Tea of the Month for July- Sparkling Jasmine Iced Tea

Since it is now summer drinking warm drinks all day has lost its appeal. I can stomach my first drink of the day being hot (in fact I prefer it that way), but during the day, I prefer my drinks to be the opposite of the weather; it is too warm really to drink hot tea despite the Chinese belief that warm beverages are healthier for you.



Not wanting to give up the tradition of the tea of the month, I searched the internet for a recipe for an iced tea. I must admit that I found this one months ago and waited for just the appropriate time to try it out and post it. Since it uses a tea that I already have on hand, it made it that much simpler. I just had to heat up the kitchen a little when I made the syrup, and cross the street to get the sparkling water.

It was definitely refreshing, although a bit sweet. The use of the brown sugar makes the beverage look like bottled ice tea, or tea made from black tea leaves. With my next batch, I will use less sugar, and might try white sugar instead to obtain a greener looking tea. I also added more than the suggested sparkling water- probably as much as double the amount; it was enough to fill the pitcher.


Sparkling Jasmine Iced Tea

INGREDIENTS:
• 4 cups water, boiling
• 3 tbs loose jasmine tea
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cups sparkling water

PREPARATION:
Dissolve sugar in 3/4 cup of water, and boil gently until a syrup has formed. Set aside and let cool. Steep the jasmine tea in the remaining 3 cups of hot water for around 6 minutes. Strain out tea, and let cool slightly.
In a pitcher, combine syrup and tea. Stir or whisk until fully blended. Add sparkling water and cool thoroughly. Serve over ice. Can be served with cinnamon sticks, lemon slices or mint sprigs.
Makes 1 quart of iced tea