Name: Standard Lemon Ceylon Cup (Honey and Thyme)
Total time: 6 min
Yield: Serves 1
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 Hyson Lemon Infused Black Tea bag (single-origin Ceylon with natural lemon, Lion Logo); 250ml filtered water at a full rolling boil (100°C); 1 small fresh thyme sprig (about 4 to 6 small leaves on a stem; do not use dried); 1 teaspoon clear acacia or wildflower honey (Greek wildflower honey if you have access; UK acacia is the next best); 1 thin slice of fresh unwaxed lemon, optional, floated on top; A thin-walled glass mug or fine china cup, 250ml capacity, pre-warmed

A cup of Hyson Lemon Infused Black Tea takes well to a Greek island treatment: a sprig of fresh thyme dropped in with the bag, and a teaspoon of clear acacia or wildflower honey stirred through once the bag is out. Lemon, honey and thyme are the old Aegean trio behind half the Mediterranean herbal cups, and a clean Ceylon base carries them well because the Black Tea sits back and lets the honey and thyme come forward.

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Standard Lemon Ceylon Cup (Honey and Thyme) recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/fruit tea/standard lemon ceylon cup honey and thyme/

Brew it at a full rolling boil, since it is the Ceylon doing the work rather than the lemon flavouring. Three minutes is the sweet spot: lemon stays brightest there, and any longer lets the thyme take over. Put the thyme in at the start so the steep draws out its oils, and hold the honey back until the cup has dropped to about 65 degrees so its aroma survives. Drink it black; that trio is the whole of it.

⏱ 6 min 🍽 Serves 1 📊 Easy 📚 Fruit Tea Recipes

You'll need

1 Hyson Lemon Infused Black Tea bag (single origin Ceylon with natural lemon, Lion Logo)
250ml filtered water at a full rolling boil (100°C)
1 small fresh thyme sprig (about 4 to 6 small leaves on a stem; do not use dried)
1 teaspoon clear acacia or wildflower honey (Greek wildflower honey if you have access; UK acacia is the next best)
1 thin slice of fresh unwaxed lemon, optional, floated on top
A thin walled glass mug or fine china cup, 250ml capacity, pre warmed

Method

Pre warm the mug by filling with hot tap water and emptying it just before brewing.
Drop the Hyson Lemon Infused Black Tea bag into the warmed mug. Drop the small fresh thyme sprig in beside it; the thyme needs the full three minute steep to release its volatile oils properly.
Bring the kettle to a full rolling boil. Pour 250ml of the freshly boiled water straight over the bag and the thyme.
Set a three minute timer. Do not cover; the cup wants air contact during the steep to keep the lemon notes bright.
At three minutes, lift the bag and the thyme sprig out with a teaspoon. Press the bag gently against the side; discard both.
Wait about 90 seconds for the cup to cool to roughly 65 degrees (still hot but no longer scalding; you should be able to hold the side of the glass without flinching). Stir in the 1 teaspoon of clear acacia honey at this temperature; honey aromatics survive at 65 but flash off above 70.
Float the optional fresh lemon slice on top of the cup. Drink slowly, black, no milk. The first sip brings the lemon and honey forward; the thyme aroma sits underneath through the middle; the finish is brisk Ceylon all the way down.

What you'll end up with: A clear deep gold amber cup with an optional lemon slice afloat: lemon and thyme on the nose, honey through the middle, a long brisk Ceylon finish that drinks like a hilltop cup of tea under the Aegean sun.

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🛒 Made with this tea

Hyson Lemon Infused Black Tea, 32 Tea Bags 32g£4.75