Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Shake It Up! How To Flash-Chill Your Tea




We're in the middle of a heat wave here in NYC, and iced tea has been on the menu for a few days. I usually have a cold-brew going in the fridge all summer long, but sometimes I get a craving for a particular tea iced and I don't have the patience to wait a few hours. That's where flash-chilling comes to the rescue! It's similar to brewing a tea hot at extra strength, and chilling it. But it's way more fun.

What You'll Need:
-Tea of your choice (either 1-2 large tea bags or 2 tbsp loose tea) and 10 ounces of water. I used Good & Proper Iced Hibiscus Tea With Rose Hip And Ginger for this post.
-Steeping vessel (I use a small teapot or even a large mug)
-Cocktail shaker or large durable jar with a tight-sealing lid (you will be shaking ice in there, so make sure it won't break)
-Ice


Step 1: brew about your tea as you normally would- I usually make it double strength, so about 2 tbsp of tea for 10 ounces of water. You don't want to put too much water in the cocktail shaker, as you want to fill it with lots of ice!

Step 2: Add 1 1/2 cup of ice to a cocktail shaker, and then pour in the tea.

Step 3: Shake! And Shake! And Shake! The more vigorously you shake, the more foam you'll create.

Step 4: Pour out the brew into a glass with some ice, making sure to get all of the foamy goodness. I've noticed it's easier to take off the entire top of the shaker to get all of the foam. Taking off just the little cap does not allow the foam to pour out as easily, at least with my cocktail shaker.

pouring with the cap on my shaker doesn't allow enough foam to come through

Tips:
I like to pour my tea into either tall iced tea glasses, or champagne coupe glasses. The coupe just makes things look a bit classier, don't you think?

You can garnish with fruit or herbs. I like to actually use edible leaves and flowers for a more unique look. I grow nasturtiums in my garden and both the leaves and flowers are edible. You can plan them from seeds and they with start growing within a couple of weeks. Flash-chilling tea is also a great way to make a tea cocktail. Just add your booze of choice before you shake it up.

hibiscus tea with nasturtium leaves

That's it! So now you know how to create delicious, elegant looked flash-chilled teas. You can customize them in all sorts of ways, and are a great way to serve iced tea to a crowd. I'd love to know what combinations you come up with, please feel free to share either in the comments, or on Instagram.

1 comment:

  1. I just found your blog via Good and Proper Tea's Instagram account. I'm already in love, because cocktail shaker for iced tea=BRILLIANT! Thanks for my anticipated afternoon treat.

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