09 June 2008

A Tall, Cold One

It's still unbearably hot out, and my lobsterized skin is only adding to the melt effect, so much so that I can't possibly get The Great Iced Tea Experiment 2008 up and running today.

I won't abandon you entirely, though. One of the best things about tea is its versatility. It can stimulate or soothe; after spending the day outside yesterday, inhaling a double-scoop chocolate-vanilla ice-cream cone, limeade, and several chili-cheese paposas complete with crema and cabbage slaw, I am in severe need of the latter. (And I don't even like chocolate ice cream, that's how heat-handicapped I was.)

Although the big drink companies would lead you to believe otherwise, with their corn-syrup-laced bottled "tea" drinks, tea is actually good for you. Without sounding too much like someone I would make fun of, it gets your mind and body back in balance.

This, then, is all I want today: a tea-fruit smoothie. Just grab whatever fruit you have on hand, toss it in the blender, pour it into a tall glass and sift some matcha, or green-tea powder, on top. Today's consists of cubes of honeydew, a champagne mango, some frozen raspberries, plain yogurt, fresh mint and a grainy spoonful of drag-queen honey.

Gently stir the matcha into the mix, sip, and let it cool you off- all without boiling a drop a water.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wait! I have on hand: drag queen honey, strawberries, watermelon, fresh mint and plain yogurt. But I have no matcha. What then can I do, teaspot lady?
How will I fight the heat and laziness with only these minus the matcha? Can I just tear open a Lipton teabag and stir? What say ye?

ana dane said...

raw tea leaves are a bit of an acquired taste. even though that's all matcha is, it's been reduced to a very fine, powdered state- i don't know how well a blender could produce that out of bagged tea leaves, especially with everything else in there.

try adding some regularly brewed tea, cooled or even frozen in an ice-cube tray, into the fruit-yogurt mix. you'll still get a strong tea flavor with all that delicious summery fruitness.