Tag: Black Tea

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London Fog Bubble Tea

Bubble tea, boba tea, pearl tea – whatever you call it, it’s (usually) a milk tea with tapioca pearls and an extra-wide straw. Bubble tea was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s. This popular drink is often seen with chewy dark tapioca pearls and a wide straw – perfect for getting all that delicious goodness at the bottom of the cup! If you’re shopping for tapioca pearls online or in store, you’ll see both black and white varieties – you’ll want the black ones for this drink. The white pearls cook up clear and are meant to be used in dessert, and aren’t as sweet as the black tapioca pearls.

Earl Grey is one of my favourite classic black tea blends – I just love the combination of black tea with bergamot. And I make it no secret that I adore a good London Fog (you can find my recipe for a London Fog with Lavender Simple Syrup here), so the idea of a London Fog Bubble Tea is just perfection in my summer-lovin’ eyes. And even though it’s getting to be really close to August, I’m pretty sure any day is a good day for bubble tea!

London Fog Bubble Tea Recipe – Serves 2

Tea
2 cups water (100°C/212°F)
3 teaspoons of loose Earl Grey tea or 4 Earl Grey tea bags
1 teaspoon dried lavender buds
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Tapioca Pearls
½ cup black tapioca pearls
4 cups water

Simple Syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water

½ cup milk (dairy or non-dairy alternative)
Ice cubes

Prepare Simple Syrup
Mix 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup water together in a small pot.
Heat until the sugar is fully dissolved and allow Simple Syrup to simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare Tapioca Pearls
Heat 4 cups of water in a small pot until boiling.
Add tapioca pearls.
Stir to prevent the pearls from sticking together.
Follow cooking time on the packaging – you’ll know that the pearls are cooked when they’re dark and translucent. Most black tapioca pearls need to be cooked for a minimum of 30 minutes, so check the package directions!
Strain out the pearls, and rinse under cool running water to wash off the extra starch.
Add pearls to Simple Syrup.
Set aside until ready to use.
Do not prepare tapioca pearls too far in advance, if left for more than 4-6 hours after cooking, they get very tough/chewy. Leaving the pearls to ‘swim’ in a Simple Syrup bath will help prevent them from sticking, and also make them sweeter.

Prepare Tea
Steep Earl Grey and lavender buds in heated water for 3-5 minutes.
Remove tea leaves/tea bag – strain out lavender buds.
Add vanilla extract.
Set aside to cool.

Now to just put all the components together! In each tall glass, layer the following:

¼ cup cooked tapioca pearls in Simple Syrup
Ice, to fill glass
¼ cup milk
1 cup Earl Grey tea (infused with lavender buds and added vanilla extract)
Serve with wide bubble tea or smoothie straw to make it easier to drink the bubble tea and to mix the layers together.

Excess Simple Syrup can be kept in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge – don’t forget to label it with the date!

Fun Fact! Like regular-sized straws, you can also find and purchase reusable bubble/boba tea straws! They come in silicone, stainless steel, and glass.

If you make this London Fog Bubble Tea, 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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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.