Liqueur Tea Recipes

Indulge your tastebuds with Tea to which your favourite Liqueur or Spirit has been added. Liqueur Teas are really nice to serve to your friends as a decidely different After-Dinner Tea drink.

Add the Liqueur to your Teacup or tall heatproof Glass, first. Then add your freshly brewed Tea.

Liqueur teas are a delicious alternative to the usual 'nightcap'. Favourite additions include Grand Marnier for a mellow orange taste, various Flavoured Schnapps including Butterscotch and Peppermint and of course Creme de Menthe. Almost any Spirit or Liqueur can be added to your Teas.

After-Dinner Mint Tea

To liven up your palate after dinner, why not serve an After-Dinner Mint Tea. Simply add Creme de Menthe or Peppermint Schnapps to your cup. Top with Black Tea - delicious. Use Sugar Syrup, Honey or Milk to taste.

Mmm... Chocolate & Tea

Add a few pieces of good quality Chocolate to your Teapot when brewing your Tea. Use this Chocolate Tea to make a Choc Mint Tea or even serve it just as it is. Want more decadence with your Chocolate Tea? Serve it in a tall Glass with Kahlua and top with swirls of whipped Cream and Chocolate curls - who says Tea is boring.

A Hot Shot

Pour a shot of your favourite Liqueur into a Liqueur glass. Add a dash of hot Black Tea. This will add that extra zing and slightly warm it up.

Green or Black Tea Liqueur

This recipe will make a strong Tea Liqueur that is nice to sip on those cold nights, preferably in front of a crackling fire with a special friend.

ingredients
5 heaped Tblspns of Green or Black Tea Leaves
1 Cup of freshly boiled Water
1/2 Cup Sugar Syrup
1 Cup of good quality Vodka

method
Place the Tea Leaves in a teapot and pour over the boiling water. Allow to steep for 5 mins. Strain the Tea and allow the resulting Tea Essence to cool. Add the Sugar Syrup and Vodka. Pour into a sterilised bottle and store in a cool dark place for 2 weeks. It is then ready to drink.

Tea Nightcap

This recipe will serve two

ingredients
2 tspns Green Tea leaves
2 tspns Sugar Syrup
1 Cup boiling Water
60ml Brandy
1 Cup warm Milk

method
Place Tea Leaves in your teapot along with the Sugar Syrup. Pour over the boiling Water and steep for 10 mins.

Serve the Tea by straining it into Teacups to which 30ml of Brandy has already been added. Top up with warm Milk.
~Sweet Dreams~

Cooking with Tea & Tea Leaves

Just as there many different types of teas, there are also many different uses for tea, especially in your cooking and recipes.

Tea is not just for drinking from a tea cup. Think of tea as a herb and use it everyday instead of other more traditional herbs. Add it to your Ice-Cream, marinade chicken or even use it dry-roasted.

Make your own Green Tea Icecream

For a delightful dessert idea, why not sprinkle some powdered Matcha Green Tea over vanilla ice-cream, or soften your vanilla ice-cream and fold the Green Tea through it. 
 
How to make a Dry-Roasted Green Tea Crumble

Dry roast Green Tea in a hot, dry pan, until it becomes slightly crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container. The uses for these delicious tea crumbs are limited only by your imagination.
 
Add to butter for Green Tea Butter

Use Green Tea Butter to make a delicious and different Herb Bread. Sprinkle over baked vegetables as a garnish. Top pasta dishes with a sprinkling before serving. Scatter over your favourite green salad.

Tea used as a Garnish or that special 'Secret Ingredient'

Using dry-roasted Green Tea in your special hot and cold dishes and keep your guests guessing as to what that delicious ingredient is. This dry-roasted Green Tea is delicious sprinkled over your baked vegetables just prior to serving.
 
Tea used in Steaming, Marinades and Rice

Add Tea Leaves to the water prior to steaming fish or vegetables to impart a delicate flavour.

Make a pot of Black Tea, allow to cool and marinade your meat prior to cooking. Wonderful for chicken.

Add a pinch of chopped Green Tea Leaves to your water prior to boiling pasta, rice or noodles.
 
The Japanese have always used Green Tea...

Traditionally, Japanese have always enjoyed Green Tea flavoured ice-cream.  The Japanese also add Green Tea Leaves to many dishes including noodles, rice, sauces, tempura batters, sweets, cakes and pastries.

