Maple Tea Recipe:
- Recipe Type: Iced Tea and Sweet Tea, Beverages, Tea Travels
- Yields: makes 3 to 4 servings
- Prep time: 5 min
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces Assam or Darjeeling black tea*
- 1 tablespoon maple sugar
- Any good black tea blend, of your choice, may be substituted.
Preparation:
In a bowl or jar, mix together the black tea of your choice and the maple sugar.
Store in an airtight, dark container, away from any light until ready to use.
For Hot Tea:
Preheat a teapot or "hot the pot" by rinsing it out with hot water. By insulating the teapot, it keeps the tea hot during the brewing process.
Bring the fresh cold water to a full rolling boil. Remove from the heat quickly as to not allow the oxygen to escape from the water. Water that has been reheated gives tea a flat taste. Only boiling water can extract the full flavor and benefit from the leaves.
Use one teaspoonful of tea or one tea bag per cup (about 5 or 6 ounces) of water.
Pour boiling water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes or the recommended brewing time as per the instructions of your blend. Do not judge the strength of your tea by its color. It takes time for the leaves to unfold and release their flavor. If you prefer your tea stronger, do not steep longer as it will only turn the tea bitter; simply add more leaves before brewing. If you prefer your tea less strong, add hot water after the brewing period. Tea must be brewed to the full time to extract the complex flavors from the leaves.
As to not burn the leaves on delicate white and green teas allow the water to cool before pouring over the leaves.
Always decant/strain the tea before serving to prevent the leaves from stewing in the pot.
For Iced Tea:
Follow the same rules as for hot tea, but use 50% more tea to allow for melting ice cubes.
Tea may be frozen in ice cube trays and used for iced tea. Tea cubes, when made from the same blend of tea, help to keep the tea from diluting.
Allow the tea to cool. Pour over ice into a tall glass. Garnish, as desired.