Green Tea Granita Italian Cafe Style (True English)

The recipe

Exact quantities, then the method.

Granita is the flaky Italian cafe ice, and green tea makes a lovely one. You build it on a strong brew of the everyday green, sweeten it lightly, sharpen it with lemon, then freeze it in a shallow tub, scraping it through with a fork as it sets so it turns to soft icy crystals rather than a solid block.

Source: teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Green Tea Granita (Italian Cafe Style) recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/green-tea/green-tea-granita-italian-cafe-style/

It serves four and is dairy-free. Brew it strong but still at 80C so the base does not turn bitter.

15 min plus freezing Serves 4 Easy Green Tea Recipes

You'll need

3 tea bags of True English Tea Everyday Green Tea
400ml freshly boiled water, cooled to about 80C (check with a thermometer)
60g caster sugar
Juice of half a lemon

Method

Cool the boiled water to near 80C, checking with a thermometer, and steep three bags of green tea in 400ml of it for 4 minutes. Lift the bags out without squeezing.
Dissolve the sugar in the hot green tea, then add the lemon juice. Cool completely.
Pour into a shallow freezer tub and freeze. After about an hour, scrape through with a fork, then repeat every 30 to 40 minutes for 3 to 4 hours until you have light, icy flakes.
Fork through once more and spoon into glasses.
Scrape more often near the end for finer flakes, or less for a chunkier, slushier texture.

What you'll end up with: A glassful of soft green-tea ice, barely sweet and sharp with lemon, just right at the end of a hot day.

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