Oh my lordy! We have been cold brewing, icing and spritzing our Brewed By Belinda teas all over the place!
When most people think of tea, they usually think of a piping hot cuppa to warm your cockles on a cool day but tea is AMAZING iced and so refreshing in this summer heat. Many of the store bought iced teas have quite a whack of sugar so instead, take our beautiful natural blends with 100% organically grown ingredients and ice them yourself. It is a great way to stay hydrated and it is so good for you as tea has an absolute myriad of incredible health benefits.
As a general rule, you should used twice the amount of loose leaf tea when cold brewing or icing as you do when making hot tea. This will ensure a depth of flavour when it is poured over ice.
We are enjoying cold brewing our teas. This means instead of using hot water to brew the leaves and then cooling it down, we use cold water to brew. It is so easy as you simply pour spring or filtered cold water over the leaves, stir and pop it in the fridge overnight. You will notice that each tea blend will have a different flavour profile when brewed this way, which is exciting. Your blends are full of possibility! For example, when brewed hot, blends that include hibiscus can have quite a tartness but this is less evident when it is cold brewed.
An iced tea jug with an infuser basket (which we will be stocking soon) is ideal for quick and mess free removal of the leaves but if you don't have one, never fear, because you can simply brew your tea in a jug and strain off the leaves.
Feel free to play and experiment! Add fruit and herbs or a touch sugar syrup if you want a touch of sweetness. You can even make cocktails - the sky is the limit!
Here are 4 stellar iced tea ideas using our very own hand-blended 100% organic loose leaf blends...
Standing Ovation Spritzer
This is my new favourite thing in the world!
Our gold-medal-winning Standing Ovation blend features premium Pai Mu Tan white tea blended with organic red rose petals. It is a beautiful, pure, clarifying, delicate tea with subtle floral rose notes.
Place 8 generous teaspoons of Standing Ovation into a jug.
Pour 1 Litre of cold spring or filtered water over the leaves.
Stir to make sure all the leaves are wet and brewing in the water.
Place the jug in the fridge overnight.
The next day, strain off the leaves using a fine tea strainer.
Place a few cubes of ice in the bottom of a glass.
Half fill the glass with your cold brewed Standing Ovation tea.
Fill the remainder of the glass with mineral water and sprinkle with a few dried red rose petals.
Fancy As!
Makes 1L of iced tea (4 cups).
Jazz Hands Fruity Bonanza
This blushing berry beauty is amazing iced. We've been serving it up to friends and family ever summer for a couple of years now and everyone loves it.
Place 8 generous teaspoons of Jazz Hands into a jug.
Pour 1 Litre of cold spring or filtered water over the leaves.
Stir to make sure all the leaves are wet and brewing in the water.
Place the jug in the fridge overnight.
The next day, strain off the leaves using a fine tea strainer.
Add fresh passion fruit pulp, fresh strawberries and fresh mint to the jug (or anything you like!)
Place a few cubes of ice in the bottom of a glass and fill with your cold brewed Jazz Hands.
Fancy As!
Makes 1L of iced tea (4 cups).
A cool Stage Kiss
Our new Honeybush chai blend Stage Kiss is going off! As a hot brew it is wildly aromatic, balanced with a hint of vanilla and the malty Honeybush base. As a cold brew, mellow spiced notes emerge. So refreshing. This caffeine free masala chai is a winner blend that just keeps on giving!
Place 8 generous teaspoons of Stage Kiss into a jug.
Pour 1 Litre of cold spring or filtered water over the blend.
Stir to make sure all the leaves and spices are wet and brewing in the water.
Place the jug in the fridge overnight.
The next day, strain off the leaves and spices using a fine tea strainer.
Place a few cubes of ice in the bottom of a glass and fill with your cold brewed Stage Kiss
The hint of vanilla in the blend and the honey and malt notes of the Honeybush gives this brew a natural sweetness.
Fancy As!
Makes 1L of iced tea (4 cups).
This is your 5-Minute Call
You’re waiting in the wings and in fine form.
Thank goodness you drank this delicate, restorative green tea blend with hints of citrus, specially formulated to boost your immunity and mood. This may well be your best performance yet!
Place 8 generous teaspoons of 5-Minute Call into a jug.
Pour 1 Litre of cold spring or filtered water over the blend.
Stir to make sure all the leaves are wet and brewing in the water.
Place the jug in the fridge overnight.
The next day, strain off the leaves using a fine tea strainer.
Place a few cubes of ice in the bottom of a glass.
Half fill the glass with your cold brewed 5-Minute Call tea.
Fill the remainder of the glass with mineral water and add a wedge of fresh lemon.
Fancy As!
Makes 1L of iced tea (4 cups).
Try icing your Brewed By Belinda tea blends today!
Have so much fun.
B x
#whitetea #tea #teaspritzer #coldbrewtea #BrewedByBelinda #icedtea #greentea #standngovation #5MInuteCall #jazzhands