Standard Pineapple Ceylon Cup (Lime Leaf and Brown Sugar)

teas.co.uk · 6 min · Serves 1

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

1. Pre warm the mug by filling with hot tap water and emptying it just before brewing.
2. 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.
3. Bring the kettle to a full rolling boil. Pour 250ml of the freshly boiled water straight over the bag and the lime leaf.
4. Set a three minute timer. Do not cover; black tea wants air contact and the pineapple notes stay brightest open.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.

Recipe: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/fruit tea/standard pineapple ceylon cup lime leaf and brown sugar/