Tea Experimenting is continuing today with another go at an inside-out latte. Last time I used On Wisconsin by A Quarter to Tea and the floral base and honey notes just didn’t compliment the prep method. So, this time around I went for a richer, more chocolatey tea, Peppermint Crunch by the NecessiTeas.
My first step was to make concentrated tea ice cubes by steeping the tea per the company recommendations but using about double-triple the amount of leaf I would use regularly for the amount of water. Once it steeped long enough, I put the concentrate in an iced cube tray and left it to freeze overnight.
Once the ice cubes were frozen, I was able to take them out of the tray and fill a glass with them. I then topped the glass with milk and waited for the magic to happen. The ice cubes slowly flavored the milk and the more they melted, the more peppermint flavor they imparted. They also produced a chocolate quality but not exactly a creamy chocolate bar, more like a chocolate cookie. Actually it had me thinking thin mints…dipped in milk and I was quite happy.
I also decided to take some of the ice cubes and blend them with milk. This is what I did last time with On Wisconsin and I used too much ice, making for a slightly chunky drink. This time around, I went heavy on the milk and light on the ice and it turned out much smoother. Though initially it separated into a milky foam on top and the flavored milk below, it eventually melted back into each other given I got distracted for quite some time before actually getting around to drinking this. Flavorwise, this had a nice creamy peppermint to it, with a sprinkling of cocoa. It has a similar taste to the milk over ice but with slightly less chocolate. Personally I think that is because the ratio of tea ice cubes to milk was less in this drink and thus it was more water and less tea flavor. Nevertheless, both inside-out lattes were quite good and rather refreshing on a humid day.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for blends that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Iced Jasmine Matcha Latte Recipe. . . .
There has been a lot of talk recently about blending Matcha with other teas. I am a HUGE supporter of tea blending and Matcha is no exception! One of my favorite “hot weather” combinations is a Iced Jasmine Matcha Latte. It combines two of my absolute favorite green teas- Jasmine Pearls and Matcha. Add just a touch of sweet cream, or any other sweetener and a splash of milk (or milk substitute) and you have the perfect iced tea latte!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp Imperial Grade Matcha
4-5 tsp Jasmine Pearls Green Tea
10oz water heated to 175ºF
Italian Sweet Cream (optional)
16oz Cup (I’m using a glass) full of ice
Directions:
1. Heat the water to 175ºF
2. As the water heats- sift 1 1/2 tsp of Matcha into a Matcha bowl
3. Once the water is at the correct temperature, add 8oz of water to the Jasmine Pearls and let steep for 3 minutes- If you plan to use a sweetener add to the Jasmine now to allow it to dissolve
4. While the Jasmine is steeping prepare the Matcha
5. Once the Jasmine has finished steeping, add it to the cup of ice.
6. Optional- I like to use an electric whisk on my Matcha before I add it to my Jasmine. This gives my latte a nice foam at the top
7. Add Matcha to the Jasmine
8. Optional- Add a splash of Sweet Cream or any other Milk/Milk Substitute product you’d like to taste
Now Enjoy Your Iced Jasmine Matcha Latte!!
On Wisconsin from A Quarter To Tea. . . . Part Two
I have actually written a previous review about On Wisconsin by A Quarter to Tea, the tasty honey cheesecake tea. For that reason, this review is more about a tea experiment I did with On Wisconsin as opposed to the tea itself.
For a while I have been obsessing over iced lattes. I have tried and tried but can never get my iced tea lattes to be as rich and creamy as the ones you get at places like Starbucks (though I think that because Starbucks uses whole milk loaded with syrup). Instead mine are almost watery. As a result, I have been searching the internet, reading recipes and watching YouTube videos, trying to get new and inspiring ideas for iced lattes. I came across one video by The Domestic Geek called 5 Fave Iced Coffee Hacks which has 5 tasty looking ideas that could easily be adapted for iced tea lattes.
One hack that really caught my attention was the third hack for Inside Out Lattes. For this hack, The Domestic Goddess made ice cubes out of coffee and chocolate syrup. She filled a mug with the coffee ice cubes and topped it with milk. Since I don’t drink coffee, I followed her lead but made my ice cubes out of a concentrate of On Wisconsin tea. I made the cubes by steeping the tea per the recommended parameters but using about 3-4 times the amount of leaf suggested. I then poured the concentrate into the ice cube tray and left them to set in the freezer overnight.
Once the cubes were set, I took the hack a step further and decided to blend my tea ice cubes with the milk. I used about 5 cubes to about a 1/2 a cup of milk but it was too thick so I added about another 1/2 a cup of milk. Then something weird happened as the icy milk foam separated to the top of the glass and the milky tea separated to the bottom. After some aggressive stirring to combine the foam and the tea, I was still surprised at how loose the tea tasted. I expected a smoothie-like or iced Aroma type consistency and instead it tasted like cold, milky tea. Personally I blame my ratio of cubes to milk but also the use of the On Wisconsin tea which has a strong honey flavor that competes with the milk as opposed to mixing with it.
