La boîte à thé

On hot summer days we are always looking for new refreshing and if possible healthy recipes! We have just that for you: iced tea-based granita recipes. They can be consumed throughout the day without alcohol, or a small cocktail occasionally that can be spiced up with alcohol.

Mint and lemon green tea granita

The first recipe is very much inspired by the famous mojito, so there are two variations to this recipe, the one without alcohol and the one with.

The ingredients

50g of sugars (sugar can be replaced with a substitute such as agave syrup for example)
3 tablespoons of green tea
1 bunch of fresh mint
1 lemon juice (organic if possible)
60cl of filtered water

Preparation

Mix the water and sugar and boil for 6 minutes
Remove from the heat and add the tea and 5 mint leaves
Let it steep for 5 minutes and filter.
Pour this preparation into a plate and place in the freezer for 3 hours. Regularly scrape off the glitter that forms as you go, with a fork.
Once the granita is well frozen, divide the granita among 4 dessert cups and garnish them with the remaining mint leaves.
For the alcoholic version, add 5ml (or less) of white rum per ice cream cup.
Serve and enjoy!

Raspberry and lemon granita

This favorite recipe can be enjoyed endlessly, refreshing and full of vitamins, it is perfect to sip by the pool, moreover it is ideal for young and old thanks to its tangy side.

The ingredients

500g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
300ml of water
a tablespoon of lemon tea or herbal tea (or 1 tea bag of lemon flavored tea)
70g of sugar (or substitute)

Preparation

Blend about 500g raspberries until they are completely pureed. For a smooth and perfect result, you can simply mash the raspberries with a fork.

In a saucepan, melt 70 g of sugar over low heat with the 300 ml of water, and bring to a boil. Once this syrup is ready, pour it into a bowl and refrigerate.

Then mix the raspberry puree with the sugar syrup, add 50 ml of lemon tea infused water and a lemon juice

Pour the preparation into a shallow container, about 2.5 cm high at the most. Cover and place in the freezer, flat, for at least 2 hours to ice the mixture.

After 2 hours in the freezer, using a fork, scrape the crystals from the edge to the inside of the granita which is not yet completely frozen. Put the granita back in the freezer, repeat this operation 1 hour later, then again 1 hour later

Finally, after 4 hours of freezing, all you have to do is serve and taste the granita with a few raspberries for decoration!
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There is a big difference between loose tea and tea bags! Find out through this article, what are the differences between loose tea and tea bags and why one is better than the others.

Loose tea or in bags?

There is a big difference between loose tea and tea bags, and it's really easy to see it once you put them side by side to compare them.

Loose tea and tea bags contain rolled dried tea leaves. The more whole tea leaves (the larger pieces) you see, the better the quality of the tea.

Loose tea is usually made from whole tea leaves. After the tea leaves are steeped, they will unroll and you should be able to see the shape of the leaf.

Tea bags contain a mixture of whole and cut tea leaves in a pyramid or rectangular shaped bag.

If you open a tea bag, it will be difficult to tell where the leaves are since they are almost crushed.

Loose tea is better quality

Loose tea is of higher quality and has a more pronounced flavor than tea bags, see why:

It is usually made up of whole tea leaves;
The essential oil of the leaf is the source of the tea's flavor;
Whole tea leaves have the most flavor;
Loose tea brewed in water has the most room to expand and unwind, resulting in the best tasting tea.

The tea bags contain good quality tea

Pyramid shaped tea bags are filled with a mixture of broken and whole tea leaves. When the tea leaves are broken, they lose most of their essential oils, resulting in a less tasty tea. The pyramid shape allows more room for the tea to expand, leaving a tastier tea.

Tea bags are useful for making lattes and other drinks where the tea is mixed with other ingredients like cocktails, smoothies etc ...

The tea bags may contain lower quality

Since tea bags contain tea in such small pieces, the essential oils have mostly disappeared. This will lack a more pronounced flavor than is found in loose tea.

Please note that no premium tea is put into tea bags!

Use loose tea

If all you add to tea is water, always go for loose tea. This one will be much richer in flavor.

Look at the tea leaves to see how many tea leaves are whole. The highest quality loose teas are those where you can see whole tea leaves - unbroken or crushed.

As a general rule, loose tea is of better quality than tea bags, however it is important to choose it wisely! A tea bag is still a very good choice.

Feel free to use tea bags when making tea lattes or in recipes, they are more than enough.

Don't always use boiling water

Have you ever had really bitter green tea? Probably because it was infused with too hot water. Not all teas should be prepared with boiling water, especially green tea. For more information, read our article on water temperatures for different types of tea.

Water that is too hot can alter the taste of the tea, making it too bitter and strong. Take the time to always inquire about the temperature of your tea water.

