Summertime tea fun

I love tea in its beautiful, simple, unadulterated form. At its best, the pure rich earthy cup does not need anything more. You can keep your sweetener. I'll put the milk in my cereal where it belongs. Just give me the leaf, simple and perfect.

But then, sometimes, I make room for tea with a bit more. Sometimes it is flavoring or scents. Other times it is tea with some milk or honey or agave or spices. Lately, I've been feeling that itch -- that itch to try something a little bit different.

It started the other day when I brewed some White Peach tea from Persimmon Tree Tea Company. I put about 4 tablespoons of loose tea in a t-sac in about a quart of water. Once the tea steeped, I removed the t-sac and added ice to fill the pitcher. I had a glass...and another...and another. I ended up drinking about 2/3 of the pitcher in one sitting. That tea didn't make it through the next morning. (Thank you to Persimmon Tree for another brilliant sample.)

So my mind was then stuck on interesting summertime tea treats. What iced tea would be next? Then, I saw a link from Heaven of Tea on how to make white tea popsicles. White tea POPSICLES? I loved the idea. I was excited by the range of possibilities opened up. Then I noticed a comment on the article from a tea colleague, Lindsey Goodwin, who mentioned tea granitas. How much fun would those be to make? (Eating Well had an article on how to make them awhile back. Most recipes I've seen actually stick with the idea of pouring the mixture into a pan and scraping it, rather than using an ice cream maker.)

Then, yesterday, the one that blew my mind. It made me want to revisit my days of physics classes. I have now promised myself that someday I will figure out how to make this. Just on principle. I have no idea how it tastes, but I have to see this/make this someday.  Welcome to the world of seven layer tea.

Finally, with my head full of amazing summertime opportunities I saw one last tweet that made me realize a trip to NYC will be imperative this summer. Harney Soho (the new-ish location for a Harney & Sons tasting room. There is also one in Millerton, NY.) is making tea floats this summer. Seriously. They are adding carbonation to iced tea to make, essentially, an iced tea soda. Then they are topping that with tea-infused iced cream.

Swoon.

I love summer.