A strawberry Ceylon cup gets a real lift from one cracked black peppercorn dropped in with the bag. Pepper and strawberry are a Florentine pairing, and the piperine brings the strawberry sweetness forward so it doesn't taste one-note. Brew the Ceylon at a full boil so the black-tea backbone holds up under the fruit, and drink it black to taste the strawberry properly.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Standard Strawberry Ceylon Cup (Black Pepper Lift) recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/fruit-tea/standard-strawberry-ceylon-cup-black-pepper-lift/
It uses Hyson Strawberry Infused Black Tea, single-origin Ceylon with a natural strawberry note. One mug, three minutes.
You'll need
- 1 Hyson Strawberry Infused Black Tea bag (single-origin Ceylon, natural strawberry note, Lion Logo)
- 250ml filtered water at a full rolling boil (100°C)
- 1 whole black peppercorn, cracked between the fingers (a firm pinch is enough; do not powder it)
- 1 thin strip of pared unwaxed lemon peel, 4cm long, laid on the saucer
- 1 small saucer to hold the cup and the lemon peel
- 1 thin-walled glass mug or fine china cup, 250ml capacity, pre-warmed (glass shows off the pink-amber colour better)
- 1 fresh strawberry slice, optional, to garnish at the end
Method
- Pre-warm the mug with hot water and tip it out.
- Drop the strawberry Ceylon bag into the mug. Crack one black peppercorn between your fingers, a firm pinch so it fractures but doesn't powder, and drop the pieces in beside the bag.
- Pour 250ml of water at a full rolling boil over the bag and pepper. Ceylon wants the full boil for its brisk backbone to hold up under the fruit.
- Steep three minutes, uncovered. Lift the bag out and press it once against the side, without squeezing hard. Leave the cracked pepper in; it keeps lifting the strawberry as you drink.
- Drink it black to taste the strawberry properly, with a fresh strawberry slice floated on top if you have one.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Hyson Strawberry Infused Black Tea, 32 Tea Bags 32g
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