Iced Lemon Tea (Sicilian Style, Bergamot and Rosemary)
A Sicilian style flash chilled Hyson Lemon Ceylon over crushed ice, with a twist of bergamot peel, thick lemon wheels, rosemary and acacia honey.
This iced lemon tea takes a Sicilian turn: Hyson Lemon Infused Black Tea brewed hot and flash chilled over crushed ice, with bergamot, thick lemon wheels and a sprig of fresh rosemary. The bergamot is the trick. Sicily and Calabria are the bergamot growing corner of the Mediterranean, and a twist of its peel over a lemon Ceylon base doubles back into the lemon already in the bag, giving the glass the Earl Grey perfume that plain lemon iced tea never has.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Iced Lemon Tea (Sicilian Style, Bergamot and Rosemary) recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/iced tea/iced lemon tea sicilian style bergamot and rosemary/
Flash chill rather than cold brew, because the Ceylon base wants a hot extraction: one bag in 150ml of full boil water for three minutes, a teaspoon of acacia honey dissolved in while it is hot, then poured straight over ice. Lay the bergamot peel on the rim rather than in the glass, since the oil at full strength would swamp everything and the perfume off the cut peel is plenty. Use thick lemon wheels so they hold their shape for the ten minutes it takes to drink, and a single small rosemary sprig to bridge the lemon and bergamot with a savoury note.
You'll need
- 1 Hyson Lemon Infused Black Tea bag
- 150ml filtered water at a full rolling boil (100°C)
- 1 teaspoon clear acacia honey
- 3 thick wheels of fresh unwaxed lemon (about 6mm thick)
- 1 strip of pared bergamot peel (5cm; or use unwaxed lemon peel if bergamot is unavailable, with 2 drops of Earl Grey bergamot oil as the second best substitute)
- 1 small fresh rosemary sprig (4cm; just a few needles on a stem)
- 250g crushed ice
- Glassware: 350ml tall iced tea glass or stemmed wine glass, pre chilled in the freezer for ten minutes
Method
- Pre chill the iced tea glass in the freezer for at least ten minutes.
- Bring the kettle to a full rolling boil. Drop the Hyson Lemon Infused Black Tea bag into a small heatproof jug and pour 150ml of the freshly boiled water straight over.
- Steep uncovered for three full minutes. Lift the bag out and press it gently against the side of the jug. Stir in the teaspoon of acacia honey while the brew is still hot so it dissolves cleanly.
- Take the iced tea glass out of the freezer. Fill three quarters with crushed ice.
- Tuck the three thick lemon wheels down between the ice against the inside of the glass so they show through the side, and slide the small fresh rosemary sprig high in the ice so the needles sit above the rim.
- Pour the still hot sweetened concentrate over the crushed ice in one steady stream; the ice will roar as it shatters into the hot brew. Within twenty seconds the glass is cold to the touch.
- Express the strip of pared bergamot peel over the glass (a sharp twist with the oily side down sprays the citrus oil across the surface), then lay the peel on the rim of the glass. Do not drop the peel into the drink; the perfume is what matters here, the peel itself would over extract on contact with the iced tea.
- Serve immediately with a wide straw. Drink within fifteen minutes. The bergamot perfume from the rim peel keeps the first sips lifted; the thick lemon wheels and rosemary stay perfuming the cup to the bottom.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Hyson Lemon Infused Black Tea, 32 Tea Bags 32g
Made this? Rate it.
Sign in to rate +5 to 25 reward points · sign-in required
Got something to add? Logged-in customers can submit additions to the Tea Wiki, admin-approved, your name on the byline, plus reward points.
Sign in to contribute
