You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Tea Enjoyment’ category.
Life in our modern times, with all of its labor-saving gadgets, is a busy one, sometimes even a whirlwind. Even so, every now and then we just seem to run out of things to do — our lives develop a bit of a vacuum. Why not fill that vacuum with a quiet tea moment?
Chef's Choice Electric 679 Glass Kettle
A vacuum is nothingness and something that nature abhors, according to Aristotle. When this vacuum is the gap in your day between things you have to do, such as getting up and getting dressed and, say, lunchtime, this, too, can be abhorrent. When that emptiness strikes your tummy and at the same time your teapot, this is really abhorrent. Quick thinking and actions, however, will save the day!
How to Have a Quick Tea Moment
Keep hot water on hand at all times. When I first met hubby, he always had hot water in a pot in the kitchen. At that time it was just to drink, not to use to steep tea. You, however, can use it for tea preparation at a moment’s notice. Now, I know there are those who think that the only good water for tea is that which is freshly heated to the proper steeping temperature. Some think that the water loses oxygen. I am of the mind that this is not chemically sensible, that water when heated does not necessarily lose oxygen in relation to hydrogen. So, there should be no problem with using water that is kept hot. That’s my theory, anyway. And it seems to be shared by some automatic brewer makers, where hot water is stored for instant use.
Keep your favorite tea nearby. If you use (ugh!) bagged teas, be sure to always have some teabags in an airtight container close by the hot water container. If you use loose teas, you will want to have a small container of it ready to keep the tea leaves fresh until you toss them into your teapot.
Keep that stash of tea time treats ready. Whether it’s cupcakes, pie, fresh fruit, carrot sticks, or some of those adorable finger sandwiches, having a ready-to-eat batch of them within snatching distance of the teapot saves time when diving into your tea moment.
Keep your tea time quiet. Speaking of vacuums, unplug yours for a little peace and quiet at tea time. You can suck the dirt and dust up out of those carpets later. And no mops or brooms or dusters either!
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Like this:
PG Tips travels well!
I am a traveller (you can tell this in part from the fact that I spell “traveller” the British way!). One of the biggest challenges when travelling (again, the British spelling!) is to maintain some normal routines so you do not feel too destabilised and completely surrounded by the unfamiliar. For me, an important routine is tea drinking. Apart from not wanting to settle for lesser or downright undrinkable tea, having my tea is important for maintaining a sense of familiarity and balance when on the road for an extended period of time.
The strategy that I choose for travelling with tea depends on how long I will be away:
1-3 days: I might just not bother bringing anything with me. Chances are I will have access to a decent brand of bagged tea, or I can seek out a tea room if I am really desperate. If I think both of these options are unlikely, I might throw a few PG Tips tea bags into my suitcase so that I can at least be assured of having my black tea in the morning.
Up to 2 weeks: This is too long to go without a guaranteed supply of good tea. While in many places it is possible to pick up some good quality loose tea, either from a tea shop or a specialty food store, in others it is not. Additionally, buying tea adds to the expenses of travel; when I have excellent tea at home that I have already spent money on I find it difficult to justify this extra expenditure. So my solution? I bring some loose tea with me!
Since a week or two is not such a long time, I’ll throw some of my favourite teas into Ziploc bags. While this is not a good option for storage in the long term, it is perfectly adequate for a short period of time. The bags are airtight, they do not take up a lot of space, and you will create more room in your suitcase as you use the tea up. I’ll also bring a tea ball, or a mug infuser with me to steep the tea.
Another option is to buy some tea filters and create some DIY teabags before leaving on your trip. This takes more preparation time, and it may irk those for whom steeping their tea loose is paramount. However, it can be more convenient for on the road, as you can just throw your ready-made tea bag into a cup or mug and skip the hassle of emptying and cleaning your infuser.
More than 2 weeks: This is when things really get serious. I know that I will be away long enough to really need the stability that my tea routines provide, and I am unlikely to find the exact teas that I prefer in my various locations. For trips this long, I select my cannot-do-without teas (usually 3-4) and put them in small travel sized tins to bring with me. This takes up a little more room in the suitcase, but ultimately is worth it because I have the teas that I want when I want them. I bring along an infuser (no teapots, sadly— that would be taking things a little too far!), or perhaps also a travel mug with an infuser, and I am all set.
