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Fruit teas come in many varieties and are enjoyed by tea drinkers around the world. The type of fruit tea you will enjoy is best learned through trying a wide variety and determining which tastes suit your taste buds the most, so be prepared to try a wide variety. This article provides a few examples of some lovely ways to make a fruit tea, to inspire you to make your own mixes.
Ingredients
Fruit infused black tea :
- Black tea teabag or tea leaves
- Fruit pieces of choice
- Water
Dried fruit tea :
- 2 lemons
- 2 oranges
- 1 piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 cup mint leaves, well packed
- 1/2 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dried apple tea :
- 1 tablespoon dried apples per serving
- Hot water
Lemon tea :
- 1 lemon
- Water
Squash or cordial fruit tea :
- Fruit squash or fruit cordial
- 1/2 teaspoon of sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice (optional)
Steps
Black tea with fruit is often a delicious combination and it's not hard to prepare.
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Choose a quality black tea that doesn't have flavours added to it. You can choose your favourite black tea variety but avoid ones already flavoured with fruit or other strong flavours, as you can't be sure the fruit will meld well with them.
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Select the fruit. The best fruit is sweet and strong in flavour. For example, peaches, apricots, raspberries, watermelon, strawberries, etc. Prepare the fruit by washing, then cutting it into small pieces.Advertisement
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Make the tea. Use either one teabag or a teaspoon of tea leaves (inside a tea caddy or enclosure) and add these to the 950ml or 1 quart heatproof glass jar. Pour in boiling water. Let it steep for 3 minutes, then remove the teabag or enclosed leaves. Leave the fruit pieces in. -
Cover the jar and leave the fruit to infuse. Stand aside for 10 minutes.
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Strain out the fruit. Pour the fruit tea into mugs or cups if serving hot. If serving cold, chill for a half an hour, then pour into a glass with ice.
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Preheat the oven to 120ºC/250ºF. Place one sheet of parchment paper for each of the two baking sheets.
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Prepare the fruit. Wash the lemons and oranges, then remove the zest using a vegetable peeler. Chop the zest finely. Peel the ginger and chop it finely as well.
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Place the lemon and orange chopped zests on the first baking sheet. Add the ginger pieces. Mix together and spread out across the baking sheet.
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Arrange the mint leaves across the second baking sheet.
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Place both baking sheets into the preheated oven. Bake the mint leaves for about 10 to 15 minutes. Bake the zest and ginger mixture for about 45 minutes. Once baked, remove and set aside to cool down.
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Use your fingertips to crumble the mint leaves into a bowl. Add the baked zest and ginger mix to the same bowl. Finally, add the chopped dried fruits. Add the ground cinnamon. Stir everything together. The tea mixture is now made.
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Make dried fruit tea. To make up the tea, add 2 tablespoons of the dried fruit tea mixture per cup into the teapot or steeping container and pour full with boiling water. Allow to steep for 5 minutes. Before serving, strain out the dried fruit mixture.
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Add 1 tablespoon of dried apple to the cup or mug. Repeat for each cup being made.
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Pour in boiling water. Set aside to steep for 10 minutes.
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Serve. You can choose to strain out the dried apple or to leave it in and spoon it out and enjoy eating when the tea is finished.
- A little sprinkle of cinnamon can give this tea a delicious zing.
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Prepare the lemon. Wash the lemon and dry it. Grate a little of the lemon peel to create thin parings. Then, cut 3 to 6 fat slices of lemon from the lemon. You'll need a few parings per cup or mug, and 3 slices of lemon per cup or mug.
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Boil some water. You'll need one cup of water for each cup of tea.
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Pour the water into the mug or cup. Add some lemon peel parings and 3 slices to the cup or mug. Do the same for each cup of tea being made.
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Allow to steep for 3 minutes. Steeping refers to letting the ingredients stand in the water, untouched, allowing the flavours to infuse through the water.
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Stir well. Strain out the lemon ingredients. Sweeten to taste, if desired. It doesn't need sweetening if you don't mind the taste of just lemon but if you find it a little sour, a teaspoon of sugar or other sweetener can serve well.
- Honey can be a nice addition if you have a sore throat or cold, or just because you love the flavour of honey.
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Serve immediately.
This is a quick tea; it's not really tea but it is a lovely warm drink that mimics the idea of tea well enough to warrant treating it as a fruit tea.
Expert Q&A
Video
Tips
Things You'll Need
- Cup or mug
- Kettle or other water boiling device
Depending on recipe :
- 950ml or 1 quart heatproof glass jar
- Peeler
- Knife and cutting board
- 2 baking sheets
References
- Dried fruit tea adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-dried-fruit-and-herb-tea-443773
About This Article
To make a delicious fruit-infused black tea, select a bagged or loose-leaf black tea with no added flavors. Choose a juicy fruit with a strong, sweet flavor, such as peaches, apricots, or strawberries. Cut the fruit up into small pieces. Put the teabag or an infuser filled with tea leaves into a heatproof glass container and add boiling water, along with the pieces of fruit. After the tea has steeped for 3 minutes, take out the teabag or infuser, but leave the fruit in. Cover the jar and let it stand for another 10 minutes. Strain the tea to remove the fruit pieces and serve it hot, or chill it for an hour if you prefer iced tea. To learn how to make herbal tea from dried fruit, read on!
Reader Success Stories
- "I knew all along you could make tea from dehydrated fruit. However, just how I could do that I had not figured out. I felt like a real dummy after reading the article." ..." more
