Standard Pineapple Ceylon Cup (Lime Leaf and Brown Sugar)
A Caribbean leaning Hyson Pineapple Ceylon cup with a torn lime leaf in the steep and a little soft brown sugar stirred in at the end.
Hyson Pineapple Infused Black Tea takes a Caribbean turn with a torn lime leaf in the steep and a quarter teaspoon of soft light brown sugar stirred in at the end. That pairing, pineapple with lime leaf and a little molasses sugar, is the backbone of pineapple upside down cake and most rum spiked island puddings; on a Ceylon pineapple base it pushes the cup towards real tropical fruit instead of a plain pineapple flavoured tea.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Standard Pineapple Ceylon Cup (Lime Leaf and Brown Sugar) recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/fruit tea/standard pineapple ceylon cup lime leaf and brown sugar/
Brew it at a full rolling boil, since the black tea side of the bag is doing the work. Three minutes is right: the lime leaf gives its best in that window and turns dominant past four. Tear the leaf along its spine before it goes in, because an intact leaf releases almost nothing. Add the brown sugar only at the end so the molasses note survives; sugar steeped through the brew tastes flat. Drink it black to taste the pineapple properly.
You'll need
- 1 Hyson Pineapple Infused Black Tea bag (single origin Ceylon, natural pineapple note, Lion Logo)
- 250ml filtered water at a full rolling boil (100°C)
- 1 small fresh or frozen kaffir lime leaf, lightly torn along the spine to release the oils (Asian supermarket; freezes well, keeps months in the freezer)
- 1/4 teaspoon soft light brown sugar (or 1/2 teaspoon if you prefer sweeter; Caribbean sugar leaning, not white)
- 1 thin slice of fresh pineapple, 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 Pineapple Infused Black Tea bag into the warmed mug. Take the kaffir lime leaf, fold it in half and tear it along the spine to expose the inside (this is the only way to get the lime leaf aromatics out across three minutes; an intact leaf releases nothing). Drop the torn lime leaf into the mug beside the bag.
- Bring the kettle to a full rolling boil. Pour 250ml of the freshly boiled water straight over the bag and the lime leaf.
- Set a three minute timer. Do not cover; black tea wants air contact and the pineapple notes stay brightest open.
- At three minutes, lift the bag and the lime leaf out with a teaspoon. Press the bag gently against the side; discard both the bag and the leaf.
- Stir the quarter teaspoon of soft light brown sugar into the hot cup; the sugar dissolves cleanly at this temperature and the molasses notes come through.
- Float the optional fresh pineapple slice on top if you have one. Drink hot, black, no milk. The cup builds across the first three minutes: pineapple and lime leaf on the nose, brown sugar and brisk Ceylon through the middle, a long tropical finish that holds longer than any plain pineapple iced drink would.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Hyson Pineapple Infused Black Tea, 32 Tea Bags 32g
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