Bellflower Blends Nashville Sweet Tea Recipe

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INSTRUCTIONS:

     PART 1:

* Bring 5 cups of water to a rolling boil in a saucepan.

* Remove Pan from Heat.

* Dunk the 8 individual tea bags in the hot water a few times to hydrate the tea leaves, then leave the bags submerged in the hot water with the strings hanging over the side of the saucepan.

* Put the 4 rounded tablespoons of Loose Leaf Tea directly into the hot water.

* Let sit for 5-6 minutes, stirring gently twice.

* Strain the tea from the tea water into a heat-resistant pan or pitcher.

* Toss the tea leaves into your compost bin.

     PART 2:

* In a separate saucepan (or simply repurpose the saucepan you made the tea in - no need to clean it!), add two cups of water and mix in 1/2 Cup of Bellflower Blends LOL! Sugar. Stir until dissolved as you bring mixture to a full boil. Once the water and sugar mixture is boiling, turn the heat down to medium/medium-low. We want a slow, gentle boil so that part of the water molecules dissipate and the thin sugar and water mixture becomes thicker - more like maple syrup in consistency. This will take around 10 minutes (or up to 30, depending on the humidity in the air.) Once sugar water is like syrup, take the pan off the heat and cool. The syrup mixture should be about one cup total, give or take.

     Part 3:

*When temperate, pour extra-strong tea base into a 1-Gallon pitcher. Then add enough cool water to make just shy of one gallon.

* Pour in the warm Bellflower Blends LOL! Sugar Syrup to taste. (Anywhere from 1/2 cup to the entire cooked syrup!) (If you don’t want all the zest in your finished product, you can strain the sugar syrup before adding to your gallon jug.

* Refrigerate for 4 hours, or ideally, overnight.

*Pour the cold Bellflower Blends LOL! Southern Sweet Tea into ice-filled glasses. Add a prig of Fresh Mint, or slices of Lemon, Orange, Or Lime to the glass if desired!

* Enjoy!

REASONING:

Why go to all the trouble to make a sugar syrup instead of just adding the dry sugar directly?

Because when you add sugar to water and boil it into a syrup, the flavors become concentrated and smooth. It makes for a better “mouth-feel” when you drink the iced tea. Both methods are fine, but the syrup, especially when using a flavored Bellflower Blends sugar, makes the flavors really prominent in the final product.

Why make a tea concentrate first?

If you put the tea bags and loose leaf tea into a smaller amount of just-boiled water, you insure that your final product will not have that “hard-tea edge.” Again, making the concentrate, then adding cool water, makes for a smoother tea flavor.

HINTS: 

*If you can, really try to make half of your dry tea at the very start of this recipe in “loose leaf” form. These usually come in metal tins, and can be found online or in specialty stores. I love the Ahmad Tea - London brand the best, but there are many great companies, like Harney & Sons and Positively Organic. The advantage of using loose leaf tea is it is less processed than bagged tea (meaning no “tea dust” in the mix), and since the water can really get around all the individual leaves, it makes for a more in-depth infusion of aromas and flavors. 

*This recipe highlights the citrus flavors in the Constant Comment tea blend and the LOL! trio of flavors. For a more traditional “Southern”  ice tea, you might want to use the traditional Lipton or Luzianne tea brands and pair with something like the Winding Ridge Vanilla Bean Blend, Sunny Citrus & Spice, or simply the Luscious Lemon Sugar Blend.  We encourage you to find your own perfect combination.

* In my home version of this recipe I always use half of the total dry tea decaffeinated. (My husband likes a little less caffeine, so he can enjoy an extra glass or two in the late afternoon - and still get to sleep at night!) Substitute full caffeinated tea if that’s your choice. 

Sugars Used In Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 Bigalow®“Constant Comment® Regular or De-Caffinated tea Bags

• 6 rounded tablespoons of Loose Leaf Tea - Try Breakfast Blend, Darjeeling, or Earl Grey

• 5 cups Boiling Water

• 1/2 cup Bellflower Blends LOL! Sugar

• 2 cups water

• 8-10 cups cool water

• Fresh Mint Leaves, Lemon, Orange, or Lime Slices (Optional)