Author: Michelle

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Iced Tea Lemonade (Arnold Palmer)

The lovely thing about lemons is the brightness and acidity that they add – especially when added to tea! Iced Tea Lemonade is a popular drink, and I’m guilty of buying it in cans and bottles from the store for the convenience factor. And while I’ll still do it from time to time (and recycle!), it’s nice to be able to make it at home – I get to make it fresh, control how much sugar does or does not end up in each cup, and it’s a lot more environmentally friendly!

Arnold Palmer is the name commonly used to reference a non-alcoholic drink that consists of iced tea and lemonade. The ratio the late American pro-golfer was known to drink was 1 parts lemonade for every 3 parts tea.

Iced Tea Lemonade Recipe – Serves 2

Lemonade
1 tablespoon Simple Syrup (see recipe below)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup water

2 tablespoons loose leaf black tea¹
2 cups water (100°C/212°F)

¹ I have made this recipe with a variety of straight black tea, including: Orange Pekoe, English Breakfast, and Darjeeling Black Tea. I would recommend using a black tea that hasn’t been blended with other ingredients. You can also try an Arnold Palmer with a twist by using a straight green or oolong tea in place of the black tea.

Mix Simple Syrup, lemon juice, and water in a measuring glass – set aside.
Steep black tea in heated water for 3 minutes – or according to steeping instructions.
Allow the tea to cool – chill in the fridge.

Per glass, add in:
⅓ cup lemonade
Ice, to fill.
1 cup cooled black tea
Garnish the rim of your glasses with a lemon slice or wedge.

Tea Tip! Pair your Iced Tea Lemonade (Arnold Palmer) with a paper or reusable glass or stainless steel straw.

 

Simple Syrup Recipe

1 cup water*
1 cup sugar*

* You can make more or less Simple Syrup depending on your Iced Tea Lemonade (Arnold Palmer) needs. I used organic cane sugar for my Simple Syrup in this recipe. The basis of a Simple Syrup is a 1:1 ratio of sugar and water.

Super Simple Simple Syrup Method

Combine equal parts sugar and boiled water from a kettle in a bowl.
Mix until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Set aside to cool.

Less Simple Simple Syrup Method

Combine all Simple Syrup ingredients in a saucepan, and place over medium heat.
Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Allow syrup to simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Pour Simple Syrup into a jar or bottle and refrigerate.

The Simple Syrup will keep for at least 2 weeks in the fridge – don’t forget to label with the date!

If you make this Iced Tea Lemonade, I’d love to see your photos! Be sure to tag me on Instagram (@onemoresteep #onemoresteep) or comment below with a link to the photo!

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Ahista Tea’s Blue City

Blue City by Ahista Tea
Black Tea / Flavoured
$14.99 for 100g

Ahista Tea has provided me with Blue City for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

For those that haven’t been following One More Steep for a while, I’m a huge fan of Earl Grey. It is one of my first tea loves outside of the Orange Pekoe staple from my childhood. Things I love about Earl Grey: the bergamot, the brightness, and the richness in flavour. Ahista Tea sent me a sample of their Blue City – which at first glance at the name, doesn’t really tell you much at all! But if you take a look at the dry leaf, it definitely looks like a familiar favourite of mine in both looks and aroma.

Blue City came in sealed tea bags, the little bags were made of a gauze-like material, which I’m not sold on the fact that it could be biodegradable because they felt very much like plastic (to be on the safe side, I separated the tea bag material from the tea leaves for composting purposes). Visibly, Blue City has black tea leaves and blue cornflower petals. There’s an obvious citrus aroma to it and it basically smells like an Earl Grey blend to me.

Blue City consists of: black tea, blue cornflowers, vanilla bean flavour, and bergamot oil.

Preparation

Ahista Tea recommends steeping Blue City in 95-100°C (203-212°F) water for 3 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of Blue City in 100°C (212°F) water for 3 minutes.

First Taste

Blue City steeps to a golden red colour, with a lovely mix of floral and citrus notes – heavy on the citrus. There’s a hint of vanilla in the steeped tea that wasn’t really prevalent in the dry leaf. I found the aroma of the tea to be quite pleasant and inviting – basically what I look for in an Earl Grey. There’s a nice sweetness, with just a touch of astringency to the end of each sip. I greatly enjoyed the vanilla notes, it added a level of creaminess that helps to set it apart.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Blue City once (adding an additional 30 seconds for the subsequent steep), but found the bergamot and vanilla flavours to be quite muted compared to the initial steep. I would recommend Blue City for just one steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Ahista Tea’s Blue City. I’m a sucker for an Earl Grey, so it was nice to try their take on the classic black tea blend. I really enjoyed the bergamot and vanilla notes in the steeped tea, which made the tea quite pleasant. I wasn’t too big on the slight astringency when I steeped it according to Ahista Tea’s recommendations, but I’m also a fan of adding a bit of sugar and evaporated milk to my Earl Grey, so it balanced out and made for a nice cuppa.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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Udyan Tea’s Ayurveda Black Tea

Ayurveda Black Tea by Udyan Tea
Black Tea / Flavoured
₹675 for 100g

Udyan Tea has provided me with Ayurveda Black Tea for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Udyan Tea’s Ayurveda Black Tea came in a sealed, resealable, matte black pouch. The labelling on the packaging only tells me the name of the tea – no ingredients list or steeping instructions on the packaging. Fortunately, this information is available via the product page on their website, but it would be nice to have that information included somewhere on the packaging itself for those not interested in doing a few extra steps to find out those details.

The aroma of Ayurveda Black Tea is primarily the turmeric and ginger. I can definitely see a few other ingredients in the mix, but I can’t pick out the aroma of the black tea. Ayurveda Black Tea consists of black tea, turmeric, ginger, cloves, Indian Ginger and moringa

Preparation

Udyan Tea recommends steeping Ayurveda Black Tea in 90-95°C (194-203°F) water for 4 to 5 minutes. I opted to do a steep with 91°C (195°F) water for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Ayurveda Black Tea steeps to a slightly cloudy, orange-brown colour. I can definitely smell the ginger and turmeric in the steeped tea. I found the tea to have a nice level of spices in the flavour, with a strong turmeric flavour throughout the entire sip. I didn’t really taste the black tea base, which I think is a bit of a shame since I feel like it should be somewhat noticeable.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Ayurveda Black Tea once, adding an additional 30 seconds to my steeping time. I found that the flavour was quite similar to the initial steep, where the ginger was a bit more prominent than the turmeric. I wasn’t able to detect the black tea in the second steep.

My Overall Impression

I thought that Udyan Tea’s Ayurveda Black Tea was just okay. I thought this blend had a really nice flavour from the turmeric and ginger – the level of spice and warming qualities from the ingredients was pleasant. I do wish that the black tea was more prominent in flavour and aroma, because that’s one of the primary ingredients. I think it would be nice if the flavours were better balanced so I could still taste the black tea. Ayurveda Black Tea would be a pleasant candidate for black into a latte – just watch how you prepare this tea because turmeric can be quite staining to plastics.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.