Post 155

How To Make Iced Tea

The basic rule-of-thumb;  Using double the amount of tea compared to hot tea, is needed to make the brew strong enough to pour over ice.  For example, if you use 1 tea bag to prepare a cup of hot tea, you will need 2 tea bags (double). When steeped, then it is poured over the ice which dilutes to make a perfect cup of tea.  8 oz. of prepared tea is poured over 16 oz. of ice. This is the basic method. Variations of the strength of tea, or sweetening, are all individual.  Translation;

One 8 oz. iced tea serving

Tea Leaf

*A fine cut tea or tightly rolled leaf will measure just as described here.  You run into the variable when dealing with large leaf tea like Oolong or some of the long larger leaves like Sencha, Bancha and Dragonwell.  These larger leaf teas need to be increased about 1/3 on average.  The Weight may be the same, but the Volume is increased. Those of you who have a scale have the advantage.  I always recommend to purchase a scale if you are a serious tea drinker or use herbal medicine regularly.  Grams are simply the most accurate and teaspoons and ounces are not.  Let’s use some examples to make this easy;  If you generally use 2 tablespoons of a tight rolled leaf, such as a Jasmine Green Tea, China Green Chun Mee, you would likely need 3-4 tablespoons of an Oolong, or 3 tablespoons of long leaf like Sencha, Dragonwell or a Bancha.  Just look at the leaf style and adjust your measurement.  The Weight will remain constant but the Volume will vary. Make iced tea a couple of times and you will be an expert.

Herb Singles & Blends

**With Herb Teas, you may have to adjust these because of course, some herbs are mild and others are much stronger, and besides the Volume differences in measuring, you will need to adjust the amount you use;  such as compare chamomile to peppermint.  For strong teas like peppermint, reduce the measurement to your liking, instead of 2 tablespoons, you may want only 1 mounded tablespoon, possibly just 2 grams in Volume.  This adjustment is a personal option and rules can go out the window. It is perfectly ok to make your tea stronger as you want it, but for those who find it too much, just simply reduce the amount of a peppermint, spearmint (milder than peppermint naturally), ginger, etc.  Another difference is the texture of the plant.  Rooibos is an herb, or tisane, and it is caffeine-free just like mostly all herbs in general.  The cut however is fine compared to Chamomile which is lighter and has more volume.  You would use 2 tablespoons in our measurement of a Rooibos due to the cut, but then when you use Chamomile, you will probably need 4 tablespoons.  Again, the Weight remains constant for the most part, but the Volume must be altered. A scale just makes it easy.

Preparing For A Picnic or BBQ Gathering

Rule of Thumb:   1 ounce of tea leaf or herb tea prepares 1 gallon.  Always sweeten your tea if you are going to, while it is warm, whether sugar or honey.  Stevia, Whole Sweet Leaf, is steeped along with the herb or tea leaf and not added later.  Powdered Natural Sweeteners whether Stevia, Xyilitol, or Erythritol, are dissolved into tea when it is warm.

Making Tea Water

One of my favorite tea preparation prerequisites is to make what I have named “Tea Water”.  I prepare a lightly flavored volume of water, let’s say 1/2 gallon, using the Detox Fruit Teas, Ginger Root, or generally fruits, peppermint, lemon, or even cucumber.  These waters with dry ingredients like the Detox Fruit Teas- such as All Very Berry, keep for about 6 days in the fridge.  When you use fresh fruits, fresh herbs like peppermint, lemon slices or cucumber, you have a 2-3 day window when leaving them in the water.  Dry ingredients just don’t have the bacteria potential as do fresh.  Both are perfectly fine to use with a consideration of the days for preventing spoilage.

You can simmer fresh ginger slices into one-half to one gallon of filtered water on the stove for about 45 minutes covered.  Next strain, cool, and refrigerate for later use.  I call this Tea Water.  Using this prepared water, make tea. What this does is increase the underlying flavor infused into your tea and makes it very convenient for an anytime fast tea.  Such as, if you are dieting and drinking green tea every day as part of your program, using ginger increases your weight loss. The problem with dried ginger root is the time to extract out all of the flavor is much longer than the green tea leaf.  You can steep the ginger root over night on the counter top and it will be prepared in the morning for use.  You cannot steep it with the green tea leaf and capture the same flavor.  Why?  Because green tea leaf needs about 3-4 minutes to steep.  See the dilema?  This is how I started making Tea Water.  I do this with All Very Berry, Sinatra’s Blend, and all of the Fruit Teas.  I also make this with the Superfruit Powders.  Any flavor or nutrient you want, you can make with the Superfruit Powders.  We have Raspberry, Strawberry, Mango, Goji, on and on, any of these work great.  Here are the measurements I most commonly use.  I prepare these weak because, this is only an undertone to my finished product.  For medicine, make it stronger, such as ginger root for dieting.  All of this is highly individual so this is only a guide.

• Dried Fruit Blends  1 teaspoon for 1/2 gallon jar and up to 1 tablespoon for 1 gallon.  Cook into the water with a 45 minute covered simmer, then strain.  Or bring water to a boil and pour over the fruit, cover and leave until the morning.  Reheat if using the overnight method, mix and strain into a clean container. Cool and refrigerate. Whichever way you make this, it is good for about 6 days. You can still add fresh fruit to your tea, such as lemon, just do so when serving the tea rather than part of the mix.  This gives you the longest refrigerated shelf life.
• Superfruit Powders  Same measurements as the Dried Fruit.  1 oz. of Superfruit Powder is equivalent to approximately 2 1/2 pounds of fresh food.  1 oz. has approximately 6 teaspoons.  1 teaspoon of powder translates to about 4 oz. or 1/4 pound of fresh fruit in your Tea Water. 1 Teaspoon of these powders will flavor about 1/2 gallon of water. This is the same measurement used for secondary fermentation when making Kombucha. Superfruit powder is a great detox water you can drink throughout the day and makes perfect tea water for preparing a flavored tea leaf.
• Fresh Fruits, Cucumber, Fresh Herbs  I generally use about 1/2 cup of fresh fruits to 1/2 gallon of filtered water.  I prepare this the night before and cold steep it in the fridge.  If I plan to drink the entire amount I have prepared the next day, I will add the tea leaf or herb leaf at the same time.  I pour COLD water over these and just place them in the fridge.  Fruit waters can be heated and then cooled for more flavor.  To this you can add cold water and your tea leaf or herb leaf, then refrigerate until the next morning. These do not need to be strained the next day unless you want to.  When you are drinking this whole thing within one or two days, and keep it refrigerated, you have no concern for spoilage.

Enjoy the flexibility of making tea using the plain old, tried and true methods, or switch it up with fruits, fresh herbs, citrus slices and cucumber.  If you have never tried the Superfruit Powders or Dried Fruit Teas, you are in for a treat.  Making these beverages increases nutrition, cleanses the body, detoxifies the tissues, and helps with weight loss.  Tea really is just a delicious medicine of centuries.