With tea in bag and travel mug in hand, I am then ready to embark on my adventures, knowing that however unfamiliar and strange things get, I’ll be able to return to a familiar, comforting cup of tea.
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Like this:
A strange transformation has taken place in our house over the past few years, and it’s all due to tea! The change has been in two main areas: what we consume overall and what we talk about.
Fruit is now a regular part of our tea time!
What We Consume
Hubby and I grew up in a pretty typical fashion where not every food choice was made based on that item’s nutritional value. We drank soft drinks (colas/sodas) and ate salty, fatty snacks and other foods that were high in calories and low in nutrition, also known as “junk food.”
While some of this “junk food,” such as Twinkies and various crackers, are appropriate for tea time, hubby and I have found ourselves gravitating to foods with a bit more sustenance over mere sensory appeal. Fresh fruits tend to top the list, along with dairy (primarily cheeses) and some baked items such as fruit pies and scones served with clotted cream and fruit preserves.
The transition has been so natural and seamless that we have hardly noticed it. However, we seem to feel more spry and generally energetic. A true physical transformation!
What We Talk About
Normal daily chatter can range from your health, your children’s health, and the weather, to the latest “beef” with your boss, how well your favorite sports team did in their latest confrontation with a rival, and your thoughts on the latest “must see” movie. Hubby and I have certainly engaged in such exchanges in the past. But tea is transforming our conversation, even on this very basic level.
Tea pops up in conversation with friends, family, mere acquaintances, and total strangers. Statements just automatically spring forth from our mouths like this: “Hi, how are you today? What tea did you have with breakfast? We’re just finishing off some nice Kenyan.”
This transformation has proven not to be quite as positive as the first one. We have even noticed one or two people we know turn and head the other direction when they see us approach. Sigh! It usually goes that way when someone can’t resist discussing his/her favorite topic with all and sundry, whether they are interested or not.
We also end up enduring the almost automatic response we get from some people when they find out we like tea: “Oh, I just LOVE chamomile tea!” The phrase instantly makes me cringe. I have begun refraining from pointing out to them that chamomile is an herbal infusion since doing so leads to a much longer discussion than I care to have with the speaker. Also, like May King Tsang, I try to maintain a civil attitude in person and save my insistence on correct tea terminology when I write, tweet, and post on Facebook.
Be Transformed by Tea
The more you drink tea, the more likely you are to be transformed. Switching from drinking sodas and grabbing at “junk food” should be a positive for your life. The constant gabbing about tea, on the other hand, could be a negative side effect.
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Like this:
The more you learn about tea, the more likely you are to develop a split personali-TEA! And, no, we’re not talking about a high-calorie dessert made with bananas, ice cream, strawberries, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and maraschino cherries. But now that you mention it… uh, back to tea!
Cast iron teapot and sipping cups? Or Blue Betty and teacup and saucer? Let the tea decide!
Tea has a pretty strong cultural element. In the UK, for example, black tea is as much a part of life as coffee is in the U.S., and the Brits most often drink that tea with some milk and sugar (or other sweetener) added. In southern parts of the U.S.folks chug chilled or iced tea with tons of sugar added (known as “sweet tea” or “sweet ice tea”). I grew up drinking iced tea with lots of sugar in it (when we weren’t chugging Kool-Aid, sodas, and lemonade, that is).
As a young adult, I learned a different approach to tea. At the university, the many exchange students from Britain, India, and other countries where tea drinking is taken more seriously introduced me to taking tea “English style” (black tea served hot with milk and sugar added to mellow it) and to that most wonderful concoction called “masala chai” (just “chai” here in the U.S.). That tea habit is still with me. However, a new direction in tea enjoyment is beginning to come into play here: a more Asian approach.
I blame this on the green teas, white teas, pu-erhs, and oolongs I have had the pleasure of trying lately. Plus, learning about such things as bubble tea and Yixing teapots brings that extra dimension to one’s tea thinking. They are all pulling me away from that “English style” approach to tea — for a cupful or even a potful — and causing that split personali-TEA!
