Cozy warm cups & comfort carbs!
There's nothing like wrapping your hands around a warm cup on a chilly morning. Teas are great way to break the coffee habit while getting a lower dose of caffeine and adding some spice to your day. An emerging trend are teas with flavored syrups added to lend dimension and enhance the natural essence of the tea itself.
Pure Birch Syrup as well as sweetened Birch for Breakfast pair especially well with warm spice notes and make them a natural companion to Chai teas. Traditional chai spices are cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and fennel and these make for a smooth, rich beverage when you add a healthy portion of milk and a touch of the caramel fruity sweetness of Birch Syrup.
For some reason, our late mother used to insist that a good cup of tea could not be achieved unless we boiled the kettle twice before pouring the water into an already heated tea pot. I could never understand the logic of this doctrine. My Grade 10 physics teacher taught us that the boiling temperature of water is 100 degree Celsius...period! Boiling the water twice surely does not change that, hence my confusion about why this should matter.
Has anyone else received this kind of tea brewing advice? I would be most interested to hear! Leave a comment if you know the secret as to why this makes the perfect cup of tea.
And now for the carb part! Part of the tradition of having tea, is to eat something sweet with it. It's always a nice treat when accompanying snacks contain spice notes complimentary to the tea you are serving. Check out the following sweet Birch nibbles to have with your Birch flavored tea:
Cornbread & Birch for Breakfast
Birch Chai Latte
Recipe |
Notes: Make this one Vegan by using Oat, Soy or Coconut Milk. |
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Serves: One cup Prep Time: 5 Min |
Preheat: Tea pot should be filled with hot tap water while you wait for the kettle to boil. A pre-warmed tea pot makes for a much better tasting brew. |
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Ingredients: |
Method: |
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1 Cup Fresh Cold Water 1 Chai Tea Bag 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract (optional) 1/2 Cup Steamed Milk 1 Tsp pure Gold Birch Syrup 1 Tbsp Birch for Breakfast syrup Cinnamon to garnish (optional) |
Place tea bag in a generous sized cup. Boil the water and pour over tea bag until the cup is approx 1/2 full. Let steep 5 minutes. While the tea is steeping, warm milk over med-high heat on the stove, keeping a close eye so it doesn't burn. Stir occasionally. When milk is steaming but not boiling remove from heat. Set aside. Remove tea bag from cup. Add vanilla and birch syrups. Stir to combine. Pour in steaming milk and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon. |
Enjoy your cuppa!