It rained yesterday morning, and they say it's going to rain again on Saturday, but today dawned sunny and bright, and that was excuse enough for me to brew 2007's inaugural batch of iced tea. We drink a lot of iced tea around here between April and September. Pitchers and pitchers of it.
Black tea with wildflower honey. Rooibos tea with malty-sweet demerara sugar. Green tea with a touch of rice syrup. Always sweetened while the tea is hot, so as not to create grainy, separated sweet notes.
Sometimes accompanied by fat lemon wedges, sometimes not. Frequently spiked with fresh green herbs like pineapple sage or lemon thyme or mint to add an extra dimension of flavor.
Occasionally enjoyed with dinner, but more frequently sipped slowly in the mid-afternoon or early evening, while sitting outside on the deck, finishing "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight" by Alexandra Fuller, and listening to the squabbling of the birds and the rasp of crickets.
Always hits the spot.
