoying a handful of mint and a cinnamon stick w/ some local honey.

great combo!

[Wholemeal Crank]

Another cool-brewed tea day: started with a pot of sencha brewed hot, but quickly had to move to cool brews--including leaving the sencha with some cool water on it, as it wasn't quite done at the end of my short easy hot infusions. Then some more hibiscus/peppermint & hibiscus/sencha. It's hot enough today that I set the teas up in quart jars for the brewing, because one 10 oz cup at a time is not enough.

[Tony Boulton]

As a Brit married to a Texan and living here in the Lone Star State, iced tea was a culture shock to me when I first arrived over ten years ago. But being a "when in Rome do as the Romans do" type of bloke, I got used to it. I had to do so, as my dearly beloved is as passionate about iced tea as I have become over the years about coffee. She sends it back in restaurants if it is bad.

She insists we start with filtered water and she is now an addict for Tazo Black Shaken. They describe it as having "citrus notes" although they are inaudible to me. After it was made popular in Starbucks, she searched nation for 1 gallon bags and eventually found them online. Recently Tazo seemed to have changed policy and are now selling half-gallon bags in grocery stores at an even lower equivalent price.

I recommend it.

[Jaymes]

As a Brit married to a Texan and living here in the Lone Star State, iced tea was a culture shock to me when I first arrived over ten years ago. But being a "when in Rome do as the Romans do" type of bloke, I got used to it. I had to do so, as my dearly beloved is as passionate about iced tea as I have become over the years about coffee. She sends it back in restaurants if it is bad.

She insists we start with filtered water and she is now an addict for Tazo Black Shaken. They describe it as having "citrus notes" although they are inaudible to me. After it was made popular in Starbucks, she searched nation for 1 gallon bags and eventually found them online. Recently Tazo seemed to have changed policy and are now selling half-gallon bags in grocery stores at an even lower equivalent price.

I recommend it.

My theory about why most Brits find even the very notion of iced tea so repulsive is that they aren't thinking of iced tea in its proper perspective.

Now that you are a Texan (at least temporarily, anyway), you're quite familiar with days of the sort of blistering heat that all you want to do is to find yourself a cool shady spot and gulp down gallons of something in a glass so frosty that rivulets are racing one another down the wet sides. On those days, nobody wants a cup of any sort of steaming hot beverage, since they're already steaming hot themselves. Those are the iced tea days.

I'm not saying those days don't exist in England, although I personally have never encountered one and I think if they do exist, they're not the norm. So, when Brits are deciding what sort of hot beverage they want on a cool, damp, English day, they're comparing a comforting cup of hot tea with other hot beverages...coffee, cocoa, broth, hot toddy, etc. It does seem to have a great deal more to do with cozy comfort, rather than quenching any sort of thirst. The thought of a glass of cold tea instead (especially since many Brits put milk in their hot tea) is unappealing to the point of being darn near revolting. I get that.

Therefore, when trying to explain the charms of iced tea to a Brit, I've found I do much better when I compare a frosty glass of thirst-quenching iced tea with frosty glasses of other cold beverages, as in "Would you like some ice water, or perhaps a lemonade? Or, how about a nice tall glass of iced tea with a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint?"

Something just perfect on a hot Texas afternoon in the dog days of summer.

And I suspect that, after having spent a little time dealing with this sort of heat, even the Brits would agree.

Edited by Jaymes, 20 August 2012 - 02:56 PM.

[Tony Boulton]

My theory about why most Brits find even the very notion of iced tea so repulsive is that they aren't thinking of iced tea in its proper perspective.

Now that you are a Texan (at least temporarily, anyway), you're quite familiar with days of the sort of blistering heat that all you want to do is to find yourself a cool shady spot and gulp down gallons of something in a glass so frosty that rivulets are racing one another down the wet sides. On those days, nobody wants a cup of any sort of steaming hot beverage, since they're already steaming hot themselves. Those are the iced tea days.

I'm not saying those days don't exist in England, although I personally have never encountered one and I think if they do exist, they're not the norm. So, when Brits are deciding what sort of hot beverage they want on a cool, damp, English day, they're comparing a comforting cup of hot tea with other hot beverages...coffee, cocoa, broth, hot toddy, etc. It does seem to have a great deal more to do with cozy comfort, rather than quenching any sort of thirst. The thought of a glass of cold tea instead (especially since many Brits put milk in their hot tea) is unappealing to the point of being darn near revolting. I get that.

Therefore, when trying to explain the charms of iced tea to a Brit, I've found I do much better when I compare a frosty glass of thirst-quenching iced tea with frosty glasses of other cold beverages, as in "Would you like some ice water, or perhaps a lemonade? Or, how about a nice tall glass of iced tea with a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint?"

Something just perfect on a hot Texas afternoon in the dog days of summer.

And I suspect that, after having spent a little time dealing with this sort of heat, even the Brits would agree.

Nice theory and I do note the smiley at the foot of your post.

I got the concept of iced tea straight away. But then, I am well travelled having been on numerous round-the-world trips over the years.

