Preparing Hot Tea

1. Boiling the water: Fill a kettle with fresh, cold water, straight from the tap.




2. Adding the tea leaves: Add one teaspoon of tea leaves per cup required, plus an additional teaspoon to the tea pot,
   but this method is only a guideline and could be adjusted according to one’s taste or fancy.




3. Pouring the tea: Place the tea strainer over a cup and pour tea from the pot into the cup till the cup is about three-quarters full.




4. Adding milk/lemon/ginger/etc.: If you like milk with the tea add a little cold fresh milk, ensuring that you retain the “tea taste.”
   Otherwise you could take it plain or if preferred with a bit of lemon/ginger/honey/ vanilla/ etc of your choice.

Final consumption could be done with or without sugar to your liking.

Preparing Iced Tea

To brew a quart, place 6 teaspoons of loose tea into a heat-proof pitcher. Bring 2 cups
of freshly drawn cold tap water or filtered water to a boil.

Pour the boiling water directly over the tea and steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Strain well
and add 2 more cups of cold water. Refrigerate until completely
chilled (at least four hours) before serving. Serve over ice.

Given below are few extraordinary confections for discerning tea connoisseurs who are adventurous to try out new ways of savouring tea.
These recipes were given to us by Cynthia Gold, a Tea Sommelier at “The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers,” Boston, Massachusetts (www.bostonparkplaza.com).

Champagne Tea Cocktails

The combinations are endless and ever so refreshing. Try out the recipe described below, and then make
your own variations. These syrups and their variations are also very nice when added to iced teas, juices
or drizzled over fresh fruit. The cocktail shown was served as part of our Mother’s Day Champagne
Tea Brunch at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel this year.

Place 1 teaspoon fruit puree and 1 to 2 tablespoons of tea syrup into a champagne flute. Fill with champagne.
Optionally stir.

Ceylon Blackberry Champagne Cocktail

Tantalize your taste buds with this innovative treat

Ceylon Syrup, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 2 cups water, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 heaped tablespoons Ceylon tea leaves

Place 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water into a small saucepan. Add cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil,
stir, then turn down to a simmer until a light syrup is formed.

Add 2 heaped tablespoons of loose leaf Ceylon tea. Bring back to a boil and let simmer for a minute or
two then remove from heat. Let cool. Use as is or with a teaspoon of Blackberry or other fruit puree.

Apple Ceylon Cake

Indulge your sweet tooth with this imaginative recipe

Yield: 1 10 inch cake
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Spray one 10" spring form or standard cake pan well and coat interior well with one tablespoon sugar. Set aside.

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) chopped into large chunks
2 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
1 cup applesauce, preferably all natural
1 cup quadruple strength black tea, New Vithanakande Ceylon works very well (2 heaped tablespoons of leaves steeped for 5 minutes)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon bourbon or brandy
2 3/4 cups All-Purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups thinly sliced, peeled apple
5 tablespoons butter, cold, cut into 5 pieces
1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup lightly toasted chopped pecans
1 t ground ginger

1. Beat 1 cup cold butter with paddle attachment in mixer until softened. Add 2 1/4 cups sugar and beat until smooth. Scrape
   down sides and beat in eggs one at a time until smooth.
2. While butter and sugar are beating, bring 1 1/4 cups water to boil and pour over 2 heaping tablespoons of black tea.
   Ceylon works very nicely with the apples, but virtually any good black tea can be used if needed. Steep for 5 minutes
   and strain. With the water absorption by the leaves, you should end up with roughly one cup of very strong tea.
3. Blend together 1 cup applesauce, the steeped tea and the bourbon or brandy. Set aside.
4. Sift together the 2 3/4 cups AP flour with the baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Set aside.
5. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to butter/sugar mixture. Beat until just incorporated. Add 1/3 of the applesauce mixture,
   again beating until just incorporated. Alternate dry and liquid ingredients until all incorporated scraping down sides as needed.
6. Add sliced apples and mix until just blended. Remove from mixer and spoon into sugared cake pan. Scrape bowl clean with
   spatula and lightly smooth top of batter in the pan.
7. Return bowl to mixer and beat 5 tablespoons of cold butter until soft. Add 1/3 cup brown sugar and continue until smooth.
   Add lightly toasted pecan and ground ginger and beat until just incorporated.
8. Remove pecan mixture from bowl and crumble over top of the batter filled cakepan.

Bake in preheated oven until tester or paring knife comes out moist but clean. Roughly 90 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature with Tea Spiced Chantilly Cream or vanilla ice cream.