TO THE TUNE OF TEA TUESDAYS #19

WANNA COOL SUMMER DRINK THAT YOU'LL LOVE AND WILL LOVE TO SHARE--WELL YOU KNOW ME, IT INVOLVES TEA!

I found the coolest, mouth-watering summer beverage today and I thought I'd share the recipe with you--Strawberry-red, iced, green tea cooler. In fact, I know of quite a few cool, summer, green tea recipes that you may want to try. I'll give you just a few pics and recipes in today's post. Sip up! Cool down! And boost your health at the same time.

STRAWBERRY-RED ICED GREEN TEA

1 can (10oz.) of frozen strawberry daiquiri mix (non-alcoholic)
Water
2 cups of chilled, green tea
2 Tbs. black currant, strawberry or raspberry syrup
Ice cubes
Strawberries and sugar for garnish

Put the daiquiri mix into a medium pitcher, fill can with water, add to pitcher, and stir until thawed and blended. Add the chilled green tea and fruit syrup and mix thoroughly. Pour into tall glasses filled with ice. Make a garnish for each glass by putting 3 strawberries on a skewer and rolling them in sugar. Serve immediately. Serves 2-4

The recipe below is for simple, clear green, iced tea. This one uses Japanese green tea called Gyokuro or Sencha, but if you have a favorite green tea, use what you have. These pictures and recipes courtesy of Hibiki-an, the farm where I order all of my green teas. They are wonderful, refreshing, and a pleasure to sip any time.

3) Brewing green tea by cool water
This brewing process is easy to do and creates tea which is easy to store and preserves well. You can enjoy the smooth and mellow taste of both Gyokuro and Sencha without any bitter notes because Caffeine is not extracted in cold water.This way is suitable for all grades of Gyokuro and Sencha
Place 7 to 10g (1.5 to 2 tablespoons) of Gyokuro or Sencha tea leaves into the teapot (or large size Kyusu).
Pour 500 to 1000cc of cool water into the teapot (or large size Kyusu) and store in the refrigerator for 2 to 6 hours.
In order to equalize the taste of the tea, shake the Kyusu horizontally before pouring the tea into each glass.
(When you brew tea in this way, it is convenient to use a teapot for iced tea like the picture that is designed to brew iced tea. It is available at Hibiki-an's Tea Ware category. You can visit Iced Tea Pot page by clicking here; Iced Teapot, Glass Teapot)

Iced Matcha (powdered green tea--you can find it at http://www.hibiki-an.com/ or your local specialty or natural food store)
Sen no Rikyu (1522 - 1591) who created the Japanese Tea Ceremony, unfortunately did not include a recipe for Iced Matcha in his teachings. It was invented later by an instructor of the traditional Tea Ceremony. But this instructor had to enjoy it by himself in secret because only hot Matcha was allowed in the formal Tea Ceremony. Fortunately today we do not need to be secretive about enjoying delicious Iced Matcha!
Cool the Matcha bowl in the refrigerator in advance.
Sift the matcha in order to prevent lumps, so the flavor and texture will be smooth and mellow.
Pour 2 Chashaku (traditional bamboo spoon) or 1 teaspoon of sifted Matcha into the Matcha bowl that has been cooled in advance.
Pour 70cc of 32F (0C) temperature water into the Matcha bowl and whisk with the Chasen (bamboo whisk) until the tea gets frothy. Matcha gets frothy when it is mixed with either cold 32F (0C) temperature or hot boiling water.
Iced Matcha is also delicious served with milk and sugar as chilled Matcha au Lait.

Other things you can do is add a mint leaf to your brewed Gyokuro (or whatever brewed and cooled green tea you like)

Add a slice of lemon to your Sencha

Add a slice of lemon and honey to your iced matcha. It is surprisingly delicious.

For a fun, fizzy soda, add club soda or Sprite to iced matcha and a slice of lemon.

Okay, so you're wondering, do I have a recipe for just good, old-fashioned southern-style iced tea, rather than these Japanese greens. To tell you the truth, I have never enjoyed regular iced tea. It has nothing to do with me discovering Japanese and other countries' teas and falling in love with their taste and benefits either. I can remember being the only one, at picnics, reunions, and whatever other outing I was attending and drinking iced WATER or lemonade rather than tea, while, needless to say, EVERYONE else was drinking iced tea and looking like there was nothing better in the world. So, the answer is no, I do not have a recipe (although I'm sure I can look one up on the internet or simply call long distance and ask a family member). Do you have one you'd like to share though? Do you or do you know someone who can make the most mouth-watering southern iced tea on the planet? If you do, leave a comment with your recipe and share. We'd all like to know. If it's good enough, you may even get me to try it and...LIKE IT!!

Have a great summer and stay cool!