How to Brew a Perfect Cup of Tea

The actual brewing of the liquid has as many variations as there are tea-drinkers. Yet, in 'The Book of Tea', one can find the prescription method for the best cup. A capacious teapot and a kettle are compulsory pre-requisites. The water must be boiled at the same time as the teapot is heated. It is unwise to heat is by swilling warm water around in it, as this would leave the inside of the teapot wet. That, the experts insist, should be perfectly dry. Place the teapot in an inch or so of hot water. You'll know that the inside bottom is warm enough when the exterior bottom becomes too hot to touch. Place inside the pot, as per the age-old rule, one teaspoonful for each drinker and one as a gift for the pot. The quantity is, of course, subject to preference and habituation. (Some substitute a dessert spoon for a teaspoon). Pour on boiling water from the kettle. Stir the infusion gently. Place the lid on the pot and leave it for five minutes. Then pour into cup or mug. If you take milk with your tea- no more than a minute amount to soften the impact of the tannin content. You may then add sugar. The concoction of the world is now at your disposal.

There is no end to the diversity of recipes for making your own chai. Chai recipes are like Italian minestrone soup - its always good but everyone's recipe is different. Brewing chai is fun and allows you to experiment until you get it 'just right' for your personal taste. We have collected recipes from around the world to help you in your quest for the perfect 'heavenly chai'.

Jasmine Tea Liqueur

Ingredients:
2 tsps of masala tea
1 pint, dark rum
1/2 cup, jasmine tea
1 cup, sugar syrup

Procedure:
Steep the tea in the rum for 24 hours, and remove.
Make the sugar syrup by boiling 1 cup of sugar in 1/2 cup of water.
When the syrup cools, add to the rum.
It's ready to drink immediately

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Casablanca Tea Punch

	Ingredients: 4 oz. of ice 8 oz. Green Tea 4 oz. tropical juice* 1 oz. passion fruit syrup Directions: Combine ice, iced tea, tropical juice and passion fruit syrup in a cocktail shaker or a jar with a lid. Shake until cold and frothy. Pour into a tall iced tea glass. Garnish as desired.
*Make your own tropical blend of juice with 1/3 pineapple juice, 2/3 orange juice and a splash of passion fruit syrup.

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Strawberry Iced Tea Fizz

Ingredients:
1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
5 cups boiling water
1 tsp orange pekoe tea
1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 quart chilled sparkling water
Ice cubes

Directions: In large bowl mix strawberries and sugar; set aside. In another bowl pour water over tea; steep for 5 minutes. Strain. cool tea to room temperature. Stir tea into strawberry mixture along with lemonade concentrate; chill. To serve, stir in water; ladle over ice cubes in a tall glasses. Serve with spoons.

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Hot Spiced Afternoon Tea

Ingredients:
4 pints water
1/2 level tsp. whole cloves
1/2 a stick of cinnamon
1 oz. Tea
4 oz. sugar
1/4 pint Orange Juice Or squash
Juice of 2 lemons
Cinnamon sticks to serve

Directions:
Add the spices to the water and bring it to boil. Pour into the tea and allow to brew for 5 minutes. Stir, strain add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the fruit juices. To reheat before serving (if necessary) place over a low heat-do not simmer or boil. Serve with cinnamon sticks.
Sufficient for 12 people.

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Tea Fruit Cup

Ingredients: 4 oz. sugar 2 pints water 1/4 pint strong fresh tea, strained 1/4 pint Fruit Syrup (e.g. rose hip) 1/4 pint orange squash 1/4 pint lemon squash 1/4 pint pineapple Squash 1 small bottle lemonade 12 fresh or canned cherries 2 bananas, sliced Ice

Directions:
Boil the sugar and 1/4 pint water together for 5 minutes. Add the cooled tea, the rest of the water, the fruit syrup and fruit squashes. Chill and when ready to serve add the other ingredients and the ice.
Sufficient for 12 people.

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Ginger - Green Tea Sparkler

Ingredients: 1 1/3 cups Green tea concentrate 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallised ginger 2 2/3 cups chilled ginger ale Ice cubes

Directions:
Combine ginger and tea concentrate while still hot and refrigerate for at least three hours. Strain and discard ginger. Pour concentrate and ginger ale into ice filled glasses. Makes 4 servings.

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Long Island Iced Tea

Ingredients:
4 Assam tea bags
4 cups of water
1½ cups of chilled syrup
2 teaspoons raspberry vinegar
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Directions
For the syrup:
1¼ cups of water
1 1/3 cup of sugar honey

To prepare the syrup:
In a saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring it continuously until sugar is completely dissolved. Let the syrup cool and chill, keeping it covered. Syrup may be made 2 weeks ahead and chilled. This makes about 2 cups.

To prepare the tea:
Put tea bags in a heatproof pitcher. Bring water to a boil and put in the tea bags. Steep tea for 5 minutes and remove the tea bags. Cool the tea and chill it for about an hour until cold. Stir in the syrup and vinegar. Squeeze lime wedges into tea and add wedges. Serve tea over ice in tall glasses.

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Tea Punch

Ingredients:
1/2 pint strong tea
6 oz. sugar
1/2 pint orange squash
4 tbsps. lemon juice
2 small bottles of ginger ale
1 large bottle lemonade
1 sliced orange


Directions
Put the hot tea in a bowl, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the orange squash and lemon juice and strain. Chill. Just before serving mix in the ginger ale, lemonade and orange slices.
Sufficient for 12 people.