I am unsure how many Brits you have met, on whom you base your theory, but I don't know one who finds iced tea "repulsive".

What you seem to miss is this. Iced drinks in Britain are familiar only to afficiandados of the likes of McDonalds or KFC. It is only there that the cup is filled with ice and topped up with liquid (which leaves me with the thought that I am being short-changed). Remember, too, that free refills are even more uncommon.

No, typically, I was always accustomed to the serving of water and lemonade (or carbonated beverages) accompanied by the inevitable question, "Would you like ice?". That is something rarely heard in Texas. But when it is answered in the affirmative in the UK it is followed by a gentle clink of one or two, maybe three if you are lucky, cubes of ice being spooned invidually into the glass.

Which reminds me of my favorite story of a stay in anhotel in London with my Texan wife years ago. I went to the bar and asked for a full English pint glass of ice to go with the pot of tea that had just been served to us. The young man looked at me very seriously and said, "If we do that we will have none left for the other customers". I pointed out that the establishment had an icemaking machine under the bar and that he should not panic.

It is raining in north Texas today and the temperature is struggling to get above 75. I think I will make a cuppa.

And by the way, I am not here in Texas temporarily, I am here until the Lord calls me home.

Edited by Tony Boulton, 21 August 2012 - 10:59 AM.

[Naftal]

Bulk hibiscus is cheap in the local hispanic groceries. After the cooling sencha start to the day, it's been more cold brewing in the heat with some yellow tea plus a hibiscus blossom, very nice.

I get bulk hibiscus at a hispanic store,too. I use it to make a straight hibiscus iced tea.

[Jaymes]

My theory about why most Brits find even the very notion of iced tea so repulsive is that they aren't thinking of iced tea in its proper perspective.

Now that you are a Texan (at least temporarily, anyway), you're quite familiar with days of the sort of blistering heat that all you want to do is to find yourself a cool shady spot and gulp down gallons of something in a glass so frosty that rivulets are racing one another down the wet sides. On those days, nobody wants a cup of any sort of steaming hot beverage, since they're already steaming hot themselves. Those are the iced tea days.

I'm not saying those days don't exist in England, although I personally have never encountered one and I think if they do exist, they're not the norm. So, when Brits are deciding what sort of hot beverage they want on a cool, damp, English day, they're comparing a comforting cup of hot tea with other hot beverages...coffee, cocoa, broth, hot toddy, etc. It does seem to have a great deal more to do with cozy comfort, rather than quenching any sort of thirst. The thought of a glass of cold tea instead (especially since many Brits put milk in their hot tea) is unappealing to the point of being darn near revolting. I get that.

Therefore, when trying to explain the charms of iced tea to a Brit, I've found I do much better when I compare a frosty glass of thirst-quenching iced tea with frosty glasses of other cold beverages, as in "Would you like some ice water, or perhaps a lemonade? Or, how about a nice tall glass of iced tea with a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint?"

Something just perfect on a hot Texas afternoon in the dog days of summer.

And I suspect that, after having spent a little time dealing with this sort of heat, even the Brits would agree.

Nice theory and I do note the smiley at the foot of your post.

I got the concept of iced tea straight away. But then, I am well travelled having been on numerous round-the-world trips over the years.

I am unsure how many Brits you have met, on whom you base your theory, but I don't know one who finds iced tea "repulsive".

A very, very great many, as it happens. Throughout my life.

Most notably, I suppose, beginning when I was a child and we lived in Europe and traveled extensively. And then in my early twenties when I moved by myself to Hong Kong, a place that in the late 60's was full of Brits, including my roommate, a young British secretary, and my boyfriend, an English lad that had gone out to the colonies and was working for P&O Shipping, and lived in a very nice large luxury flat paid for by P&O, along with several other single guys that also had "gone out" (and, by the way, threw the most wonderful parties). In fact, in those days, my social circle was made up almost entirely of Brits, along with a few Chinese, and one handsome Pakistani man that was a member of Interpol.

And then, back in the States, throughout the years, we entertained in our home scores of RAF exchange fighter pilots and their families, sometimes just for meals and parties and social events, but frequently for several weeks, while they waited for their household goods to arrive, and to find a house and get settled in.

Not to mention that in my 18 years as a travel agent, and 8 years owning my own travel agency, I often traveled to the UK just for vacation visits and work-related site inspections.

Even now, by sheer coincidence, the neighborhood here in Houston where I live is basically an enclave of British ex-pats working in the petroleum industry.

And countless times throughout the years I've heard Brits say some version of: "I don't know how you Yanks drink cold tea. It just sounds vile (disgusting, nasty, repugnant, revolting, repulsive, etc.)," often said with an accompanying facial expression to illustrate just how vile, disgusting, nasty, repugnant, revolting, repulsive, is even the very thought, and sometimes, even including what appears to be an involuntary shudder.

Of course, everyone is different, aren't they?

And I definitely did not mean to impugn your level of sophistication.

Clearly a fellow that has chosen to become a Texan is worldly, indeed.