Raspberry Tea

This is an excellent hot weather tea to cool you down. I like to use a handful of lemon flavored herbs like lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemongrass and lemon basil. Chop up half of a lime and add it to a litre of water, either barely hot or cold. Add your handful of herbs and some fresh fruit juice. I used raspberry juice strained from raspberries, about ½ cup. Let the tea steep several hours if you use cold water. Let steep at least one hour if you use hot water. I add some stevia to give the tea a tart/sweet flavor. Chill in the fridge or with ice and enjoy!

Saffron Rose Milk Tea

¼ cup almonds

1 tablespoon sugar or ½ tablespoon honey

1 cup milk

¼ teaspoon rose petals

10 fennel seeds

3 strands saffron (bloomed)*

2 cardamom pods, seeds removed and shells discarded

Grind fennel and cardamom in a coffee grinder. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and frothy. For a hot beverage, add the ground fennel, cardamom and other ingredients except honey to a saucepan and heat gently for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain and add honey. Sprinkle with two saffron strands and ground up rose petals to decorate.

*How to bloom saffron: grind a few strands of saffron in a mortar and pestle. Bring 1 teaspoon of water to a boil. Pour the water over the saffron. Let cool to room temperature. Use this mixture in your saffron recipe.

Warm Spiced Saffron Tea

6 saffron strands, bloomed

1 cup milk

1 cup water

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon cardamom powder

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon rose petals, divided

1 teaspoon pistachios

Place 2 tablespoons rose petals and cardamom powder in a French press. Warm milk and water on the stove. Add honey until melted. Add bloomed saffron. Pour liquid over rose petals and cardamom powder. Let steep for 10 minutes. While milk is steeping in French press, grind 1 teaspoon rose petals and the pistachios finely in a spice grinder. Plunge the French press and pour the milk into two cups. Sprinkle the ground up rose petals and pistachios on the milk in the cups. Inhale the beautiful scent and enjoy the warmed, spicy milk.