Tea of the Week for May 4, 2020
Our weather here in the Pacific Northwest has been a little usual lately. That’s not a complaint, mind you, because I’m loving it. We had about a week or so of warm weather – where I needed my fan rather than my personal space heater – but since then, I’ve needed to put my fan away and bring out the heater again. As someone who prefers cold weather to hot – I’ve enjoyed this cold weather we’ve been experiencing throughout most of May. It’s been a little weird though, because usually by now, we’re wondering if we should be turning on the AC.
I tell you this because when it came time to put together my menu for May, I was planning on the weather being a lot warmer than it is. In other words, I was planning for iced tea weather. Not that you can’t enjoy iced tea all year round (I do!) but some teas taste better iced than others – while some teas taste better hot than others. I created this tea with iced tea in mind & let me tell you – it makes a heckuva iced tea!
It starts with a base of organic gunpowder green tea. Then I added coconut & freeze-dried mango bits.
When served hot, the flavor is distinctly coconut – with a hint of mango that hits toward the finish & lingers in the aftertaste. The mango develops as I continue to sip – the first few sips, there is very little mango but as you continue to sip the mango presents itself. By the time you reach mid-cup, the mango has arrived!
But when served iced, there is a beautiful medley of coconut & mango – with coconut being the star of the show & the mango playing a good, supporting character actor. A really lovely tropical tea. It’s organic, VEGAN & gluten free!
organic ingredients: green tea, coconut, mango & natural flavors
I am loving this tea! Even though the weather has not been as warm as I anticipated it being (again – not at all a complaint!), serving this one iced has been a real treat! It’s deliciously fruity – with that smooth, creamy taste of coconut & the sweet-tart notes of mango. So delightful!
to brew: use 2 1/2 grams of leaf & fruit to 12 ounces of very hot water (heated to 175°F) & steep for 2 minutes. strain & allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. enjoy!
As I said above, I prefer this one iced. You can brew this as you would a hot tea, allow it to cool completely & refrigerate – or you can cold brew it – I’ve been using about 10g of leaf to a quart of cold, freshly filtered water in a large pitcher – which I then stash in the refrigerator for a few hours. (I usually leave it steeping like this overnight.) strain the tea & enjoy!