Summer Refreshers

Kukicha and mint tea cooling off.

I've never been a tea fan of any kind, and even after a year in Cambridge, I only made it as far as drinking hot herbal teas once or twice a week. Upon return to the States, I could only find my favorite herbal tea, Decaf Earl Grey Roobios, in loose leaf form online, so I ordered some and a sampler of caffeinated teas for Matt. Surprisingly, I really liked the nuttiness of Kukicha, a Japanese blend of green tea made from twigs, stems and stalks of the Camellia sinensis. Kukicha actually means twig tea (I think). It has the lowest caffeine levels of all traditional teas, which is probably one of the reasons that I like it.

Fresh mint growing on our balcony, and the Kukicha and mint ready to be steeped.

It has been quite warm here lately. I've been craving a refreshing drink and hot tea just isn't appealing. So I am now one of the legions of Americans who brew hot tea and enjoy it later, once it is quite cool. Our version is not only different because of the choice of tea, but we're also using fresh mint from our balcony herb garden. Mint certainly does grow like a weed, so there are always enough leaves to throw in with the twiggy tea while steeping. Green tea should only steep for three minutes, and we've found that although the mint and tea are removed at this time, the mint flavor is stronger once the tea is cold. I guess the mint oils just continue to infuse the concoction.

While this is my new favorite anytime summer refresher, I have to give a shout out to the Cucumber Cooler I had at lunch on Saturday at the Montage in Laguna Beach: cucumber infused vodka, champagne and elderflower syrup served over ice and fresh cucumber slices. Oh my, that's a heavenly drink!