“A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives the rose.” ~ Chinese Proverb
The heat has been unnerving to say the least, and the dark clouds have done nothing but tease us obnoxiously the past few weeks.
My tiny sister-in-law has been impatient for the rains to wash away the summer heat, so she can sit at leisure in the balcony, with a hot cup of tea… but alas, the clouds are not in the mood to give in yet.
So, to beat this humid and sticky weather, I share a refreshing concoction of black Turkish tea with specks of rose tea that I brought back from my Beijing trip. Turkish tea has a depth that can be similar to Indian tea, but without the hints of spices. A small pinch of the tea goes a very long way, instantly infuses with a beautiful deep colour, and can get rather strong, if not removed in time.
The roses are absolutely divine and offer just the right amount of flavour to this iced tea, lending a refreshing and floral note.
Now, substitutes for these can be any good quality black tea and our Indian dried roses are just as strong in flavour.
[yumprint-recipe id=’58’]
The Recipe
Serves
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 3 tbsp Turkish tea (loose leaf)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 6-7 rose buds (edible)
- 6 tbsp sugar
- To Serve:
- Ice cubes
- Rose buds or petals (edible)
Instructions
- Bring the water to boil, and then remove from heat.
- Then steep the Turkish tea into the water and let infuse for 10 minutes.
- Remove the tea.
- In your jug, pour in the baking soda.
- Then pour over the hot tea.
- Stir the sugar in to dissolve.
- Let the tea cool down for another 10 minutes, before adding in the rose buds.
- Let the tea chill in the fridge for at least 8-10 hours.
- Serve cold with ice and garnish with a few rose petals or buds.
