Spring in your Tea-Cup: Mint-infused Black Tea

Once upon a time, Hubby and I liked to travel to exciting places and drink and eat fancy things at small bistro tables together. Then we had kids. Our current idea of travel consists of a) the grocery store, b) Grandma and Papa Gardener’s place, and c) camping.

But before we grew to love the idea of “stay-cations”, we went to Europe. We country-hopped for five weeks and made wheelbarrow-loads of memories. While we were in Holland, we traveled to The Hague (or Den Haag to the locals). At a small bistro, I ordered a tea. The man at the counter asked, “Would you like to try it with mint?”

I stopped. Mint? Was there a language barrier here? Had I ordered the wrong thing?

I asked, “With mint? Like.. peppermint tea?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head, “With mint. Fresh mint. This is my new favourite drink.”

He reached behind the counter and produced a handful of fresh green sprigs of mint. I was amazed. “Okay. Sure. I’ll try that.”

He ripped off some of the leaves and put them in the bottom of my mug. A bag of black tea followed, and then boiling water helped them to mingle.

I was hesitant to take my first sip – especially as the proprietor of this shop was watching me intently – but as I did, I was pleasantly surprised. This was good! It was delicious, actually!

Now that spring is here, I find myself seeking out food and drinks that taste fresh – that have a zing to them. And then, about a week ago, I remembered the shop owner in The Hague.

I opt to put the mint in a tea strainer. I can sometimes be a distracted person and I can’t trust myself not to slurp back the tea leaves should I leave them in my tea. I’m sure that some people would enjoy chewing on a mint leaf that found its way into their mouth, but I can imagine myself choking on it, sputtering and spewing hot tea all over the place.

I’m graceful like a gazelle. I’m sure you’ve already picked up on that.

I prepare my tea just like I would ordinarily – milk and sugar are quite happy to swirl around with their minty friends.

Now that we’ve been promised a week of sunny weather, I know that I’ll be sipping on my minted black tea while sitting out in the garden. I strongly suggest that if you’re a tea drinker who also enjoys mint, you should try the combination of these two loves. And then come back and tell me if you liked it!

Follow along!