Citrus – Sage Tea
Prep Time: 5 minutes, for syrup | Cook Time: 20 minutes, for syrup | Brew Time: 5 minutes, for tea| Total Time: 30 minutes | Simple Syrup makes: 1 cup |Serves: 1
Growing up in the South, sweet tea was just a part of life. We would add orange juice to make a fruit tea or Sun-Drop soda just because it was made locally in our small town. I had no idea as a kid there was such a thing as hot tea. Funny how sheltered life was. Older and wiser now, and having opened my horizons somewhat, tea of many flavors and spices are enjoyed at my house daily.
My husband loves Irish black tea with heavy cream, no sweetener. I love the flavors of chai, fruits, and florals with some sweetener. I had ordered a London Fog at a Starbucks for the first time and fell in love. I knew there had to be some way to remake this at home. I used Twinings Earl Grey for a bit, but then stumbled upon information that Starbucks used Teavana’s Earl Grey Crème, which is available in my local grocery store. (I stockpile the tea in my pantry. If there’s a tornado siren, I’m grabbing my tea. You get my drift.) Teavana’s Earl Grey Crème is really delicious in a London Fog.
So…. Saying all that leads me to this… I started trying the other flavors Teavana offered in my area and learned to make infused simple syrups to give them some flair. (Check out my recipe for a Lemon-Cinnamon Fog. It’s out of this world. My friends call my lemon simple syrup “liquid gold.”)
I found a Citrus Lavender Tea by Teavana and the description says, “with pineapple, orange, and notes of sage.” I wanted to amplify some of these scents and flavors. This simple syrup uses fresh sage leaves and orange zest. “Bruising” the sage in your hands helps release the oils in the leaves, making more flavor and aroma come out into the syrup. Steeping the syrup helps all the flavors and scents meld. Ah, happiness.
Citrus-Sage Tea
Ingredients
Orange-Sage Simple Syrup:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 4 fresh sage leaves (not dried)
- zest of 2 naval oranges, peeled with a vegetable peeler into long strips
Tea:
- 10 ounces water
- 2 teabags Teavana Citrus Sage Lavender tea
- 1/3 cup half and half
- Orange-Sage Simple syrup, as much as preferred
Instructions
For the syrup:
- Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Bring to a gentle boil and allow it to boil until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.
- Rub the fresh sage leaves back and forth in the palms of your hands to release their oils. They’ll become very fragrant. Place them in the sugar mixture.
- Allow to steep for at least 20 minutes, longer than 20 minutes is perfectly fine. Strain.
- The syrup is ready to use or allow to cool completely and place in an air-tight container in your refrigerator for up to a month.
For the tea:
- Bring the water up to a boil. You can do this in a 2-cup glass measuring cup in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stovetop. You can also bring water to a boil in a tea kettle and pour into a mug. If you microwave your mug with the water, please, be careful. Some mugs get very hot in a microwave. See Notes for a handy gadget for tea-making.
- Place 2 teabags in the hot water and steep for 5 minutes.
- Remove the teabags and discard.
- Place the steeped tea into your mug that is big enough to hold the 10 ounces of tea, plus the dairy and syrup.
- Place the half and half in a 2-cup glass measuring cup and heat for 1 minute in the microwave. You can put the half and half in a small saucepan if you don’t have a microwave and gently heat on the stovetop.
- Using a frother, froth the dairy.
- Add the simple syrup to the tea, adding as much as desired. Add the frothed half and half. Very gently stir.
- Taste and add more syrup as necessary. Enjoy!
Notes
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