No, I’m not turning into Sybil and likely to start speaking in another voice and using another name. Nor will my head start spinning around and pea soup start spewing forth as it did in The Exorcist. However, as in The Three Faces of Eve, I must someone resolve the differences in tea preparation and approach into one total teaness or find myself in a constant internal struggle.
That struggle consists of whether to take a Western or Eastern approach at tea time. I am finding that the tea being served solves the issue. Tea time with Assam, Ceylon black, or Kenyan to me calls for that “English style,” both in how the tea is prepared and served but also in the treats served with that tea. Things like scones, buttered toast, iced cakes, and fruit tarts come to mind most naturally. But, when I get a craving for dragon well, genmaicha, Formosa oolong, or just about any other non-black tea, my brain does a 180. I start thinking multi-steep, small pot or even steeping just a cupful at a time. And of course the menu accompanying the tea also changes. Eggrolls, steamed pork dumplings, maybe even some sushi or Thai red curry seem most appropriate here.
Truly a delicious dilemma. I will continue to work on sorting this all out. Time to steep some tea and have some goodies with it. Yum!
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Like this:
Awhile back I wrote a quiz for serious tea drinkers. Then, a smart alecky tea drinker I am “friends” with on Facebook commented “What about us unserious tea drinkers?” (I’m paraphrasing since I can’t find the comment.) Steven, just for you and all the other unserious, smart alecky tea drinkers out there, I did my best to come up with appropriate items, but whacky items kept coming to mind instead, as shown here:
Sex Tea and Rock n Roll Tea Bags
1 A friend invites you over for some tea, so you:
a. Try to think up some puns and one-liners to spring on your host
b. Bring along a bunch of gag gift teabags (the “Sex, Tea, and Rock n Roll” set is my favorite)
c. Stop off at the magic shop on your way over to your friend’s house and buy some sneeze powder to sprinkle around at the opportune moment
d. Show up in a clown suit, carrying a horn that goes “ahooooooga!” and then blast it off every few minutes
2 The tea tasting event you’re attending is getting a bit boring, so you:
a. Do your Trevi fountain impression, using that mouthful of Ti Kuan Yin you were supposed to swish and spit out
b. Swap the cup that one of the other attendees is using with a dribble cup
c. Bet the other attendees that your can slurp louder than they can and then prove it
d. Use the empty teacups, turned upside down, for a game of “find the pea” like those scam artists on the streets ofNew York Cityand elsewhere
3 After walking from vendor to vendor at the tea expo, you’re tired and your head is spinning (along with your eyeballs) from all the choices you’ve seen, so you:
a. Find a place to sit and let your mind clear and your eyeballs return to a somewhat normal position while using your index finger to flip your lips up and down, going deebeedeebeedeebee!
b. Set down your bag of samples and purchases of teas and teawares, pull out several packages of tea, and start juggling them
c. Stand in a corner, set out a tin cup, and start singing “I’m a Little Teapot,” softly at first and gradually louder until passersby start tossing in coins
d. Go up to the expo organizer and beg for mercy — too much tea info!
4 You see a status update on Facebook from a true tea lover about the ins and outs of steeping tea, so you:
a. Make a remark about how good you are being to resist such an obvious opening for puns or ribaldry
b. Post a reply declaring that tea is more of an up and down proposition, especially for those who use teabags
c. Engage in some TEAsing
d. Post a bit of low-brow, even risqué humor (of the kind that cannot be repeated in respectable company)
5 You hear the customer ahead of you in line at the coffee bar asking the server for a “chai tea”, so you:
a. Ignore it since you’re tired of telling people that “chai” means tea so they are asking for “tea tea” and then trying hard to refrain from snickering (some things are beneath even the smart aleck in you)
b. Wonder why in the world you came to one of those coffee places to get a cup of tea anyway
c. Take a step backward from such an obviously insane person who does not know the proper tea term
d. Say “What the hey” and when your turn comes, you order the same thing
Well, how did you do? No matter if you answered “a,” “b,” “c,” or “d” to any of the above, you’re a truly whacky tea drinker and probably a smart alecky one, too!
