I ♥ Tea

So I made tea today...let me back up and tell you why I made tea before I show you what I did.  My favourite tea blend is a traditional British Earl Grey.  A black tea with a hint of bergamot.  Very sadly, the teabags I recently bought stateside didn't taste like EG so instead of throwing out the tea and the bags...I decided to use them as a base to make a spiced tea.  I can't call it Chai as it's missing some key ingredients like Cardamon, but I threw in some candied ginger, peppercorns, fennel, cloves and cinnamon.  If you have an aversion to strong smells, I suggest wearing a scarf or mask while making this tea....it's a pretty potent mixing process!!

 1. As I wasn't using fresh loose leaf tea, I had to carefully remove my dissapointing 'Earl Grey' blend from the well packaged TJ's bags.  I used approx. 1/2 a cup of this tea, the same would go for loose leaf. 

 2. As this tea has already been mixed I'm decided going to include  it in the bake and grind of the other ingredients (if using loose leaf black tea - just include it in the bake and grind). 

 3. Taking about 1/2 each teaspoon of my selected herbs, I spread them onto a baking tray.  Baking them for 5 minutes at about 350 degrees.  Great smell!!! 

 4. I then crushed my ingredients in my make shift pestle and mortar! 

 5. Mixed in my tea (if using loose leaf, it will already be mixed in with spices, so just go ahead and grind it all up). 

  6. It looked so pretty! I filled up the bags and stapled them shut..then realised I could just tie them shut (but it does shorten the length of thread). 

 7. Leftovers I kept in a jar to make tea the old fashioned way.

 After adding a little honey and  milk I enjoyed the sunset - quickly as it does nearer the Equator!  Drinking my tea....the sun beat me I'm afraid...I forgot that dusk is quite a substantial period of time in North Western Europe!  Today I also found it a strange realisation,  that I'm not on an island surrounded by water?  Go West, there is ocean, but go East and there is a lot of land!!!