Tuesday Teacup - Camomile Flowers.

I always thought camomile tea was a bit gross. I forced myself to drink it for a while when I first found out that I was gluten intolerant because it is suppose to be very good for inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and at that point, mine was in a pretty bad way. So I bought camomile tea bags and really tried my best to drink them, but they were just bitter and had a funny, sweet after taste. 

A couple of weeks ago when I was in my local deli choosing some new tea, I decided that the loose camomile flowers were so pretty that I would give them another chance and I am really glad I did.

This tea is exactly what drinking flowers should taste like, it has this wonderful earthy body to it, which is followed by a sweet, honey like after taste. To concoct an amazing cup of this tea simply put 1-2 teaspoons of camomile tea in an infuser and submerge it into some hot water, then leave it for 3-5 minutes depending on how strong you like your brew. Camomile is probably my favourite tea at the moment, I especially love it in the afternoons when I need that slight lift to escort me into early evening. Delicious and the perfect drink for these early Spring days.

What teas have you been enjoying lately?

xkx

Tuesday Teacup - Lapsang Souchong.

Lapsang Souchong is a tea with a very distinctive flavour, I like to think of it as the cowboy of the tea world because it is bold, smokey and untameable. I have to admit to you that I am not a massive fan of this tea, I do like it occasionally but I find the flavour just too much. Ed, on the other hand, loves this tea. Lapsang Souchong is made from the leaves a few steps down from the bud, it gains its unique flavour from the drying process. Usually tea is air dried but this is smoked above pine wood fires, pretty special huh?

I used an infuser to brew this tea, a teaspoon of leaves is more than adequate to make a tasty cup. I bring the water to the boil, leave for a little while to cool then I pour the water into a cup with the infuser. I brew this tea for about 2-3 minutes, I find that this makes quite a robust tasting drink, just taste as you go to find the right strength for you. I would strongly advice not putting milk with Lapsang, would you bathe a cowboy in milk?

This tea embodies everything that I love about tea culture, it just makes me feel so special. When I buy good quality tea I can just imagine all the care that has gone into getting this simple pleasure into my cup. And it can be reasonable cheap as well, I bought a 100g of Lapsang for £3.99! Which will easily last a month, having a couple of cups a day. 

Hope you enjoyed meeting Lapsang Souchong. What teas have you been drinking lately?

xkx