Gourmet Iced Tea Recipe: Honey Red Jade Black Tea
Red Jade Tea - also known as Taiwan Tea No. 18, brews a rich, full-bodied tea with subtle hints of clove, cinnamon and mint in its complex composition.
Gourmet Loose-Leaf Iced Tea In 3 Easy Steps
- Brew your tea at a ratio of 1:40, loose-leaf tea : water (1:30 if unsweetened/unflavored). Boiling temp. water. Brew 7 minutes.
- Pour the brewed tea into a a cocktail shaker full of ice, add whatever flavoring, and shake.
- Pour the well shaken iced tea into glasses half-full of ice cubes.
The innovation of using a cocktail shaker to make iced teas began in the 1980's in Taiwan, when the founder of Taiwan's most popular tea house chain created his own original recipes. This "shaker tea" quickly gained popularity, generally referred to as "bubble tea" or "foam tea" (泡沫茶). This was further innovated upon when recipes using tapioca balls were introduced to make various concoctions of "pearl milk tea" (珍珠奶茶). When these recipes made their way to North America, "bubble tea" or "boba tea" became the English translation of "pearl milk tea" in Chinese.
iced tea recipe for 500ml of Honey Red Jade Black tea
-
Brew 9g of Red Jade Black Tea leaves in 400ml of boiling temp water for 7 minutes
-
Fill a 550ml cocktail shaker 3/4 full with ice cubes, add 1/2-1 tsp. of honey
-
Pour brewed tea into the shaker, cap it, and shake for about 20 seconds
-
Pour into a pint glass or two smaller glasses half filled with ice cubes
-
The honey, or any other added sweetener, should only be enough to enhance the flavor of the tea, rather than mask it. Enjoy!
Notice how shaking the tea offers a nice foamy head on the the iced tea, and seems to enhance the flavor. Feeling adventurous? Try blending it for a frozen version!
SUBSCRIBE!
If you found this post useful and would like to hear more about the specialty tea industry here in Taiwan, follow us on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram and please subscribe to our newsletter. Subscribe now and get $5 off your first order!
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Also in News
Eco-Cha Tea Club: Traditional Lugu Oolong Tea Tasting Notes
The medium oxidized leaves have undergone extensive, repeated roastings that have resulted in a very balanced, integrated character. The initial steepings offer a freshly cut wood aroma with a toasted nutty flavor. This proceeds to open up into a sweeter, more complex profile that is strikingly reminiscent of roasted winter vegetables, including parsnip, caramelized onion and butternut squash.
Eco-Cha Tea Club: Traditional Lugu Oolong Tea
Mr. Zhang's father cultivated tea on their homesteaded land in Xiaobantian, on the southside of Lugu Township, where he grew up in the midst of traditional tea making. At 20 something, he decided to embody his local tradition by clearing land to cultivate his own plot of tea. For the last 20 years, he has managed his own humble, privately owned plot of tea. Throughout this period, he also acquired seasonal work in tea factories in Lugu, Shanlinxi, Alishan, Fanzaitian, and Lishan. In a word, he learned the ropes of tea making in a comprehensive way, like most tea farmers of his generation. Lugu hosts the highest concentration of tea makers in Taiwan, and is a hub of specialty tea making culture.
