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A Guide To The Best Summer Iced Drinks

How have you been enjoying the weather? Here are some recipes for you to play around! Let’s make the best summer iced drinks and get over the heat of summer together.

At Camellia’s Tea House, we have experimented different flavour combinations and sampled new concoctions and have created a number of truly delicious summer drinks for you guys.

Generally, we cold brew the teas that we use for our ice drinks, as we have found that the brew has a sweeter, fuller flavour. Usually, iced drinks contain tonnes of added sugars, so cold brews are a great option for those of us trying to cut down. Cold brews also contain less caffeine and are much higher in anti-oxidants and vitamin C.

Cold brews need to steep for quite a while – we usually leave ours overnight – and as a result, new flavours develop, giving the teas extra depth. It is easy to combine different blends, and you can get creative and add other ingredients to the mix too. We have found that citrus fruits, berries and mint all make great additions.

Don’t forget to share with us your home-made iced tea by tagging @camellias_teahouse on social media!

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Very Berry Iced Tea
Having all your favorite berries in one cup!
Brewing Instruction:
1. Use 2 teaspoons of Very Berry Fruit Infusion per cup.
2. Brew with boiling water in 5 minutes.
3. Remove the infuser and fruit from the tea. Let the tea cool down in room temperature.
4. Stir in sugar/ honey.
5. Pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish with fresh berries.

macho-mango-shake-blog

Matcha Mango Smoothie
Energy Boost!
Blending Instruction:
Add all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
1. Use 1 teaspoon of Premium Matcha Powder per cup
2. 1/2 cup of milk
3. Half of the mango
4. Pinch of sea salt
5. Garnish with a slice of mango

Summer-Pineapple-Punch-8

Sparkling Summer Punch
Festive Drink!
Brewing Instruction:
1. Use 1 teaspoon of Peach Green Tea and 1 teaspoon of White Orange Tea per 6 ounces of water.
2. Steep green tea for 6 to 8 hours in the fridge.
3. Add lemon-lime soda or any sparkling fruit juice to each cup as preference.
4. Fill with ice and frozen fruits.

IcedGreenTeaMojito
Green Tea Mojito
Brewing Instruction:
1. Muddle the lime juice, mint, and sugar syrup together in a tall glass until the leaves bruise lightly and the flavors release.
2. Add ice until glass is about 3/4 full and then pour in rum and green tea.
3. Pour in cold-brew China Gunpowder Green Tea
4. Stir well and garnish with mint and lime.

DSC_9472

Lemongrass-Lime & Mint Cooler
Summer Detox
Brewing Instruction:
1. Use 1 teaspoon of Zest Tea and 1 teaspoon of Peppermint Herbal Infusion per cup.
2. Brew with boiling water in 5 minutes.
3. Remove the infuser and herb from the tea. Let the tea cool down in room temperature.
4. Add in lime/lemon juice.
5. Pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish with fresh mint leaves, lemongrass, and lemon slices.

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Apricot Cold-brew Tea
A Tropical Taste
Brewing Instruction:
1. Use 1 teaspoon of White Tea Apricot per 6 ounces of water.
2. Steep white tea for 6 to 8 hours in the fridge.
3. Serve the tea as is or with add-ins of your choice: fresh apricot/ peach.
4. The cold-brew tea will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for 3 to 5 days.

Iced Drinks

In was confirmed in the news this week that this May has been the hottest in the UK on record! It certainly makes a nice change from all that snow we were having a couple of months ago… How have you been coping with the heat? Here at the Tea House we have found the best way to manage is to drink copious quantities of ice tea! With so many infusions to choose from, we have enjoyed exploring different flavour combinations and sampling new concoctions and have created a number of truly delicious drinks for you guys.

Don’t worry, we still have the classics, such as iced coffee and iced matcha latte, but what we’re really excited about is the drinks we have developed through our teas, such as our blended ice chai latte, our green tea mojito, and our peach tea lemonade. We won’t be giving away the secret recipes here, but we can assure you they are absolutely delightful! Generally, we cold brew the teas that we use for our ice drinks, as we have found that the brew has a sweeter, fuller flavour. Usually, iced drinks contain tonnes of added sugars, so cold brews are a great option for those of us trying to cut down. Cold brews also contain a lot less caffeine, and are much higher in anti-oxidants and vitamin C.

