Name: Standard Blackcurrant Ceylon Cup (Star Anise and Honey)
Total time: 6 min
Yield: Serves 1
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 Hyson Blackcurrant Infused Black Tea bag; 250ml filtered water at a full rolling boil (100°C); 1 whole star anise (do not break it; the intact petals release across three minutes properly); 1/2 teaspoon clear acacia honey; 1 thin slice of unwaxed lemon, optional, on the saucer; A thin-walled glass mug or fine china cup, 250ml capacity, pre-warmed

Standard Blackcurrant Ceylon Cup (Star Anise And Honey)

Hyson Blackcurrant Infused Black Tea takes well to a French treatment: a whole star anise dropped in with the bag, and half a teaspoon of clear acacia honey stirred through at the end. Anise bridges blackcurrant and Black Tea the way it does in a creme de cassis cocktail, and honey rounds the edge off the fruit. Blackcurrant, anise and honey are an old Burgundy pairing, and on a Ceylon blackcurrant base they give the cup the shape of a grown up French dessert without any real sweetness.

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Standard Blackcurrant Ceylon Cup (Star Anise and Honey) recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/fruit tea/standard blackcurrant ceylon cup star anise and honey/

Brew it at a full rolling boil, since the black tea side of the bag carries the cup. Three minutes is right: the blackcurrant peaks there and the anise takes over past four. Keep the star anise whole so the petals release slowly, and lift it out at three minutes before it turns medicinal. Stir the honey in once the cup has dropped to about 65 degrees so its aroma survives. Drink it black to taste the blackcurrant properly.

⏱ 6 min 🍽 Serves 1 📊 Easy 📚 Fruit Tea Recipes

You'll need

1 Hyson Blackcurrant Infused Black Tea bag
250ml filtered water at a full rolling boil (100°C)
1 whole star anise (do not break it; the intact petals release across three minutes properly)
1/2 teaspoon clear acacia honey
1 thin slice of unwaxed lemon, optional, on the saucer
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 Blackcurrant Infused Black Tea bag into the warmed mug. Drop the whole star anise in beside it.
Bring the kettle to a full rolling boil. Pour 250ml of the freshly boiled water straight over the bag and the star anise.
Set a three minute timer. Do not cover.
At three minutes, lift the bag out with a teaspoon. Lift the star anise out and discard (its work is done; a star anise steeped beyond three minutes goes medicinal).
Wait 90 seconds for the cup to cool to roughly 65 degrees. Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon of clear acacia honey at this temperature; honey aromatics survive at 65 but flash off above 70.
Lay the optional thin lemon slice on the saucer beside the cup if using; the lemon perfumes from the side without acidifying the cup.
Drink hot, black, no milk. The first sips bring blackcurrant and star anise forward; the middle of the cup is brisk Ceylon with the honey rounding underneath; the finish is the warm anise note coming through at the bottom.

What you'll end up with: A clear deep red purple cup with an optional lemon slice on the saucer: blackcurrant and star anise on the nose, brisk Ceylon and honey through the middle, a long dark berry finish with the warm anise coming through at the end.

Save / print

🛒 Made with this tea

Hyson Blackcurrant Infused Black Tea, 32 Tea Bags 32g£14.80