Tips for Teas and Hot Chocolates

At our place, enjoying hot tea or hot chocolate with our closest friends is always a small event, that involves some prep and forethought to create the experience. From choosing the best blends to simmering flavors into a soothing and sensational cup of wonders. Here are a few quick tips that we personally use to infuse great memories into each cup of steaming perfection.

For Tea

At first glance you may think, its just tea... a little hot water and some honey or sugar and it’s done. However, to make great tea, its a little more complicated than that. In general, teas take only 2-5 minutes to make. However because not all teas are created equal (white tea, green tea, black tea, etc) it’s important not to overdevelop the flavors too far because, this could make the finish boastfully bitter. For darker or heavier flavored teas, we usually begin by seasoning the water or juice being used for the base of the tea, and boiling it. Then we’ll add certain spices to it before adding the tea after which the water is then reduced to a low simmer. For lighter or softer flavored teas we start by adding the tea to the water first, and towards the end of the simmer we introduce additional flavor enhancers to accent the underlying finish of the tea flavor. As with any rule, though, there are always exceptions. Simmering the tea too long or with the heat too high can cause it to become too strong and have a bitter finish, while reducing the water to a simmer brings out a subtle, more rounded flavor in the end. This, in part, is because simmering allows the leaves to “bloom” a little slower than boiling, and in the end causes the actual tea flavor to be more pronounced instead of a bitter finish. When it comes to infusing other flavors, there are lots of choices to pick from, including: extracts, nectar, honeys, syrups, citrus fruit, peaches, pineapple, and sometime even wines or liqueurs.

Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolates are a completely different matter. We usually start with a selection of chocolate or chocolate chips that are slowly heated with a little cream and vanilla flavoring. Once its all melted together we add some milk or half and half to increase its volume so that its not too thick. If we’re going for a heavier more viscous chocolate, we may melt a few marshmallows into it before pouring, and if we’re going for a more effervescent spirited finish, we add a splash of vanilla cognac, or Jack Daniels Honey just before serving. When its really cold out we’ll do both, which is always nice, because the more viscous mouth feel sticks with you just a bit longer and the spirited zip from the alcohol adds a little extra warmth as it goes down. Top it off with toasted marshmallows and a chocolate drizzle and you’re ready to enjoy it your favorite Caramel Cheesecake Brownie, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Madeleine or maybe some Irish Cream Butterscotch Rice Krispy Treats.

Conclusion

Obviously you wouldn’t drink either of these all the time, but with either choice you cant loose! Who knew it could be so simple... So why bother going to a local coffee boutique or tea house for a specialty cup of something you can make and personalize at home? Give it a shot and create your own culinary signature on these 2 all time classics; and when you do, drop us a line and let us know what you came up with.