Jul 19, 2019

Baby, It's Hot Outside!

What do you think of when you hear the word tea? Do you go down the steaming hot, snuggy fall/winter, cozy route? Perhaps sitting down to relax after a busy day? If you're not feeling 100% or can't sleep, do you opt for a peppermint or chamomile blend?

I love hot tea any time of year, I remember a blistering hot day when I was in Miami for a family reunion a couple of years ago. It was 104° and I was walking along the white, sandy beach holding a piping hot green tea!

I hear the "Why's!" and, "How could you?!", it sounds a little nuts I know, but I find hot tea cooling as it increases the internal thermostat and begins to balance the inside with the outside. There are various trains of thought and research (both for and against!) about this, but that's another blog entirely!

That being said, it's not always the right time for a hot tea type of day; however, throw a few cubes of ice in and boom, it's an iced tea kind of day!

On sunny days, whilst enjoying an injection of vitamin D, we've been playing about with our teas and herbal tisanes to find out which have the versatility to be served both hot and cold.

The first success was our tea of the month, Lemon Sunset. A delicious fruity decaf South African tea, (although it doesn't originate from the Camellia Sinensis plant, it is an official tea plant), this blend of rooibos and all things lemony is probably my favorite. Our guide is to use one heaped teaspoon per 8 oz of water, strength of flavor is your prerogative, so you can increase or decrease the amount to suit your preference.

I like mine fairly strong so I put two tablespoons of tea in a bag, added hot water and then dunked the bag for six minutes. I left it to cool for ten minutes and then popped a couple of handfuls of ice in. I was a little frugal with the amount of ice and the picture doesn't reflect the initial quantity as it melted fairly swiftly under the sun!

If you're after something a little more fruity, a combination that was absolutely fabulous was a ratio of 75/25 cloudy apple juice to the Lemon Sunset infusion. The lemon and apple were an alternative refreshing flavor combination.

So, it's as easy as that! Get brewing and share your favorite iced teas in the comments section!