Delicious Scones

Use cold tea to soak all your dried fruits in prior to baking them in scones, biscuits, cakes and puddings. Not only does this plump up the dried fruits, but also imparts a delicious flavour. 

Flavour for Fruit Salads

Make a pot of fresh Jasmine Green Tea or Black Rose Tea. When making fresh fruit salads, add a little of the cold tea to the syrup. This delicious idea will give you double the dose of health benefits - both from the fruits and the tea

Chai Tea Recipe

Chai Tea is traditionally an Indian method of making tea. The tea is usually brewed in a pot and made with milk, water and a selection of wonderful additions like spices.

There are various ways to make your own Chai Tea by adding spices and other ingredients. Ready blended Chai Tea can also be purchased from tea suppliers.

Chai Tea Latte
   
Made with milk, Chai Tea could best be described as like having a wonderful Tea Latte. Serve your hot Chai Tea in a tall glass for a classic touch. Make your own Chai Tea Recipe. Try using all milk, evaporated milk or even condensed milk when making your Chai Tea, for a full and creamy tea drink sensation.

How to make a cup of Chai Tea

Ingredients
Per Person

1 - 2 heaped teaspoons of Chai Tea Leaves
1/2 Cup of Milk
1/2 Cup of Water

Method

Add all of the above ingredients to a saucepan and place on the heat.
Bring to just-about-to-boil, immediately take off the heat, fit the saucepan lid, and steep for 2-4 minutes.

Strain into your tea cup or tea glass. Add sugar as desired.

This Chai Tea is a great warming and comforting tea.

Rose Petal Tea

Tea and Roses always seem to conjure up the romantic images of afternoon garden tea parties and delicate Spring days. Add some romance to your next tea party with the beautiful colours and fragrances of rose petals and fresh roses in bloom.

Rose Tea with Rose Petals

The delicate rose fragrance of this tea make it a delight for all your senses and a pleasure to drink. This tea is perfect for serving at special occasions like afternoon teas, baby shower teas, kitchen teas, bridal shower teas, or even at a garden wedding. Match the colour of the rose petals to the theme colours of your special occasion. Pure romance in a tea cup.

Blend your own Rose Petal Tea Mix

Add 1 Cup of Black Tea Leaves to 1/4 Cup of dried Rose Petals. Combine and store in an airtight tea caddy.

To Make the Tea
per cup: Add 1 heaped teaspoon of the Rose Petal Tea Mix to 1 Cup of freshly boiled water. Steep for 5 minutes. Strain and enjoy.

Rose Petal Tea Punch

This recipe is a delightful version of traditional punch. It is a gorgeous idea for many special events, including tea parties, engagements, garden weddings and shower teas. Of course you can replace the alcohol with Ginger Ale or extra Lemonade.

Method
In a large jug mix together 500ml cold Ceylon Tea, 150ml Brandy and 200g of Caster Sugar. Refrigerate.
 
To Serve the Rose Petal Tea Punch;
Pour the cold tea mix into a large punch bowl and add 1 litre of Lemonade and 1 bottle of chilled Dry White Wine. Add Ice Cubes, thinly sliced Strawberries and float fresh Rose Petals. Add Rose Petal Ice Cubes for that extra touch of romance.
 
Sugared Rose Petals

Use these beautiful Sugared Rose Petals for decorating Cakes, Cupcakes and other Afternoon Teatime delicacies.

You will need
Rose Petals
Egg White
Caster Sugar

Method
Simply lightly whisk the Egg White.
Dip each Rose Petal into the Egg White.
Remove and then dip into the Caster Sugar, ensuring both sides are fairly evenly coated.

Air dry the Rose Petals on a cake rack until dry. This will take a number of hours. They will store well in a dry, airtight container.

NB When using Rose Petals ensure the Rose Petals that you use for your rose tea recipes are pesticide-free.

Tea Trivia part 2

Forgot to clean your teeth? Tea contains flouride. It has been suggested that 1.5 cups of Black Tea or 1 cup of Green Tea, consumed daily, contains enough flouride to reduce tooth decay.

The Life of Tea
Black Teas, if properly stored, may retain their flavour for up to 2 years from the time it was picked. Green Teas are unfermented and are best consumed within 6 months.
   
Can you Believe this...

It was the year 1744 in Scotland. There was a proposal to lock up tea drinkers in jail. People in various parishes and towns started to think that tea caused certain illnesses and wanted to seperate those that drank tea from everyone else.

