Easy Thai Iced Tea

Mmmm, summer.

There's something about hot weather that is just as good for eating spicy food as it is for drinking a cold beverage. That's one of the most perfect combinations, right?  If you don't believe me, you can just ask these guys.

A little dairy is helpful when fighting the burn of capsaicin because milk contains casein, which helps wash away capsaicin oil when water does not.

Pain aside, Thai tea is refreshing no matter if you're spicing it up or not. The most noticeable thing about the tea is its creamy orange color. It is a black tea with a spicy vanilla flavor, spicy meaning cinnamon or star anise, not hot pepper spicy.

I was thrilled to find this bag of Thai Tea Mix at our local Asian grocery store. If you want to find this stuff, you'll probably have to visit your local Asian grocer, too.

I really like this brand, which seems to be a popular one.

To measure and brew the tea, follow the directions on your brand of tea. This brand suggests using 4 T per cup of boiling water. I brewed the tea for about 4 minutes.

Here's what the mix looks like.

I brewed the tea in our French press, which is good for things like loose leaf tea, coffee, draining quinoa, and pretty much infusing and straining anything.

Oops, I should have added the tea first!

Steeping the tea in the French press

I pressed the tea after about 4 minutes (3-5 here is average) and poured it into pitcher, adding sugar to sweeten it up. You can add white sugar or sweetened condensed milk (which is also part of what makes Thai iced coffee so good). Personally, I like my tea less sweet, so I just dissolved a little sugar into mine before putting it into the refrigerator to cool.

Once cool, I poured myself a glass of this tea goodness! It's a reddish orange color here, but just wait until I add the half and half!

Iced, sweetened and chillin'

BAM! Sittin' pretty with some half and half.

And that's it, folks! Now you have a glass of Thai iced tea (or a pitcher if you're me).

Thanks for reading today! Here a few things to think about:

• Where is your closest Asian grocer?
• Are you interested in learning how to make Thai iced coffee?
• Would you like to see more videos?

My First Tea with Strangers - Stanza Coffee

Image: teawithstrangers.com

Since we moved to San Francisco I've been trying to find a way to get out and meet new people. What I'm learning is that most of the people I've met have an interesting story, whether they've just moved here from [insert any place here] or have lived here for 20+ years.

I was lucky enough to catch a tweet that mentioned something called Tea with Strangers. What caught my attention was the idea of meeting people over a cup of coffee or tea as opposed to a beer in a bar. Sure, I like grabbing a beer and chatting, but sitting down with a cup of coffee or tea is a different experience, one that is probably more my style.

The idea for Tea with Strangers was started here in San Francisco and is currently operating in Princeton and Miami with plans to start in DC, Boston, NYC, LA, Chicago, UPenn, Portland, Seattle and Palo Alto. So if you're not based in San Francisco, you might still get your chance to grab a cup with some people you've never met.

I signed up for a local tea at Stanza Coffee (16th and Valencia, Mission), a local shop I've passed by but never stopped into.

There were six people including a facilitator who helped get the conversation rolling. We met out on the back patio, where we talked for two hours about who we are, where we're from, our parents, careers, hobbies, apartment living, hiking in San Francisco, vegetarian food...etc. What was interesting about this group was that we were all very different people, but four of us lived or grew up in the Northeast. Two of us have had the joy of driving on I-83.

I discovered a new hiking spot I want to try soon.

I learned about Emperor Norton.

It was a well-spent two hours of my afternoon, and I'd be happy to invest time into another tea time. The atmosphere was casual. It wasn't a job interview. It wasn't a work-promoted networking event. It was an easy way to meet new people that only costs a few dollars. If you like talking to strangers, this just might be for you.

Check Them Out: teawithstrangers.com

A First Attempt at Bubble Tea

Chocolate bubble tea

A few weeks ago, I found some tapioca pearls in the Asian food section of Weis. These aren't the large pearls you typically find in bubble tea but I figured for a few dollars, I may as we'll give it a try.

Bubble tea comes made a variety of ways, if you aren't familiar. It can be made with either tapioca pearls or boba and can be made with regular sweetened or unsweetened tea, milk tea or even blended. My favorite is milk tea with tapioca. 

Today is really supposed to be a cleaning day. My bf is coming back from his month-long trip on Friday, and there's some cleaning I've been slacking on. Luckily, today is a beautifully sunny (yet still freezing) day and I woke up semi-early (for someone who doesn't have kids, that's 8 a.m.). 

I shoveled the driveway and walkway, took the dog for a quick walk, started laundry, and made a quick breakfast of apple sage vegan sausage and eggs. I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but I mostly find sausage iffy at best. Hotdogs are same if not more iffy-ness. There's something gross to me about liquified meat being shoved into casing and served as something anyone should eat.

After finally sitting down for a few minutes, I decided this was the bubble tea experiment day. I used a recipe I found on Pinterest for the milk/sugar/tea guideline. The recipe called for coconut milk (like from a can), but I chose to use something less rich, the almond/coconut milk blend from the refrigerator section.

Tapioca pearls and chocolate tea

To prep, I boiled 1/2 cup of tapioca pearls in a medium pot of water for 10 minutes. I removed from the stove and let set for another 5 minutes. I think scooped the pearls out and let them cool in a bowl. 

Cooked pearls

I brewed and sweetened my tea (loose leaf) and chilled it in the freezer for a few minutes while the pearls were setting. When the pearls were ready, I scooped them into the tea and added milk.

All in all, not difficult. I'll be interested to try different favors of tea. I think next time, I will made my tea further in advance so it is cold instead if cool. Maybe I'll try adding some coconut milk creamer to try a richer flavor, although just the milk was good, too. 

Warm Up With a Tea Latte

If you're lucky enough to be sitting at home this morning, enjoying the snow from inside your home rather than inside your car...this is for you. A tea latte is a nice way to settle into a snow day. It has that wonderful warm flavor and smells just as good!

Recipe modified from One Ingredient Chef

2 teabags (or equivalent in loose leaf)
1 cup milk (you can sub soy milk if you prefer)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
Dash of cinnamon




In a medium saucepan, slowly heat milk and water.

Open and empty 1 1/2 teabags of tea into saucepan with milk and water. Do not put teabags into the mixture. You have to empty the tea so it brews.

Whisk frequently to simmer, but be very careful it does not boil over.

Add vanilla and sugar. Continue to whisk occasionally for about 2 minutes.

After 2 minutes, remove from heat and cover with lid. Let sit for about 4-5 minutes. Tea will continue to brew.

While your tea is brewing, whisk or beat heavy cream until frothy.

Pour tea mixture into French Press (or tea strainer, if you have one) and strain. Pour into your mug and top with heavy cream and sprinkle with cinnamon!

A snowy winter day deserves a pumpkin spice muffin and chai

Add whipped cream if you want!