Cold brews need to steep for quite a while – we usually leave ours overnight – and as a result, new flavours develop, giving the teas extra depth. Its easy to combine different blends, and you can get creative and add other ingredients to the mix too. We have found that citrus fruits, berries and mint all make great additions.

The other great thing about cold brews is that they make a great base for cocktails. We’re currently in the process of developing our cocktail menu, and you can be sure that cold brewed tea will make an appearance.

Drop in and cool off with us!

Summer Sun Iced Teas

Are you prepared for the summer?

Despite the recent wet weather that the UK is so famous for, it seems that things are about to change. It’s reported that Britain is in for the hottest summer and only weeks away from a flaming 100F/37C with tropical heatwaves driven by the “Spanish Pluming”. Before the panic sets in and people rush to buy electrical fans and other cooling mechanisms, we suggest that you stock up on plenty of tea leaves and ice and be prepared to be taken on an iced tea journey around the world. We believe there can be no better way to keep cool then drinking healthy and tasty iced teas.

Historically iced tea has not been widely consumed in the UK as the rest of Europe and the USA. In the UK it started to become more popular in recent years especially for those seeking healthier choices to carbonated cold beverages.

Tea drinking traditions was brought to the US in colonial times by British settlers. Afternoon tea became a weekly practice but rather than drinking hot tea Southerners preferred it cool to keep themselves refreshed in the hot piping heat. In the US iced tea makes up about 85% of all tea consumed and mainly consumed in Southern America. Apparently iced tea recipes go back to the 1870s when it was on sale mainly in hotels and railroad stations.

Iced tea is versatile and can be drunk sweetened or unsweetened, carbonated or non carbonated, blended with fruit and combined with alcohol to produce delicious cocktails. The ideas are endless and consumed worldwide according to the cultural traditions. For example in Brazil Mate is the most popular beverage and is drunk iced and sweetened with occasional flavouring. In Hong Kong strong black tea is brewed and served with simple syrup and lemon. India prefers iced tea with lemon and ginger whilst in Japan, green and oolong iced teas are more common. This usually comes unflavoured and unsweetened.

Health benefits of iced teas

The health benefit really depends on whether you prefer to have it sweetened or unsweetened. Having it slightly sweetened with honey or agave might be the best option if you have a sweet tooth. Iced teas offer a crisp, slightly astringent flavour which helps you to keep cool whilst replenishing your body’s fluid levels. Unsweetened iced tea contains a good source of manganese, helps increase your fluoride intake and provides beneficial flavonoids (which are antioxidants).   The body incorporates fluoride into the bones and teeth, and consuming fluoride fights tooth decay.   Antioxidants help against free radicals that can contribute to cancer, heart disease and clogged arteries.

To get you ready for the summer we have shared some our favourite simple iced tea recipes with you. Despite the predicted scorching sunny summer, we hope you keep cool and refreshed by trying out our recipes below.

 White Apricot Iced Tea

Ingredients:

5 teaspoons of  White Apricot loose leaf tea

5 mugs of 80 degrees hot water (before the boil)

Ice

Simple syrup or honey (optional)

Method:

Place the loose leaf tea in filter bags or a large stainless steel infuser. Place the infuser in a large heatproof glass pitcher. Pour hot water into the pitcher and let it steep for at least 8 minutes. Remove the infuser or filter bag (if using a filter bag then give it a good squeeze till the bag is drained of tea).

Refrigerate the tea until cool. To serve, fill iced tea glasses with ice and pour the tea over the ice. Sweeten with simple syrup or honey if desired.

Any teas can be used for this simple and basic recipe. Teas loved best from our collection are Lung Ching green tea, Chamomile tea, Cherry Blossom tea, Extravagant Earl Grey, Green Mint tea, Lemon Verbena tea, Mango tea, Rose Bud tea, Turkish Apple tea, Very Berry tea and Zest tea.