Ultimately the experiment turned out good but not great. I think next time I need less cubes but also I think a different tea would improve the results drastically. My guess is a chocolate tea would suit this type of thing better. Though this is definitely an improvement from other iced lattes I have tried in the past as milky tea in an iced latte is better than watery tea in an iced latte so at least I am working in the right direction.
Peppermint Marshmallow Melting in Hot Chocolate from 52Teas. . ..
Let me just start by saying that this is one of my favorite teas. I love it soooo much!! Unfortunately it is not currently available on the 52 Teas website but if it is offered as a reblend make sure you stock up because this is ah. may. zing!
Alright, now that we got that out of the way we can discuss the awesome new method of enjoying this tea and so many others that I have learned of recently. What’s that method you ask? A latte! Not just any latte though…a CHOCOLATE MILK latte. Honestly, it is life-changing. So simple and yet I never thought of it until a tea friend mentioned it. It takes the latte to a whole new level. Try it. You won’t regret it!!
For instance, this particular tea, 52 Tea’s Peppermint Marshmallow Melting in Hot Chocolate is all the more true to its name when made this way, and I didn’t even think that was possible because even plain this completely tastes like its namesake. However, the heating of the chocolate milk and the mixing of that and the base tea gives a more dark chocolate vibe that elevates this to a richer and more sophisticated treat. That dark chocolate note intermingles wonderfully with the peppermint which comes off more crisp in comparison. It’s almost like a liquid After Eight but with the perfect amount of marshmallow fluffiness to add a pleasant lightness to the overall drink.
It truly is a revelation. That applies both to the tea itself and to chocolate milk lattes.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
On the 7th Day of Christmas 52Teas Sent To Me (Spoilers). . .
We are on the 7th day of Christmas in the 12 Teas of Christmas and I am having a blast! If you took advantage of this awesome promotion, I’m sure you are just as pleased as I am.
So get your tea pouch out and scratch to your heart’s content and let’s reveal today’s tea of the day. . .
Marshmallow Assam
I want to say this tea is a reblend but I can’t say that with 100% certainty. Regardless, this tea was exactly what I needed. It’s been a little stressful with the holidays and a few other things going on, so I was excited to relax with a properly made tea latte for the evening.
Eggnog Lattes are amazing. They give the flavor of the tea such a wonderful texture and feel. I just love it. All you have to do is take eggnog (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), froth the mixture and then top your tea off. Add a dash of cinnamon or whip topping and you have yourself an amazing decadent beverage to relax to.
Costco sells an amazingly rich Eggnog that already has rum in it and every year my hubby and I enjoy a bottle during the holidays. All I had to do was brew up the tea to the pouch specifications while frothing up my eggnog with a touch of almond milk in my Breville Frother. Once everything was ready to go I added the topping to my tea and sat down to enjoy.
The tea itself was delicious ( I did have a cup without the added topping), but combined with the eggnog- this tea became something amazing all together. Rich notes of a black tea contrasted that sweet tang of eggnog and the spices while the marshmallow added a creamy note and sweetness. Seriously amazing and my cup was empty in no time at all.
Like I said I did enjoy this tea on its own. What I found was that the marshmallow wasn’t as strong as I would like and the black tea was a bit more dominating. Probably on a different day, this tea would be exactly spot on because all of the flavors were there but today with the weather the way it is (Cold, Snowy, and Icy), the Eggnog Latte was hitting the spot.
I’m going to take the rest of my pouch and cold brew. I have a feeling this tea will be perfect as a glorious cold brew.
Here is the official description of the tea and the Mad Musings behind the creation. I do not look at the official description until after my review.
Marshmallow Assam!
Tea Description: I was happy to reblend this tea – not only because it is a fairly simple tea to
reconstruct but also because it’s quite delicious! This tea was released shortly before we took over
52Teas and I think the timing of its release didn’t allow me the time to review it for the SororiTea Sisters
blog before taking over. So this is – I believe – my first time reviewing the tea!
Frank described this tea like this:
I thought it would be fun to pair a rich bold Assam tea with marshmallow root and organic marshmallow
flavors. This is sweet, soothing, and delicious. What I remember liking so much about the original blend – and about this re-blended version as well -is that the natural malty flavors of the Assam paired so nicely with the sweet, fluffy notes of marshmallow. I didn’t stray from the recipe a great deal – because why? The only real difference here is that the Assam I use is from a different supplier – as is the marshmallow root. This tea makes for a delightful breakfast tea – it’s sweet and comforting yet rich and robust with the gusto to get you up and at ’em!
organic ingredients: black tea, marshmallow root & natural flavors.
