Iced Tea Recipe & Flavor

Since the advent of iced tea the popularity of the hot beverage has risen fourfold.  The beverage in time to come will challenge colas all over the Globe. The inclusion of fruity flavors has made tea cocktails readily acceptable to the non-tea-drinking populace.      

Iced Beverage

Most of the iced beverages are sugary and include fresh fruits which is a healthy addition. But many cold beverages are also flavored with fruity syrups. This cold beverage is prepared and then sent to the chiller. It is served in long glasses, canned, or sold in bottles. 

Mint Tea

The brew-making is a challenge for the foodies' ingenuity but the iced version offers many combinations. Making iced cocktails with premium and rare leaves would be an ideal party drink. These lifestyle drinks are served as accompaniments to various foods.   

Here is an Iced Tea Recipe 

Photo Courtesy: Wagh Bakri Tea Company 

Tealicious Masala Chai Tea Recipe

I remember coming across a masala chai packet in Ahmedabad where it is most popular. The Gujjus love tea and the only competitor is the ice cream not beer mind you. Gujarat is a dry state and the only way one can consume alcoholic drinks is through permits available for outsiders and for those on health grounds.  

Hence spiced tea is very popular. In Ahmadabad, tea is virtually Mary's Little Lamb as where ever you go the stalls are waiting for you. There are many stalls with small stools selling dark liquor along with butter buns and you name it.  Collegians, Majnoos, and Businessmen all look for these seats and while away their time in a meaning full or junk banter every day.   

Chai Thelas on the dusty desert roads...absolute fun.  

Anyway coming back to masala chai I discovered a few ingredients which suit my cup very well. 

Here goes 

Dry Ginger One Piece (Saunt)
Clove        ( 1 or 2)    

Few Peppercorns

One Almond 

One Pistachio 

One or Two Cardamom Pods 

Jaiphal Scrapings (Nutmeg) 

Cinnamon Powder in small quantity 

Licorice small quantity 

Add this in proportion as stated above and taste. I have been vague on proportions to cater to individual tastes. Try adding other suitable spices like saunf etc. 

You can add this to the brew and even milk for children. It is wonderful cough medicine as well. 

Expressing your taste through various popular tea recipes – give your tongue a unique flavor

Although the basic ingredients for making tasteful and vibrant tea will remain the same comprising of milk, sugar and leaves but what brings the difference is the process of preparing the brew. You might across different tastes of tea cup while visiting to your friend’s or relative’s home or even the nearby restaurant but taste will always differ. Yes, this is because of the differences in the preparation techniques.

Typical and primary recipe

You may like to prepare a cup of tea by adding some fresh green leaves into boiling water to make a extract which can be directly consumed. This is the most primary and typical way of preparing the brew, running since the oldest memorable time period. However, the taste and flavor may change colors owing to variations used.

Making dust tea

The basic concept which remains intact with making the hot beverage with the help of processed tea dust or leaves is that they will release the chemicals and other ingredients when they are brought in touch with the hot milk or water. Of course, milk will give a different taste, color and flavor to the liquid used and you can consume the extract in various ways.

Traditions of milk and sugar

Various people would like to add different proportions of sugar and milk so that classical touch can be given. No doubt, some of the people may not like to add milk rather they make tea with refined sugar only.

Boiling water and tea dust or leaves

At home, the brew is prepared with the help of tea dust or leaves poured into boiling water which is filtered to a clean cup or jar. After this, you can add some pure milk and appropriate amount of sugar to give the mixture a definite color, flavor and strength. However, when you add raw leaves into boiling water, you will have to boil it for some extra time.

In adding to the above mentioned procedures, dust can be directly mixed to the boiling milk after which sugar is added. Tea dust mixed here should be lesser in quantity as milk will try to absorb all the ingredients so that it tastes much better.

Retail chai shops recipes

While reaching at the nearby chai shops and canteens, you will find the tea being made in larger volumes and quantity which may be sufficient for 50-100 people falling in a group. Of course, the process of making tea comprising of heat source, pans and blends will differ so that each of them gives a unique flavor to your tongue. However, star hotels will prepare tea in smaller amount tailored to the taste and interest of the guest!

Preparing Hot Tea Brew With Green Leaves

Though a product of same plant, green tea varies form other forms of leaves. The difference arises from the amount of processing that is done. Green leaf originates from China where it is very popular. The preparation method also differs from regular brews and much more so from chai popular in India.

Cool Green Tea

The health benefits arise from preservation of antioxidants and other beneficial chemicals in the leaf. Excess processing in the black leaf perhaps breaks these chemicals down during fermentation. Nevertheless the hot beverage is a wonderful drink even if consumed as cold.  


