Tea Time: Three Rough Takes

Been lazy this summer in terms of writing. Maybe it is the heat but I had promised to do better on the blogs. It isn't as if I haven't been having food adventures but it has been less talking about it.

One of the constants of the summer has been cold tea. I hesitate to call it iced tea because it really is just putting some tea in cold water overnight, straining and then storing. This started as a way of using loose leaf tea that had been sitting for too long in my cupboard. I had some left as I always had some on hand as my former partner is a tea drinker. I kept some on hand. Was it habit, wishful thinking or common courtesy?

I made the tea and then found ways to use it. One of my sons occasionally drinks Nestea, so I made a lemon simple syrup (more on that in a later post), and made him a reasonable facsimile. We have made many more since.

Simple Ice Tea: Take the tea, add simple syrup and lemon juice. All to taste. 

Is this some kind of metaphor? Taking tea for courtesy and possibly longing and make it into something else? Probably not. Probably just a way to use up old tea.

In the last few weeks, my mom has gotten ready for moving. This included handing me a large bag of tea bags that she had bought for my former partner. It is her favourite brand. It has been almost three years since they have seen each other. The tea predates that time. So, after a summer of using up my stash, I am given another stash to deal with.

I have taken to using the cold tea in mixed drinks. This is refreshing.

Simple Tea Drink: Using an old fashioned or highball, depending on the time of day, add 2 oz booze, ice cubes, dash of bitters, simple syrup or one of those water flavourers, and top with tea.

I guess we could go with another pseudo sad story because I am in the mood to add the slight bitterness but calm reflection that tea brings into a post about tea... I had the tea for visitors who never came; not because they were not wanted but because I did not invite them. There were a few tea people early on but I did not keep up.

Now, to put the better light on it, lately, I have been sharing beer instead. It is more of the thing that I like. I have found that I like to share with people. Mostly I go out to events but sometimes I will share a rhubarb beer with someone special or some adventurous ales with others or just my homebrew.

Simple Tea Shandy:  Particularly good with hefeweizen and hoppy brews. Glass, beer + tea to taste. 

It is strange to start my posts with a kind of odd, meandering narrative around tea but it seems that tea brings out the reflection. And it has brought out the person who wishes to share, again.