As an aside for this story- The people of England, at this exact same time, were embracing tea as a national drink for everyone.

Iced Tea in a Can

Canned Ice Tea was introduced to the USA in the 1990's. Iced Tea is the no. 1 selling beverage in the USA today. Its' popularity is steadily rising worldwide.

Iced Tea began at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St Loius, USA in 1904. Richard Blechynden, a Britain, working in Calcutta, held a booth at this Expo to show Americans the 'proper' way to make tea. The weather at this time in St Loius was hot and humid and each day visitors would by-pass his stand in favour of those vendors selling cool refreshments.

Finally, in desperation, Richard filled tall glasses to the brim with ice and then added his hot tea. Iced Tea was a big hit then and there. His customers found it to be a cool and refreshing drink. Iced Tea became one of the most popular drinks at the Expo.

How much Tea can a Tea Plucker pluck?

Tea bushes are plucked every week or fortnight during the growing season. The top two freshly grown young leaves and buds, otherwise known as tips, make the best tea. (and the most expensive)  A 'tea-plucker' can pluck 35kg of leaves per day which equates to 3,500 cups of tea.  N.B. 'Tea-Plucker' is a real term given to people employed to hand pick or pluck the leaves from the tea bushes.
The Tea Rose

The term Tea Rose was originally the name for a rose whose perfume closely resembled that of the aroma of tea.

Tea in an Instant

Instant Tea mix (a water soluble tea) was first introduced in 1956 by Nestle Company & Standards Brands.

Tea Leaf Reading

Tea leaf Reading is also known as Tasseography. By studying the various 'symbols' or patterns left in your tea cup by the tea leaves, your fortune may be forecast. Tea Leaf Reading is actually illegal to practice in many states of Australia.

 Tea Trivia part 1 >

Tea Trivia

Everything you wanted to know about tea but were afraid to ask. I've put together some of the least known inspiring tea trivia.
   
Where did the saying 'Tea for Two' come from?
   
In the late 1800's two gentleman, named Lyons and Gluckstein were contracted to sell tea to the visitors of the Newcastle Exhibition.

They only charged two-pence for a pot which was far cheaper than the usual three-pence for a cup. Thus, the saying 'Tea for Two' came into being - meaning tea for two-pence.
   
The History of the Teabag
       
The teabag was unintentionally invented by Thomas Sullivan, a New York City tea merchant in 1908.

When sending out his various tea leaf samples to prospective retailers he sewed them in tiny individual silk bags instead of using the usual tins.

When these retailers received his tea samples they poured their boiling water straight over the bags rather than cutting them open and emptying the tea leaves into a teapot.

The ease and convenience of these tiny tea packages was quickly recognised and Thomas Sullivan was inundated with orders for what we now know as the teabag.

Teas are blended after normal manufacturing processes. The best tea is unblended and will come from single tea estates.
       
They started out as....

Tetley started life as a tea-packing house. Originally, two Tetley brothers sold salt and tea on horseback throughout the villages of Yorkshire.

In 1907 Thomas Twining, a weaver, opened Tom's Coffee House and used a variety of different teas to attract the aristocrats to his coffee shop. In 1717 Tom's Coffee House is converted to the first English tea shop named The Golden Lyon. Thomas Twining boldly invites women to shop at his Tea Shop. Coffee Houses of the time were frequented by men only.   

Cadburys & Harrods of London were originally tea blenders   

Tea Cups originally had no handles

It wasn't until Afternoon Tea and High Tea became popular with the aristocracy that handles were actually added to tea cups.

The added handles prevented ladies from burning their fingers when 'taking tea'.

Tea Trivia part 2 >

Scone Recipes

A cup of Tea served with freshly baked Scones is a real treat. Scones are light and delicious served warm, straight from the oven. Scones are traditionally served with Butter, Jam and Clotted Cream. 

Date Scones 
One of my personal favourite recipes for 'yummy' Date Scones.
I've learnt from experience to make a double batch when baking these Scones as they disappear so quickly.

ingredients
makes 12
2 Cups Self Raising Flour
1/2 Cup chopped Dates
2 Tblspns Butter
2 Tblspns Caster Sugar
1 Egg
3/4 - 1 Cup of Milk
1/4 tspn Salt

method
Preheat oven to a hot 200°C 

Sift the Flour and Salt into a bowl. Rub the cold Butter into the Flour. Add the chopped Dates.