Read How Green Tea in Made

More on Fizzy Tangy Cocktails

Enough said about Tea Cocktails with alcohol base now some recipes.

Eastern Spice

Asian Tea Cocktails are mix of various spices, herbs and exotic liquor in this case Gin. The two new gin’s used here are recently introduced lemongrass and black peppercorns. The flavors complements Ku De Ta’s Oolong tea other ingredients are chili umeshu shaken, strained and served in a martini glass.

All Japanese: The Midnight Sencha

This tea concoction is a  classic Whisky Sour with a touch of Japanese flavour. The addition of Sencha syrup made with addition of wooded spice and Grand Marnier create a wonderful flavor. The concoction  is mixed with bitters, egg white and Yuzu juice. Glenmorangie 10yrs is the base and  garnished used is Momji — a  maple leaf from Japan.

White Tea Martini at BarKode

The White Tea Martini  comprises of  Earl Grey the primary tea flavor comes from Martini Rosso and  TWG’s white tea. A subtle hint of  coriander and  Tanqueray 10 base and freshly squeezed lemon. You can consume glasses of this wonder brew.







Source

Tea Recipe: Steeping

The vast and varied World of Tea has its own characteristic brewing style. While the chai wallahs in India boil the brew over and over the tea brewing elsewhere could be a subtle affair. What type of leaves people prefer also differs? In some cultures green leaf is part of lifestyle while others may prefer the strong astringent flavor of the black leaf.   

One way of making the hot beverage is steeping. In this case the water is brought to boil and then transferred to the pot.  The leaves are then immersed in a loose form. They are kept in the hot water for few minutes before the brew is poured through the stainer for drinking. Similar immersion could be carried out after the water has cooled down. This way the lead does not get cooked and the flavor obtained differs.  Ice tea could also be prepared in this manner.

During this process the flavors and nutrients dissolve in the water. The method usually delivers a subtle flavor and the green leaf is most popularly used. The temperature varies and depends upon which tea leaf is used. Oolong, White, Green or Black tea. The steeping time also makes a difference in taste. If the leaves are kept for a longer time tannins are released in the water making the brew taste bitter. 

   

Indian Tea: Make your own brew

Tea like elsewhere is brewed in various manner in India. The most popular is the black leaf from Assam and Nilgiri. Black and green tea from Darjeeling are of premium variety consumed by connoisseurs and the upper class.   

Black tea brew is less popular in India but is consumed by many whence milk is a difficult commodity. The chai is popular all over India and is brewed with addition of cow, buffalo and goats milk. In rural India sugary brew is much preferred as a tradition. 

Masses like plain and simple chai without any addition, milk being an exception. But in winters some other forms of tea are consumed. 

My best combination is shreds of ginger and cardamom added to the boiling liqueur. This is a wonderful mix and gives relief from cold and indigestion as well. Some consumers add a dash of lemon to black tea. Another good addition to the brew is cinnamon. If you add in right quantity the flavor and aroma is magnificent

Some health conscious drinkers add lemon grass especially to ward of cold and bad throat. For me ginger does this job well. There are various mix of masalas available in packets all over the country. Some of these are fine blends and add to the taste of the brew.    

Many with subtle taste add varying quantity of milk in black tea. I like chai this way it is mostly available in cafe, restaurants and Indian Railways. Read more on Chai Tea in India.  

Indian chai tea

Although tea is not unique to India since it is drunk all over the world now..well almost. Indian chai comes in mind boggling flavors and is sold at roadside dhaba to five star tea rooms. But the ubiquitous chai wala justifies this name of the hot beverage. The recipe and method of making the tea beverage differs from person to person and place to place.

Tea makers have devised their on concoction of masalas or spices to add as flavoring. Such teas are known as masala chai in India and spice tea all over the world.

The masala chai is added to the black tea leaf mostly and rarely to the green tea beverage. But aromatic herbs as spearmint, mint and also lime is added to both black and green tea beverages. Even chocolate and vanilla flavors are added to the hot beverage but very rarely in India.

It is the simple recipe that finds popularity with the chai walas though the tea leaf may be often of different variety and brands.

Enjoying Green Tea

Best way green tea can be had is plain dark with little sugar and a dash of lime. The secret of enjoying green tea is to buy the right kind of leaf. I like Darjeeling green leaf the best though Darjeeling black leaf is no less aromatic and flavorful.

Darjeeling leaves carry a unique aroma and flavor though the aroma is strong and fills the whole room the flavor is subtle and tends to be on the sweeter side unlike that of the black teas from Assam which are a bit bitter in taste.

