Tea Granita!

Tea Granita!

Good morning, tea hotties! I hope that you are all having a good week and are getting everything you want to and need to accomplished. My question for you this morning is, "How the heck are you all staying cool in these increasing temperatures?!". It is so hot and humid here, and when I check weather.com there is no end in sight . Also, I don't know about you, but when I am hot, I am irritable and not such a pleasure to be around (my poor boyfriend). To remedy this situation and restore me to being the typical calm, cool, and collected angel that I am, I have been indulging in a new found love of mine that I want to share with you all; tea granita!

For those unfamiliar, granita is essentially an Italian slushee. Originating in Sicily, it is made up of sugar, ice, garnishing or additives of your choice, and in our case, tea. It is a cross between an Italian ice and sorbet. You're probably thinking to yourself, "Kaytea, that sounds amazing but I don't have the 'granita machine' that I'm assuming I need to make this". Don't worry, when I stumbled upon this treat, I was thinking the same thing and was initially vanquished of much of the hope I had for cooling down. That is to say until I did a little more digging and research and found that making this little goodie is actually quite easy and doesn't require a machine of any sorts at all. Please see the recipe I have included below and then we'll dive into some of the best teas to use in making our tea granita!

Tea Granita!

Ingredients:

  • 2 heaping tablespoons of your tea of choice
  • 1 1/4 cup hot water
  • 1/4 cup sugar 
  • Any other additions or extras that you want to add! (Think frozen berries, different juices, honey, or anything else that your hot heart desires!)

Instructions:

  • Steep your tea in room temperature water for an hour or two (we recommend using our Mist tea pitcher and steeping overnight).
  • Strain into a saucepan (plot twist.. you don't need a strainer when you're using the Mist pitcher! Score!) and add in the sugar.
  • Stir to dissolve.
  • In a blender, add your berries, frozen fruits, juices, candies, or anything else you have chosen, along with your tea mixture.
  • Puree until smooth and well blended. 
  • Pour into a loaf tin and let it set in the freezer for 3-4 hours, scraping with a fork every now and then to make sure it freezes evenly.  Scoop and serve.

**Bonus: For iced tea pops, pour the mixture into popsicle molds and freeze. **

Now that you know just how easy it is to make this delicious delicacy, let's talk about some ideas for which teas to start with and some recommendations we have for what to add into your tea granita!

When I discovered this dessert delight and the recipe to accompany it, the first type of teas that popped into my mind to utilize were our tisane teas. Tisane teas are composed of dried fruits and herbs that are packed with the flavors of their components. Another bonus of these teas is that they are all completely caffeine free so if you are looking for a little, low-calorie cool down after dinner, these won't interfere with your nightly meeting with the sandman. The first tisane that came to mind when I started making granita should not be a surprise to you. If you a frequent flyer to the Good Life Tea blog, you know that my favorite tisane is our Angel Falls Mist! It's flavor profile incorporates citrus notes with strawberry, rosehips, and hibiscus. It is so refreshing and is always my go-to tisane tea. I also chose this first as I couldn't wait to try this with frozen strawberries and fresh lemonade added in! As you have probably guessed, I was NOT disappointed and this will continue to be a staple in my freezer all summer long. 
Another tisane tea that comes to mind for making this frozen treat proves our Berry Berry tea. Berry Berry is one of our most popular teas in the summer as it incorporates blueberries, elderberries, raisins, and hibiscus. It is so fruity and brews into an exquisite deep purple color which will translate beautifully to your granita. This tisane tea just screams summer as it is the time to harvest many of these sought after berries. I would recommend trying frozen blueberries or even grape juice in this!
Another collection of teas that I recommend trying for in making this treat proves our White Teas. I say this as our white teas are delicious in a more subtle way. With white teas, the tea leaves are simply dried as opposed to the more complicated processes that are associated with other types teas (black, green, oolong, rooibos, etc). The white teas give, more so, hints of flavor as opposed to the deeper, more evident profiles that you might expect from a black tea. I chose to feature these teas as the soft flavoring allows you room to really play with different additions! For example, you may want to try our Rhapsody in Blue white tea that has highlights of raspberry. I absolutely love raspberry as a flavor and it reminds me of simpler time when I was younger and picking raspberries in the sunshine of summer. In this granita I think I would add fresh or frozen raspberries as well as some fresh squeezed lemon juice. The tang from both of these components would complement the flavors of our Rhapsody in Blue well and enhance the refreshment that you feel whilst enjoying it!
Should you prefer green tea, I stumbled across an absolutely delicious granita option for you as well! One of our green teas that never fails to be popular, especially in the summer months, is our Citron Green. I, personally, don't think of myself as a green tea drinker but I do love our Citron Green, as it doesn't have the vegetal impressions that are traditionally categorical of green teas. Instead, in this tea you will taste a strong citrus profile that is dominated by astringent and sweet lemon-y tones. I love this tea as a morning drink and I imagine it would make a lovely, lower calorie option for a lunch time granita dessert! In using this for your granita, I recommend adding fresh squeezed lemon juice to really bring out the citrus components, as well as perhaps a bit of honey for a tinge of sweetness! 
 
The last tea that I would like to mention here in my suggestions for our tea granita may come as a surprise to you. I have found that our Maple black tea actually makes for a decadent after dinner treat when made into granita! The deep and dark tones that you usually associate with being hot and poured over your pancakes are represented here and release the same endorphins! While I am certainly not on the level of maple syrup connoisseurship that Buddy the Elf resides in, I do think that this confection could give any brunch bonbon a run for it's money. I suggest adding a bit of actual maple syrup here, and if you're feeling adventurous, I read that some individuals even added bits of bacon! Let me know how that one works out!
What makes this sweet treat even more fun for you, and for us, is we have over 120 different teas to experiment with! This will keep you busy, cool, refreshed, and playing around with all different tea combinations all summer long! If you venture out and try a tea not mentioned here, please shoot us an email (info@goodlifetea.com) and let us know which tea you chose and what you added in! I absolutely love hearing from you and getting your feedback! I can also update this blog to include your concoction! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and are able to stay cool with some tea granita! Arrivederci! - Kaytea :) 

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