Lightly beat the Egg. Add the Sugar and Milk to the beaten Egg and stir until the Sugar is dissolved.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and stir in the liquid, mixing to form a moist dough. Roll out on a floured surface, cut into Scones and place on a floured baking tray.

Brush tops with a little beaten Egg and Milk (reserve a tiny amount from your previous steps) Bake in your hot oven for 12 - 15 mins. Allow to cool wrapped up in a tea towel.

Pumpkin Scones
Pumpkin gives a truly delightful taste to Scones. The Pumpkin adds a richness and moistness which is just delicious. Of course they are also that very pretty pale orange Pumpkin colour.

ingredients
2 Cups Self Raising Flour
1/2 Cup cooked, mashed Pumpkin
1/3 Cup Sugar
2 Tblspns Butter
1 Egg
1/4 tspn Salt
1/3 Cup Milk

method
Preheat your oven to a hot 200°C

Cream the Butter and Sugar. Add the Egg, beating well. Add the mashed Pumpkin.

Sift the Flour and Salt twice and then add alternately to the Scone mix with the Milk. You may or may not use all of the Milk. It will depend on the moistness of the Pumpkin. You should end up with a moist dough.

Knead slightly on a floured surface and then roll out to a 1 inch thickness. Cut out and place on your greased and floured baking tray. Brush the tops with a little milk. Bake in the hot oven until just browned. Wrap in a tea towel after removing the Scones from the oven. 
 
Girdle Scones
Try something new and delicious, by making your next batch of Scones in this traditional way. Girdle scones are sometimes known as Griddle Scones because of how they are cooked.

ingredients
2 Cups Self Raising Flour
1 Tblspn Butter
3/4 Cup Milk
1/2 tspn Salt
Flour for rolling

method
Preheat your griddle. Sift the Flour and Salt into a bowl. Rub in the cold Butter. Make a well in the centre and pour in all of the Milk. Mix with a knife using a cutting motion, until you have a moist dough.

Take Tablespoon sized pieces of the Scone dough. Roll in flour and form a circle with each piece about 1cm thick. Cut each circle into quarters.

Sprinkle a very light dusting of Flour onto your preheated griddle. Place your Scone pieces onto the griddle. Allow to cook long and slow. The Scones will slightly rise and brown on the underside. Turn over each one and repeat for the other side. When cooked, wrap in a tea towel to cool.
 
The History of Scones

From the Gaelic word Sgonn (pronounced like gone), Scones originated in Scotland. The meaning of the word Sgonn meant a shapeless lump of dough.

As Wheat never grew very well in the Scottish Highlands, Scones were originally made from Barley or Oat Flour.

The first Scones were cooked over a fire on a griddle or 'girdle'.

As time passed, the Scone dough was eventually baked in a circular shape and cut into quarters - or farls- similiar to the delicious scones that we all know and love today.

Clotted Cream Recipes

Clotted Cream is a specialty of Devonshire, England. Unpasteurised milk isn't usually freely available here in Australia, so I have included these recipes that try to imitate the delicious qualities of Devonshire or Clotted Cream. 

Mock Devonshire Clotted Cream 

ingredients
1/2 Cup of Cream
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
2 Tblspns Icing Sugar

method
Whip the Cream, gradually adding the Icing Sugar. When soft peaks are formed, fold through the Sour Cream. Store in the refrigerator. 

Mock Clotted Cream

ingredients
1 Cup Cream
250g Cream Cheese
1 tspn Icing Sugar

method
Beat all the ingredients together. Store in the refrigerator

A Cream Tea

A Cream Tea is generally a term used to describe a traditional English afternoon tea, at which is served hot Tea, freshly baked Scones, gorgeous Jams and Clotted Cream.  We all like to keep an eye on our waistlines. The reality is though that a Devonshire Tea, a Cream Tea or even a normal Afternoon Tea just wouldn't be the same without Clotted Cream/Devonshire Cream and other assorted 'Cream Goodies.'

There are many different types of Creams available, each one as delicious as the next. 

What is Clotted Cream? 
Clotted Cream is a specialty of Devonshire, England. Clotted Cream is made by gently heating unpasteurised milk until the cream 'clumps or clots' on the surface. Once the milk has cooled, the resulting Clotted Cream is skimmed from the surface.