Another way to enjoy green tea is with milk and sugar and add some spices like ginger and cardamom. For more exotic taste add cinnamon powder. I find lemon grass tea yuck! But it has immense health benefits especially when you are down with cold and a bad throat.

Some people add garam masala or a mixture of spices to green tea in India but I believe this concoction suits the black variety more than it suits the green tea beverage. Never the less spice tea is common in India and who like to add what is his or her business after it is your cup of tea or Chai as they call it in India.

Green tea or black tea?

What do you do when you drink hot beverage for taste and health both? This is if you are drinking black tea and want to switch over to green for health benefits. Well both are healthy and both are fragrant and full of flavor. The difference is green leaf imparts a muscatel taste and light flavor to your taste buds whereas black leaf delivers strong aromatic taste and aroma. If you are hooked on to any one type of flavor you are not going to enjoy the other…well most likely.

There is a clear cut answer do what I do. Mix both i.e. more of green and little less of black tea. You can change proportion according to your preference in your recipe as per the taste and flavor you prefer. Believe me the result is wonderful …and the advantage …you are getting health benefit from both type of leaves.

Green tea is rich in antioxidants and poly phenols while black tea has many other healthy chemicals that help fight disease. The different arises from the way both are processed which is differently. Thus both contain healthy chemicals in different proportion and of different types to put it in a layman’s language.

Buy green leaf and black leaf as loose or dip both black tea bag and green tea bags if you use this packing for making the brew.

Enjoy the best of the both tea worlds.

Green Tea Recipe

If you add milk and sugar to a green tea recipe you are making tea the India way. Indians almost always drink organic green tea with milk and sugar. Some add cinnamon, cardamom and often ginger shreds. These are the three most popular extracts that tea lovers in India add to tea recipe.

Tea is an inseparable part of food consumption in Indian families and the above recipe is standard household way of consuming chai tea. But there are families who are specialist tea drinkers and they have evolved tea recipes of their own of which you come know only when you visit their homes. I have had experience of drinking tea in one home the taste of which I admired like anything. Only secret that I could extract of them was that they had added cinnamon powder in the tea brew. But I knew there were much more masalas in the tea that I was relishing sip after sip.

Black tea without milk may be consumed in some remote inaccessible cold regions of Indian sub continent. In spite of the basic habit of tea drinking in India. There are subtle nuances in the tea flavor depending upon tea blend and variations in taste of milk and even sugar. Hence tea in India is as diverse as India itself is. And for each family that comes up with its own unique recipe one should respect and regard their ingenuity and asking for their recipe is inappropriate, until unless they reveal it to you.

Just learn to sip that wonderful liqueur man!

Tea

Popularity of tea all over the world is growing day by day not only for its health benefits but also for the splendid taste that coffee tea carries. The art of tea drinking is engraved in many recipes that are popular all over the world.

The English introduced hot tea beverage in India although the tea plant was native to India, China and many Asian countries। The way tea is consumed in India, China and Japan varies from the way tea drink is consumed in English tea rooms and garden parties।

The hot tea recipe is often simple if you are not adding any exotic spices to the mix. In India ground spices as cardamom, cinnamon and shreds of ginger are more popular additives to the tea recipe when other masalas or spices are added it becomes spice tea or masala chai as is popular in India.

The addition of mint or spearmint, chamomile and other flavors may appeal to a particular segment of tea lovers but in my opinion black and green tea are best had with milk and sugar or for black tea lovers without milk.

Spices or other tea extracts or additives have their own benefits, but the latter rules. For the newbie tea drink lover extra flavoring helps but as he specializes in the art of making tea he develops a taste for tea as brewed plain to get the full benefit of tea leaf.

Green Tea

The finest green tea come from Assam State and Darjeeling district of West Bengal. The healthy organic green tea grown without using chemicals is best preferred for health. It contains beneficial anti oxidants that curb and cure many disease.

Organic and green tea are available in tea bags and loose leaf cartons. You canbuy online the finest teas for your consumption of the taste ful brew. No wonder it is referred to as the cup that cheers. The Assam tea is very popular both the green and black teas and their organice form.

The certified Darjeelin tea is king of teas with sweet fruity flavour with a touch of herbal green. It is more popular among premium tea lovers and in English tea rooms. They are priced higher then black and green teas from other states of India.

They can be consumed with spices these recipe are called masala chai and much preferred by tea lovers all over the world. These spice teas help one for health benefit as well as impart strong pleasant flavors. Masala tea or spice tea are available online as well and you can buy in tea bag or cartons as you please.