Sencha with a refreshing twist

The days are getting warmer, and we are thoroughly enjoying summer! Phrases like 'Drink at least 2 liters of water a day' and 'Ensure you stay refreshed' are constantly thrown our way. However, we hear conflicting stories about drinking hot versus cold drinks for refreshment on a hot day. Let's first put this contradiction to rest. A large glass of iced tea is, of course, very tempting when you're hot, but it's not the most effective way to cool down.

Iced drinks temporarily lower our body temperature, causing it to work even harder to warm up again. Result: we get even hotter. Hot drinks, on the other hand, have the exact opposite effect. Conclusion: drink hot drinks to cool down! The biggest favorite for this is tea.

Tea, tea, and more tea

Between fact and fiction, we can establish that tea has been known for 5000 years. It will be clear that it was not always consumed as a drink. Probably, people and tribes chewed on the leaves, and it has thus evolved into tea as we know and consume it today. A tea that has become increasingly popular in Western culture in recent years is green tea.

The main reason for this increased popularity is the healthy influence of green tea on the body. We are increasingly concerned with healthy eating, drinking, and living, and the health hype is easily adopted, consciously and unconsciously.

Green tea is healthy

Whether you're a tea lover or a #fitgirl, green tea is hot! Green tea is, in essence, pure nature, because all processes are halted by heating. Therefore, no oxidation occurs during the production of green tea. Tea sommelier Jerry van Daalen gave a workshop on green tea during the Dutch Tea Festival 2017. He also made a delicious mint tea and a refreshing mojito based on sencha. Sencha is a Japanese green tea where the tea leaves are not ground. The word sencha means steeped tea. But how do you use this steeped tea, in combination with other products, without losing the unique taste of the sencha?

Try the following recipes, and you'll know! We've been stubborn and have a recipe for a hot, but also for a cold drink for you. Sometimes it doesn't just have to be responsible, but also simply delicious, right?

Naturally sweetened mint tea based on sencha

A regular mint tea, also called 'twig tea,' is essentially just boiled water with a few sprigs of mint in it. Preferably, a thick dollop of honey or a generous scoop of sugar is added. Many love it, but it can always be better. This led Jerry to the following question: how can we make that mint tea more flavourful without adding all sorts of artificial products? He experimented with various green teas, mint (of course), and looked for a natural substitute for the sweeteners honey and sugar.

Ingredients

• Sencha or gunpowder
• Water
• Mint sprigs
• Oranges

Preparation

Boil the water according to the brewing method of the tea you are using. Sencha and gunpowder are both teas that are very suitable for this recipe. For sencha, heat the water to 80 degrees, and for gunpowder, to 90 degrees.

Then measure 2 grams of tea per serving and let the tea steep for 3 minutes.

Once the tea has steeped, add the mint (to taste, about 3 sprigs per serving) and a thick slice (halved) of orange. The orange provides a natural 'sweetener' in your mint tea. Enjoy!

Lemon mojito based on sencha

In addition to the hot drink mentioned above, we also have a refreshing cold drink on offer for you. Please note: for this drink, the wise lesson 'drink well when it's hot' does not apply! Jerry also didn't necessarily aim for health with this drink but primarily for taste. So let's get started, so you can quickly relax in your garden chair and enjoy this delicious, summery mojito.

Ingredients

• Orange peels
• Lime peels
• Lemon peels
• Lemon slices
• Sugar
• Mint leaves
• Sencha
• Rum
• Ice cubes

Preparation

Leave your orange, lime, and lemon peels in a bowl with sugar. Place the covered bowl in the refrigerator overnight. This will extract the essential oils.

Then make a cold brew sencha. You do this by putting 2 grams of sencha tea per serving in a pot/carafe and adding cold water instead of hot. Then place the cold tea in the refrigerator and let it steep overnight (4-8 hours).

The contents of the bowl with sugar (infused with the peels) have now become a syrup. Add 2 bar spoons of this syrup to the lemon slices. Then mash the syrup and lemon with the mint leaves and add 1 part rum (bar measure/shot glass).

Fill the rest with the cold brew sencha and 2 ice cubes. Garnish and voila!