A delicious Dictionary of Cream
Clotted Cream - A thick, yellow cream made by slowly scalding unpasteurized milk. See detailed description above.
Coconut Cream - Made by simmering shredded coconut and water together, which is then strained to produce a cream.
Cream Tea - see description at the top of this page.
Creme Fraiche - Originating from Brittany and Normandy in France. Cream with a culture added to produce a rich and smooth cream.
Devonshire Cream - From Devonshire, England. Also known as Devon Cream, it is another term used for Clotted Cream.
Heavy Cream - Another term for Whipping Cream - 40% milk fat.
Light Cream - Usually around 20% milk fat.
Mock Cream - Not really a cream but rather a substitute cream made from milk, sugar and butter ( or sometimes lard!! )
Pouring Cream - Cream in its natural state - easily poured - runny.
Sour Cream - A cream to which a lactic acid culture has been added to produce its characteristic sour taste.
Thickened Cream - Pouring Cream to which a thickening agent has been added - usually a gelatine.
Whipped Cream - Cream made light and fluffy by whipping or beating

The Caffeine in Tea

Caffeine is one of the two main chemical compounds found in tea. The other main chemical compounds are tannins. Caffeine stimulates our central nervous system and large muscle groups. Did you know that caffeine dilates your blood vessels? In hot climates, it is this dilation of your blood vessels that gives your body a cooling effect. 

The caffeine in tea has been found to actually aid your brain functionality. 

Caffeine increases your metabolism, increases your heart rate and in large quantities can be extremely toxic for you. Side effects can include sleeplessness, irritability (go without your morning cup of tea or coffee to experience this) nervousness and has also found to cause mental confusion. Caffeine can also aid in speeding up the movement of wastes found in your body.

The caffeine in a cup of tea can vary greatly. There is minimal difference, chemically, between the caffeine found in tea and the caffeine you consume in a cup of coffee. In stark contrast though, the caffeine found in tea doesn't have the same negative effect on your heart and circulatory system as the caffeine in coffee does. 

Steep your tea for approx. 3 minutes - for a stimulating effect
Steep your tea for approx. 5 minutes - for a more calming effect 

The caffeine in tea has been found to actually aid your brain functionality and to promote the blood flow to it. By acting on the central nervous system, the caffeine found in a cup of tea targets directly the brain areas that control our thoughts and feelings. If you have a lot of concentration, thought processes and mental work to do we suggest you grab yourself that nice big cup of tea. 

Below is a general guide to the amounts of caffeine found in a 5oz/150ml cup of tea or coffee. The cups we use today are generally larger than the measurement of 5oz/150ml, which used to be a standard. 

In a 5oz/150ml cup of Tea --------------------- Caffeine present
Black Tea - leaf or teabag, brewed 1 minute........9-33mg
Black Tea - leaf, brewed 3 minutes.....................50-46mg
Black Tea - teabag, brewed 5 minutes................46-108mg
Oolong Tea - leaf, brewed 5 minutes...................12-55mg
Green Tea - leaf, brewed 3 minutes.....................8-16mg
Instant Tea 8oz..................................................12-28mg
Iced Tea 120z can..............................................22-36mg
Decaffeinated Tea..............................................4mg
Herbal Tea.........................................................none

In a a 5oz/150ml cup of Coffee ----------------- Caffeine present
Drip Coffee.........................................................110-150mg
Percolated Coffee...............................................64-124mg
Instant Coffee....................................................40-108mg
Decaffeinated Coffee.........................................less than 5mg 

The amount of caffeine found in a cup of tea can vary according to what type of tea it is, where the tea was grown, its' manufactured processes and the brewing times and methods used. Due to fermentation processes, Black and Oolong Teas contain more caffeine than Green Teas. Similiar sorts of variations occur when discussing the amount of caffeine that is found in a cup of coffee or in an amount of coffee beans.

In general, you would have to drink 2 or 3 cups of cups of tea per day to equal the amount of caffeine found in a single cup of coffee because you need less tea leaves than coffee beans per cup. The smaller the tea leaf, the quicker the caffeine infuses from the tea leaves into your water.

How to Decaffeinate your Tea

To reduce the amount of caffeine in your cup of tea the simplest way is to reduce the length of time that you steep the tea leaves in the water.

To further reduce the caffeine, try brewing your tea in your teapot for the minimal amount of time and then removing the tea leaves immediately from your teapot or strain your tea immediately into another pre-heated teapot. This will in effect halt the further infusion of caffeine into your tea.