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Like this:
Devonshire Tea, a fave mood stabilizer (I cut open the bags and dump the tea loose in the pot for steeping, though)
Your fave “Tea Princess” had a teensy weensy bit of a breakdown recently. No, I didn’t succumb to the screaming meemies, but I did struggle valiantly for over a week with a temperamental computer that finally died. Even expert assistance could not revive it. Sigh!
Somehow I made it through this trying and traumatic time, thanks to tea.
The whole breakdown started slowly, with the computer being balky and not wanting to boot up fully on the first try…or even the second…and then the third. After awhile, it would freeze up in the middle of a sentence. I’d type “The tea had a flavor that was…” and could go no further. The thought would have to be completed in my head and then written on a little piece of paper. Sometimes I would be looking things up online or trying to send out a tweet or post an item on Facebook about tea when this icy behavior would kick in.
Not the sort of thing that makes the day of a Tea Princess a very pleasant one. The solution: walk away and have some tea.
There is nothing — absolutely, positively nothing! — that isn’t more bearable when faced after steeping and savoring a pot of tea. From finding out that what you thought was wallpaper paste was wallpaper remover to getting a call from the podiatrist saying that you need to come in RIGHT NOW to get that thing on your toe attended to. (Don’t worry, my toes are fine; I’m just making a point here about the mellowing qualities of tea.)
I moseyed back upstairs to my office and checked on the progress of my “breakdown.” My cup ofAssamwith just the right splash of milk and the perfect touch of sweetener — actually, the second cupful — was in hand, and I sipped as I ascended to deal with whatever awaited.
To make a long story short, I switched to using a laptop running Windows XP and with a 35 GB hard drive. Email loaded at a snail’s pace. Going online was a virtual nightmare. The … page … lo…ad…ed … so … s…l…o…w…l…y…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz — oh, sorry, must have dozed off there. And my teacup is empty. Maybe if I get a refill, the page will be loaded up when I get back.
Enough is enough! This Tea Princess needs tea!
The malfunctioning computer was at the local repair shop (no way would I take it to those folks at the big box store), and the technician was valiantly administering the equivalent of CPR to it. Finally, the dreaded call came: “It’s dead!” Okay, time to find a replacement. But first, I stopped by the repair shop to retrieve data off of the hard drive. While there, the technician recommended something that was reasonably priced, not loaded up with a lot of software I didn’t need, and could run the software I needed. Off I went to the big box store to buy one. Back to the repair shop to get it set up and the data transferred. Then, home and a cup of tea. Phew!
Two days and countless pots of tea later, all was up and running and back to what I needed. First things first here: finish that sentence I started typing. “The tea had a flavor that was reminiscent of rays of sunshine gracing my head after a cold breeze had chilled it.”
Yes, the Tea Princess was back in business after her technological breakdown!
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Like this:
Foodies are folks who like to talk about, write about, blog about, and tweet about food. From restaurant reviews to original recipes, nothing related to food escapes their notice. One of the nicest, sweetest, and most creative foodies is Michelle Judd of Tasteasyougo.com, a food blog I have been practically glued to for awhile. She’s preparing for her wedding but still has time to post new recipes.
Michelle’s goal isn’t necessarily to come up with recipes that go with tea, but she often does just that. I have picked a baker’s dozen (13) of her recipes that seem especially appropriate for your tea time, and each month I’ll be selecting one of these recipes and pairing it with one tea. Some pairings will appear to be fairly traditional, while others will be a bit offbeat. All I can say is that, after reading my take on these, you might want to try out her recipe with some of the tea named and assess the pairing for yourself.
The recipe: Pomegranate Vanilla Scones with Pomegranate Whipped Cream
Pomegranate Vanilla Scones with Pomegranate Whipped Cream
Your first reaction here might be “Oh, gee, another scone recipe,” but you must trust me here — these are not your grandma’s scones. Inspired by a bottle of PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur and a jar of Singing Dog Vanilla Bean Paste lurking in her pantry, Michelle was inspired to create scones beyond not only the mediocre but beyond the scone stratosphere. Then, she took it a step further with a pomegranate whipped cream topping.