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Kismis Delight

Ingredients:
Green or Black grapes, ice, honey, lemon juice.


Directions
Extract the juice from the grapes( preferably black). Fill a glass with ice and add the juice of the grapes and fill half the glass with it. Add a teaspoon each of honey and lemon juice. Add ice tea to this mixture and fill the glass to its brim. Stir well and add sugar(if required). Serve with fresh grapes( preferably green).
Sufficient for 12 people.

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Cocoa Tea

Ingredients:
Milk, ground clove, cinnamon, cardamom, cocoa, vanilla ice cream.

Directions Boil one teaspoon of tea in the teapot for five to seven minutes. Strain and add milk, ground clove, cinnamon, cardamom and cocoa. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Warm the tea cup/mug in advance. Add a dollop of vanilla ice-cream. Pour in the hot tea already prepared in the teapot. Add the cocoa powder as dust on the prepared tea. Serve with snacks on a hot afternoon. Sufficient for 12 people.

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Herbal Spiced Tea

Ingredients:
6 tsps of Herbal Tea
2 cups apple juice concentrate
2 oz. lemon juice concentrate
1 lemon
Makes 2 quarts(8 servings)

Directions:
Boil 6 tsps of Herbal Tea in 4 cups (32 oz.) of cold water, apple juice and lemon juice. Heat and serve warm in mugs. Garnish with lemon.

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Tea Snacks

Little teatime knick-knacks to liven up your evening brew.

Herbal Tea Mango Ice Cream

Ingredients:
4 tsps Pengaree tea
2/3 cup fresh, cold water
4 green mangoes (each mango should be very firm, hard)
2/3 cup sugar (a little extra sugar may be needed)
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons non-fat dry milk

Directions:
In a large saucepan bring water to a rapid boil; remove from heat. Immediately add tea. Steep for 5 to 6 minutes, strain the tea. Peel the mangoes while the tea is steeping. Cut the flesh away from the seeds, dice the fruit. Sprinkle sugar over the fruit. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the fruit is soft. Taste, add more sugar if necessary. Remove from heat. Mash fruit with a fork until a coarse puree is obtained; drain off excess liquid. Allow to cool. Whip heavy cream and dry milk in a bowl until stiff peaks form. Gently stir mango puree into the whipped cream. Spoon into a freezer-safe plastic container and freeze. Makes about 5 cups.

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Green Tea Dessert Sauce

Ingredients:

4 tsps Green Tea
1 cup fresh, cold water
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, in small pieces
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, well packed

Directions: In a small saucepan, bring water to a rapid boil; remove from heat. Add tea; let steep for 5 minutes. Strain. Add butter to the tea and heat over low heat until the butter is melted. Stir in sugar and brown sugar, mixing well. Bring just to a boil, stirring constantly. Allow to simmer for two minutes. Serve over ice cream, diced fresh fruit, or pound cake. (1 1/2 cups)

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Blueberry Bars

These summer pastries are guaranteed to turn your fingers blue. Serve them slightly chilled and, if using your fingers, with a large napkin.

Crust ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Blend all ingredients and press into an 8 or 9-inch square pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn golden.

Filling ingredients:
a cup sour cream
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions: Combine sour cream, egg, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Beat until smooth. Fold in blueberries. Pour into shell and bake at 400 degrees F. for 25 minutes. Topping ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter, softened 3 tablespoons flour 3 tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup sliced almonds Directions: Combine all ingredients. Sprinkle over pie and bake 10 additional minutes. Chill before serving.

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Tea Jelly

Ingredients:
2 lemons
1 pkt. lemon jelly
3/4 pint (approx.) freshly brewed tea,
Whipped cream to decorate

Directions:
Grate the skin of the lemons finely. Place the jelly in a measure and make up to 1 pint with freshly brewed tea. Stir until dissolved, then cool. When it is slightly thickened stir in the grated lemon peel and pour into a wet 1-pint mould or into individual moulds. Decorate with cream.

go to top Tea Ice Cream (for making 2 lbs. of tea ice cream) (a) Dry tea (with good flavour)  2 oz (b) Refined sugar                   1 lb (c) Arrowroot or cornflour        1 oz (d) Fresh milk                       2 lbs (e) Water                            10 oz

Directions:
1. Heat water and remove quickly from fire when boiling. Rinse out the teapot with hot water and put in tea leaves. Pour boiling water into the teapot. Infuse for 8 to10 minutes. Strain off infusion and keep aside.
2. Boil the milk. Next, blend the sugar with the arrowroot (or cornflour) thoroughly and add to the boiled milk. Let mixture simmer for about10 minutes and stir continuously to avoid lumps. Remove from fire, add tea infusion, stir and freeze.

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Cornish Tea-Cakes

Ingredients :
8 oz self-raising flour
4 oz lard or margarine
4 oz currants
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1 oz candied peel
2 ozs sugar
1/2 pt milk
(beaten egg to glaze)

Directions:
Rub the fat in the flour, then add the currants, sugar, peel and mixed spice. Add sufficient milk to make into a soft dough. Roll out to half an inch thickness and cut to shape with a round cutter. Brush with beaten egg to glaze and bake at about 350F for 10 to 15 minutes.
(Serves 4)

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