As the time to enjoy iced tea rolls around; with the summer season being upon us, let us explore the various spices and fruit flavors that you can add to your cup of tea. These tips and tricks can be modified for a hot cup as well as a cold glass of iced tea.
You can of course pick up the various flavored iced teas or tea bags from the super market, but then where is the fun of flavoring your own tea the way you like it? Also when you make it yourself you know that you haven’t added a number of preservatives / additives and artificial essences; rather you have used the ingredients of choice which impart real flavor and genuine taste.
Cinnamon Flavored Tea
Using two inch long sticks of cinnamon and 3 to 4 cloves, boil 2 cups of water until you can smell the spices and see the color of the water change a bit. Strain the spiced water. Then put tea leaves in a strainer and pour the still hot spiced water through the strainer, slowly into the cup/pot. Squeeze a few drops of lemon. Drink up!
If its iced tea you want, simply chill the concoction and then drink it. With this one you can do without sugar because the sweetish taste of the cinnamon will come through.
Pineapple Cherry Tea
Make this tea using tea bags, juice of two cans of maraschino cherries, pineapple juice and sugar. Use about six tea bags and steep in freshly boiled water. Add the cherry and pineapple juice and the sugar to the decoction. Use powdered sugar so it dissolves easily. Either drink it hot or chill to make iced tea with a lovely fruity flavor.
Grape and Lemon Tea
Use plenty of water (about a gallon) with about 6 tea bags (you can use regular black or green tea bags), about a cup of grape juice and a packet of lemonade drink mix (the non sweetened kind) for this recipe. Steep tea bags for about 10 minutes and then add the lemonade mixture, grape juice and sugar to taste. Again this can be had chilled or warm as you wish.
Instant Russian Tea
You can just mix up the ingredients and store them in an airtight container for use whenever the yen for tea strikes you. Take 1 cup orange flavored drink mix (Tang or similar), a cup of sugar, about two tablespoons of instant tea powder, about 3 tbsp lemon flavored instant tea powder, and half teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and ground cloves. Mix this up and use 3 teaspoons for each cup of tea you want to prepare.