Hopefully, you can now see that these are no run-of-the-mill scones. Pairing them with just the right tea is, therefore, essential.
The tea: Japanese Sencha
Japanese Sencha
A number of teas came to mind, mainly ones more typical of a British tea time where scones are traditionally served. Scottish Breakfast, a blend of orthodox Assam and Keemun, is always a fave with hubby and me, since it takes milk well and goes great with just about any baked item. Straight CTC Assam was another option, with its malty goodness made better with milk and sweetener. A black Ceylon tea was also considered, with its raisiny quality mingling with the toasty qualities of typical tea time treats. Then it hit me: black tea is too expected here, too typical. Such a unique recipe calls for a unique pairing with tea. Time to think “green” — Japanese sencha green, that is. Light, smooth, and a touch grassy. Just the thing to go with these wonderful scones and, since sencha is more of a sipper than a gulper tea, you will probably end up slowing down when you eat the scones, too. That will spread out your tea time and make it more enjoyable.
Hope this works for you. Feel free to comment here with your experience, and watch for the next pairing to be posted in May.
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Like this:
Lapsang Souchong China black tea loose leaf
When visiting a new place, it can be hard not to become overwhelmed by the number of things there is to do and see. It is tiring to bounce from one thing to another, without a break, in an attempt to see as much as possible in your time there. My strategy for avoiding such a fate is simple: I break up my itinerary with a rejuvenating and refreshing cup of tea. This works particularly well in the UK because of the abundance of tea rooms that you can fortuitously come across (in the USA I usually have to plan out stops at tea rooms more consciously, or settle for a less than stellar cup of tea if I am really desperate). This was a strategy I applied wholeheartedly on my recent visit to Durham, England.
As often happens on my travels, in Durham I walked a lot—everywhere actually—and it was a chilly time of year. These two factors combined meant that regular tea stops were a must and, luckily for me, Durham has a number of nice offerings. Vennels Café was one that particularly stood out. Located in a 16th century courtyard accessed through a narrow alleyway, the café is tucked away from the main street, giving you the feeling of having stumbled on a well kept secret. The name of the café comes from its location, as “vennel” is the word for a small alleyway between two buildings.
Vennels Café in Durham, England
Vennels Café is particularly famous for their slices of cake (which I can confirm are delicious), but they also serve breakfast and lunch food. Most importantly though, they have some nice teas—both loose and bagged. First I had to ask which teas on the list were loose and which were bagged. Having eliminated the bagged teas, I opted for a tea that, in my opinion, is very hard to do badly: lapsang souchong. As anticipated, it was smoky and full-bodied, and with a bit of milk it was the perfect tea to warm me up and give me a boost (the slice of cake helped too!). One of the things that I enjoyed the most about ordering this tea was the fact that it was served in a beautiful vintage china teapot. I happened to notice that this was not the case for the other teas being served—most others seemed to be served in the standard small metal teapots often found in hotels and restaurants. They work perfectly well, but how much lovelier to use a vintage china teapot! I definitely got the better deal.
There were several other places that I stopped to get tea, but Vennels Café was the one that stood out the most. Durham is a very hilly town, and with a lot of walking these tea breaks were very much appreciated. But more so than the physical effort, it is the overstimulation that so often tires me out when travelling. Taking the time to stop for tea is a great way for me to keep my energy up and, ultimately, it makes me more able to enjoy and appreciate a place. The benefits of tea never cease to amaze me.
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Like this:
Tea time isn’t what it used to be back when Anna, Duchess of Bedford, invited some of the other ladies of Queen Victoria’s court to her private chambers for an afternoon pick-me-up. These days, it’s anything from the Red Hat Ladies gathering at one of the local tea rooms to you taking advantage of a quiet moment in your day to imbibe a cuppa and a treat. In the case of the non-solo tea time, certain etiquette matters are de rigueur and logically, therefore, breeches of this etiquette (known as faux pas, or “missteps”) can mar the event for all.
Hogging the last scone, smothered in clotted cream and jam, is not good manners!