For a slight twist to the tea, fill ¾ glass with the ice tea and top up with lemonade.

Camellia’s Arabian Nights

Ingredients:

5 teaspoons of  loose leaf Rose Tea

Mixed berries (optional)

5 mugs of hot boiling water

Ice

For the syrup:

7 teaspoons of Very Berry Tea

1 cup water

1 cup white sugar

Method:

Place the Rose tea in a filter bag or a large stainless steel infuser. Place the infuser in a large heatproof glass pitcher. Pour hot water into the pitcher and let it steep for at least 8 minutes. Remove the infuser or filter bag (if using a filter bag then give it a good squeeze till the bag is drained of tea). Refrigerate the tea until cool.

To make the syrup, place Very Berry tea in a paper filter tea bag and put in a small cooking pan. Add the water and sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer till the sugar has dissolved. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Leave to cool. Once cooled discard the tea bag.

Fill half a glass with ice. Throw in a few mixed berries if desired. Pour in the rose tea and top with the syrup to taste.

Mother’s Day Celebrations

It goes without saying that being a mother is one of the toughest yet the most rewarding jobs out there.  Not a day should go by where we are not grateful for all the hard work and sacrifices mothers make for their families.  That’s why it’s important to use Mother’s Day to tell your mum you appreciate, respect and admire her.

In our opinion having one day to celebrate doesn’t seem like much time, given all the hard work which goes into being a mum.  Most families celebrate Mother’s Day with a lunch or dinner, but we thought of making it extra special by going the extra mile.  Simple creations can say and mean so much and that’s why we have come up with a couple of tea infused morning parfaits recipes for you to try.

For the Earl Grey parfait you will need to prepare your tea infused yogurt 4 days in advance but it will be well worth the effort!  For the recipes we have chosen peaches, oranges, banana and blackberries as our fruits (you can choose any seasonal fruit).  We love our Matcha tea powder and Extravagant Earl Grey tea and have chosen them for our tea parfait.

We hope you enjoy whisking up these wonderful recipes but more so seeing the delightful look on your mum’s face!

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Matcha Chia Parfait

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon Camellia’s Matcha tea powder
  • 1 cup whole milk (you can choose dairy free)
  • 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt (you can choose dairy free)
  • 6 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
  • 3 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 fresh ripe peach pureed or mashed
  • 1 banana mashed
  • 1 cup blackberries sliced in half

Method:

  1. Place the matcha in a medium glass bowl.
  2. Heat the milk in a small saucepan over low heat to 175F/80°C.
  3. Slowly pour in ¼ cup of the milk over the matcha powder whisking vigorously for 1 minute.
  4. When the matcha is completely dissolved, whisk in the remaining milk.  Let it cool 10-15 minutes.
  5. Whisk the yogurt into the matcha milk.  Stir in the maple syrup and chia seeds.
  6. Cover and refrigerate for 5 hours or overnight, until custardy.
  7. Mix the banana and peach mash.
  8. Layer bottom of each individual glass bowl or wine glass with the fruit mash, followed by the matcha yogurt.
  9. Top with sliced blackberries.

eg01Extravagant Earl Grey Parfait

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups plain whole milk yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons Camellia’s Extravagant Earl Grey tea
  • Tea filter bag
  • 2 peaches thinly sliced
  • 1 large orange cut into segments, with pips removed

Method:

  1. Pour yogurt into a glass jar.
  2. Place the tea in a paper filter bag and submerge into the yogurt.  Leave end of the filter bag hanging outside the jar.
  3. Seal the jar and refrigerate for up to 4 days.  The longer the infusion, stronger the flavour.
  4. Take the jar out everyday and give it a good stir.  When ready to use give the bag a good squeeze over the jar to extract all the tea liquid and give it a good mix.
  5. In a glass bowl layer in order: 1 tablespoon yogurt, sliced peaches, 1 tablespoon yogurt, sliced oranges.
  6. Finally decorate with a mixed layer of oranges and peaches.

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