Ever wondered what Tea is, where it comes from? How to serve the perfect hot drinks for the icy season? Hot tea drinks, like the stylish ones being poured these days in bars across Europe, are here to stay. Want to know more about this beverage? Perfect. Keep reading.The story of Tea goes way back. No one knows for sure but it's a good guess people have been enjoying tea for thousands of years. The "Leaf of Health" was perfected and made popular for the first time in India or China. By pouring hot water over leaves from the tea bush, those long ago pioneers hit upon something really good, which later came to be known as tea.
A fact that may surprise you: all types of tea come from the same type of plant -- Camellia Sinensis. They call it a tea bush. Actually it's a tree -- one that can grow as high as sixty feet -- but when it's cultivated it looks more like a bush. For practical reasons, tea bushes tend to be no more than two meters high. It should be easy to pick the leaves, which is often done by hand.
Its flowers look like those of the cherry tree -- white and pink. And the leaves are leathery, shiny, dark green. The Camellia sinensis likes a hot climate with a mean temperature of about 64° F (18° C) and thrives best where winters are mild.
Basically, there are three main tea categories: Green, Oolong and Black.
Green tea is unfermented. Before it popped up in Europe some centuries back, it was used as a medicine in the East. The press tends to make much of green tea's medicinal qualities, but it's actually true. Various scientific experiments have proven that green tea really is good for your health.
Black tea came later. Black tea is made by letting the leaves ferment -- a process that changes their character. They become darker and taste less astringent. Black tea is a versatile tea, and can be used as the basis of many great hot drinks.
And then there is Oolong, another sort of fermented tea. With Oolong the fermenting process comes to a halt before the leaves reach the same level of fermentation as black tea. That's why Oolong is often called semi-fermented. It's orange or red in color, depending on how fermented it is. The smoky, herbal aroma is perfect for drinks. Excellent with honey and fruit liquors.
So get to know all three types. At least one of them will probably be just your cup of tea.
ORANGE RUM RUNNER2 parts Cruzan Orange Rum
1 dash Cointreau
1 barspoon honey
Hot Green Oolong Tea (preferably from Taiwan)
Build the ingredients into a heatproof glass. Garnish with an orange peel. Serve with spicy food.
ABSOLUT 100 HONEY1 part ABSOLUT 100
1 dash lemon juice
Hot Earl Grey Tea
1 tsp. fresh honey
Pour in old-fashioned glass. Add a cinnamon stick.
BLUEBERRY TEA1 part Amaretto
1 part Grand Marnier
Hot Orange Flavored Tea
1 dash sugar syrup
Pour Amaretto and Grand Marnier in a brandy snifter. Add hot tea. Garnish with an orange peel.
The three drinks suggested above are just a few examples of what you can do with tea. I’m pretty sure you going to succeed with your own recipes, because the possibilities to mix drinks are almost endless with tea.
Now, if you manage to make 998 another recipes you have made 1001 Traditions with Tea! Enjoy!
