Minty Green Tea
We tea drinkers need to get over ourselves a bit. When I was a kid, my grandpa and I would have slurping contests with tea drunk from big enamel mugs. Nanna would come out looking cross and saying 'Fluddy (his name was Vlad, but she called him Fluddy), you doan do dis to da childt' in her funny Euro-Aussie accent. Sometimes I'd giggle so hard, I'd snort tea and have a coughing fit. That'd go down well at the Posh Tea Shop, wouldn't it?
So now there are these insanely over-the-top tea boutiques, with price tags, obsequious staff and fine china, all making a motza out of a simple cuppa. I like them and all, but sometimes I crave a cuppa from an enamel cup, with some garden greens to add a bit of flavour. No, not the beet leaves or the basil. I'm talking mint.
Mint will sprout up and grow wild just about anywhere. It takes hold like a weed and brightens up otherwise dull parts of the garden. It smells divine when you water it or brush against it, and it livens up many a salad and cuppa.
To make a minty green tea, here's what you'll need:
Teapot or plunger-style pot
Cup
Sugar if you want it
2 teaspoons green tea
Enough mint leaves to fit in the middle of the palm of your hand
4-6 stalks of mint tied with kitchen string, with a bit of string left dangling to use teabag-style
Here's what you have to do:
Scoop the tea and the loose mint leaves into your pot or plunger. Boil the kettle, but don't pour the boiling water straight onto the delicate green tea leaves. Let it cool for about three minutes, then, fill your pot with the water. You'll need to let it sit and steep for about five more minutes.
When you're ready, get your cup and pour your lovely, minty scented tea, inhaling as you pour. Very therapeutic and all that. Using your mint stalks tied up with string, give it a good stir. This releases even more minty flavour into the brew and I promise you, it will smell and taste heavenly. Add a bit of sugar if you like, and stir with your mint again. Sip and enjoy. (Giggling and snorting whilst consuming this tea, considered obligatory!)
