I really do like cold espresso coffee with soda water mixed in with it. Altering the coffee and soda amounts can definitely put more pep in your step! Add sugar and you can be on the way to a sugar-caffeine-induced high. So, not exactly healthy …
I wanted something mellow. So I kept looking. I didn’t want anything alcoholic as that can lead to other problems! Was I asking too much of a simple drink?
Then it clicked. I’d expand my horizons and try a cold version of a hot drink I have all the time. TEA. Iced tea.
Some health claims relating to tea (as long as you don’t overload it with sugar) include: keeping you hydrated; boosting your antioxidants; aiding in the fight against cancer; helping your heart; benefitting your teeth and soothing your nerves. And yes, I’m pretty sure tea is a vegetable!
I found out there are three ways you can make cold tea.
- I advise against sun tea. This involves leaving the tea in the sun for a long time and, in the Australia climate, I’d worry about how many bacteria might be cultured by the brew being left out for so long with the flies and so forth.
- Make quick iced tea with hot water. Add ice immediately and then cool it down further in the fridge. This way gives you more caffeine and a stronger taste.
- The third way I discovered gives you less caffeine if that’s what’s needed or if you like your tea taste to have the sharp edges buffed off.
So try this. Make your tea as normal, and as strong or as weak as you think you will like it. Pour the tea into a clean jug. You can add lemon and sugar or honey to taste. The hard part is to let the tea sit covered in the fridge for four to seven hours. (I got impatient). Then add ice if you’d like a bit of crunch – and there you have it.
Experiment with white, green, oolong, black or Pu’er (a Chinese fermented tea). Or try caffeine-free herbal teas or tisanes – as these can be very refreshing.
I think after Christmas lunch when the postprandial nap lurks an iced tea may be the way to go before clean-up begins.
Wishing you all a happy Christmas and a merry New Year.
