One of the things I love best about spring tea is the people you share it with. Tea is intrinsically a social beverage and adds the gift of an experience when shared with a friend. Dr. Monique is both a friend and a mentor and we have shared tea together for almost 20 years. I wanted to share the gift of two fabulous drinks that have come from my visits with Monique.
Monique’s Garden Bouquet Custom Blend
Monique’s Garden Bouquet Tea is one of our favorite custom blended teas, especially for iced teas. The idea for this tea came after a lovely afternoon sitting by the lake in her back yard. Monique is an avid gardener and after our visit she showed me around her garden and gifted me with a bag full of herbs that she thought would be nice for tea. I spent the next few days experimenting and came up with this delicious blend of hibiscus, lemon verbena, lemon grass, lime leaves, mint, and a touch of pineapple for a sweet contrast. Get some here: https://somscafe.com/product/garden-bouquet-hibiscus/
Here is a recipe to make a really easy iced tea:
Overnight Easy Iced Tea
- Fill up your infuser or tea bag with double strength tea to make it nice and flavorful: 2 tsp per 8oz of tea
- Get a mason jar and fill it 2/3rds full with purified water
- Put in the tea, close the lid and let it sit in the fridge to cold brew overnight for at least 8 hours
- Fill up the mason jar with ice and enjoy it the next afternoon. You can either leave the tea bag in, or squeeze it to get the flavor out
Monique’s Maple Rooibos Daily Tea
As a physician Monique is very health conscious. As a mom she is also delicious conscious. This is what she makes for her family that is both.
Rooibos tea is full of antioxidants, is caffeine free, and has a delicious flavor. Here is her daily tea routine:
- Bring water to a full boil. Scoop out 1 tsp. of rooibos tea per 8 oz of water
- Once the water is boiled, heat up your cup or tea pot by pouring a little of the hot water into the vessel and pouring it out. Put your tea into the vessel with the boiled water
- Cover the cup or tea pot and allow to steep from 4-5 minutes
- Remove the tea and squish the tea bag, or agitate the leaves in the infuser to get the flavor out of the leaves and into your cup
- Add 1-2 tsp each of evaporated milk and pure maple syrup, to taste.
Enjoy your tea, it’s the doctor’s orders! Due to Monique’s influence we now carry plain Rooibos tea. You can order it on our website here: https://somscafe.com/product/rooibos-good-hope/
Monique also has a green thumb. She is famous for sharing her lovely flower bouquets. Let me know if you would like a bouquet of fresh flowers from her garden and I’ll connect you to her as long as supplies last.
ashley@sommeliersroast.com (Must be local to Durham, NC).