Get a kettle with a temperature control

Speaking of water temperature, we highly recommend getting an electric kettle with temperature control so that the water is perfectly heated. This is the must have accessory for tea lovers!

Do not use a tea ball that is too small

As the loose tea brews in the hot water, the tea leaves begin to unroll.

To get the perfect flavor, the leaves need to have enough space to unroll. Do not put them in a tea ball or in a tea infuser that is too small. The bigger the brewer, the better - give your tea leaves some room to unwind.

Use filtered water

We say it over and over again, the best water makes the best tea. The quality of the water plays an important role in the taste of your tea. Use filtered water to make tea whenever possible.

Brew your iced tea in cold water for the best iced tea

We very recently wrote an article on this topic, the best iced tea is the one infused in cold water, read our article to know the secret!

Heat the teapot

Warming up the teapot is something every tea professional does before brewing tea.

Boil additional water, pour it into the teapot, and then throw it away.

This step, unknown to most of us, keeps the teapot warm so that there is not a big difference in the temperature of the water while the tea is brewing.

Cover the teapot while the water brews

Cover the teapot while the tea brews, this helps keep the temperature stable.

If you are brewing tea in a mug with an infuser, be sure to put something on top of the mug so that the water can stay piping hot while the tea brews

A “London Fog” drink is an Earl Gray milk tea sweetened with vanilla extract. Earl Gray tea is a black tea with notes of citrus and bergamot.
This recipe is very easy to make, just prepare the tea, stir and enjoy.

What you need

Earl Gray tea bags
Sweetened condensed milk (This ingredient turns an Earl Gray into a sweet latte. It replaces adding sugar and milk.)
Portable milk frother
Optional: whipped cream for drinks in seconds.

The steps:

Brew tea
Make a whipped cream filling
Mix
To assemble

Make the tea

Bring the water to a boil then turn off the heat. If you are using an electric kettle with a temperature setting, set it to 190 ° F.Use filtered water whenever possible.Brew the tea for 5 minutes then discard the tea bags.

Make the whipped cream

Whip the heavy cream and the sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl using a milk frother.In a few seconds, the cream will double in size and it's done!Put aside

Mix

Mix ice cream, tea, vanilla extract and sweetened condensed milk until smooth.

Assemble the drink

Pour the whipped cream filling into the tea.Serve with a straw and drink immediately

Some advice

Use filtered water to brew tea and ice cubes.Always use a blender when making Frappuccinos.

Rien ne se perd tout se transforme, cette expression est tout à fait valable avec le thé! Découvrez des petites astuces pour recycler vos sachets de thé ou votre thé en vrac.

Réutilisez votre sachet de thé une seconde fois!

Saviez vous qu’un sachet de thé peut facilement faire 2 tasses? De plus si c’est un thé assez fort, comme un vert ou un noir, il peut facilement assurer deux tasses. La seconde tasse peut-être plus légère, parfait en fin d’après-midi.

Parfumez de l’eau de cuisson: pâtes, riz, pommes de terres…

Une astuce méconnue mais que nous aimons beaucoup, c’est utiliser des thés ou tisanes (légers) pour aromatiser l’eau de cuisson. Exemple un thé au jasmin sera parfait pour parfumer l’eau du riz.

Nourrissez vos plantes

Le thé est un excellent engrais pour vos plantes d’intérieurs. En extérieur, vous pouvez fertiliser vos plantes avec du thé que vous saupoudrez partout. De plus cela repousse les rongeurs. D’ailleurs vous pouvez même arroser vos plantes avec de l’eau préalablement infusé pour les rendre encore plus belles.

Neutralise les mauvaises odeurs

Le thé est très efficace pour neutraliser les mauvaises odeurs! Que ce soit les odeurs de transpiration dans les chaussures ou encore des mauvaises odeurs dans le réfrigérateur, il suffit simplement de placer un sachet de thé à l’endroit des odeurs.

Dans les poubelles, déposez quelques sachets de thés usagés au fond de la poubelle pour neutraliser les mauvais odeurs. Super efficace et surtout 100 % naturelle.

Soin des pieds et des mains

Le thé est connue pour ses bienfaits sur la peau depuis toujours. La peau des mains et des pieds ont tendances à être plus sèches et rugueuse que le reste du corps pour cela nous conseillons de faire des bains à base d’eau et des sachets de thé. Le thé viendra adoucir la peau et réduire les rugosités.

Soigne les aphtes et les petites plaies du quotidien

Le thé est particulièrement efficace pour soigner les petites plaies superficielles. Si vous avez des aphtes, placez un sachet de thé encore un peu chaud sur les aphtes 2-3 minutes, cela va assainir, atténuer la douleur et accélérer la guérison.