Monday, September 5, 2011

Lemon Verbena Mint Iced Tea


My daughter walked into the kitchen today and caught me taking pictures of my glass of iced tea. She already knows I'm crazy so it didn't really phase her, plus, she stopped questioning my madness a long time ago. Anyway...I hadn't planned to take pictures of my iced tea but when I tasted how delicious it was I thought I'd share. Iced tea is my drink of choice since replacing my Diet Pepsi habit which replaced my red wine habit years ago. I like to brew my own and experiment with different blends and flavorings. I keep a little planter of fresh herbs at my back porch and I decided to snip a few sprigs to infuse into my plain, old Lipton Tea. It was delicious, I tell ya!


Here's what I did:
In a medium saucepan bring approx. 1 quart of water to a simmer. Add 3 teabags of black tea (I used Lipton) and several large sprigs of fresh herbs (I used Lemon Verbena and Peppermint, awesome combo!). Remove from heat and let sit for about 5 minutes and then strain. I usually drink my iced tea unsweetened but decided to add touch of sugar to bring out the flavor of the herbs. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar until dissolved. Now here is my little trick which I think (I know) makes all the difference. Pour hot tea over a large (pint) glass filled with ice and THEN pour back and fourth several times between another glass until very frothy. (a martini shaker would work wonderfully!). This technique is referred to as "pulling" and is common in Malaysia, Singapore and Morocco. The "pulling" process helps to cool and mix the tea but it is also said to give the tea a better flavor. I heartily agree! The end result is a delicious, frothy, iced tea. Who knows, once you try it and fall under it's spell you might be found taking pictures of YOUR glass of frothy, delicious iced tea to share with others. See, there IS a method to my madness, there is! (Note: this recipe makes about 3 pint-sized iced teas)

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