In the spirit of goodwill towards all tea drinkers, and to save you from either embarrassing yourself or having to endure a tea time companion’s unappetizing behavior, I present the top 5 tea time faux pas:
1 Pouring tea into your saucer. You may have seen folks in movies pouring tea into a saucer, blowing on it to cool it, and then slurping it up from the saucer. This used to be a common practice, but these days it’s considered to be less than genteel. Spare your fellow tea drinkers the sights and sounds of this way of cooling your tea.
2 Letting your spoon clink against the side of the teacup or mug. Odd noises seem to be a real peeve at tea time, from bodily functions gone awry to life going on around us being less than low decibel. So, why add to the cacophony by engaging in an overly rambunctious and noisy stirring of the tea where your spoon assaults the sides of your teacup or mug in a manner that produces notable clinkage? In polite society, such a sound is considered “velly bad mannuhs!”
3 Grabbing the last cookie/scone/etc without asking first. Sure, those cookies are super scrumptious and made by expert hands from the freshest ingredients and the scones are still fragrant and warm so that the butter or clotted cream melts on them. No one can blame you for wanting to grab that last one, but this is just plain bad manners, either at tea time or any other occasion where you have guests or are a guest. So, be on your best behavior and have the good grace to ask the others in attendance before you grab.
4 Draining the last drop from the teapot. There are actually two issues here: first that the last drop in the teapot may be a bit unsavory, the “dregs” as they are often called; and second that, just as with number 2, you should ask the other attendees first or at least offer to steep a refill.
5 Criticizing the tea, treats, teawares, etc. The most egregious of tea time behavior. Your host may not be the perfect tea time presenter, but you could refrain from voicing your observations of this. His/her effort — unlike with some activities — is what counts. The cookies might be the stale, store bought variety, and the tea might be one of those mediocre bagged things from the local grocer, but you grin and bear it and when it’s your turn to host, you make sure everything is tip top!
As trite as these things may seem, they go a long way to having a pleasant tea time, which is, after all, the goal!
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Like this:
With the season of wedding showers, weddings, and baby showers approaching, hosts and hostesses are thinking about what food and drink they’ll be serving. And what would these celebrations be without that ubiquitous, but welcome, bowl of punch?
From a 1940s magazine advert
I don’t often serve punch, probably because I don’t often serve food and drink to large groups of guests. When I do make punch, it always contains tea.
Here are a couple of my favourite punch recipes – an elegant cup containing alcohol, and a refreshing, fruity cup made without.
When preparing strong tea, use twice as much leaf and steep for the usual amount of time; increasing the steep time will result in bitter tea. Flavoured teas are not recommended for these recipes. “Cups” refers to eight-ounce measuring cups, not to teacups, which generally hold six ounces. To make simple syrup, boil two cups of sugar with two cups water until dissolved. Offering ice cubes made with the same tea you used for the punch is a nice touch.
This alcohol-free punch is named after every little girl’s favourite “grownup” beverage, the Shirley Temple cocktail: ginger ale and a maraschino cherry served in a champagne glass. You don’t even have to be a girl to enjoy it!
Shirley Tea Punch
About 60 punch cups
2 quarts (8 cups) freshly-prepared black tea, cooled
1 quarts (4 cups) cold water
2 cups fresh lemon juice
1 quart (4 cups) fresh orange juice
6 cups unsweetened cranberry juice
2 cups simple syrup
1 litre ginger ale
Thinly-sliced rounds of lemon and orange for garnish
Pour all ingredients except ginger ale into a punch bowl and stir well. Just before serving, gently stir in the ginger ale. Garnish with citrus slice floaters.
A festive “adults-only” punch.
Champagne (or sparkling wine) Punch
About 50 punch cups
2 cups freshly-prepared strong green tea, cooled 1 cup brandy 1/2 cup light rum 1/2 cup Cointreau liqueur 1 gallon champagne or sparkling wine (about 2-1/2 750ml bottles)
Mix together the tea, brandy, rum, and Cointreau. When ready to serve, pour in the champagne or sparkling wine and stir gently.
[Editor's note: We know you are all responsible adults and will indulge wisely!]
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
