Herbal Tea Blending Masterclass Blog Posts

The flavour from the hibiscus flowers and rose buds in the jelly part of this ice cream are really quite stunning and delicious.  You could use any tea flavours you like to make the jelly, or even use wine, cider or kombucha along with tea.

JELLY INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup water
• 1 T rose buds (heaped)
• 1 T hibiscus flowers (heaped)
• 2 T maple syrup
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cornflour to thicken the mixture

ICE CREAM INGREDIENTS

• 175g frozen banana (approximately 2 medium bananas)
• 162g (approx.) frozen pineapple juice (take 1 tin of pineapple pieces, strain the juice off and freeze in ice cube trays, use all of the frozen juice)
• 2/3 cup coconut cream
• 80g pineapple pieces
• 1 T icing sugar

CHOCOLATE COATING INGREDIENTS

• 2T dark cocoa
• 2T maple syrup
• 4 T coconut oil
• (or for a richer coating, try Whitakers 72% dark chocolate instead)

METHOD - JELLY

1. Make the tea by adding the boiled water to the hibiscus and rose buds in a heat proof jug.
2. Stir and allow to steep for...

After trialing several different infusions, this one was the winner by a mile by our gin enthusiast-relatives! 

Its the grapefruit that really gives it a lovely lift and vibrancy.

Create your own blend, use the recipe below or divide the litre of vodka into two or four and create a series of recipe variations using different citrus and varying ratios of herbs and spices.

 Ingredients

• 1 litre vodka
• 16g Juniper Berries
• 4g Angelica Root
• 4x Cardamom Pods
• 12g Coriander Seeds (crush lightly)
• 3.5g Liquorice Root
• 2g Cinnamon (cassia) – either pieces or quills (not powder)
• 1/6 teaspoon (yes, one sixth of a teaspoon or 1/2 gram) Orris Root Powder
• 4 teaspoons fresh grapefruit peel

Method

1. Decant the vodka into a large glass jar. 
2. Mix all botanicals in with the vodka, stirring well. 
3. Place the lid on allow to sit for 48 hours. 
4. You can either give the jar a shake (if the lid seals properly) or give it a stir a couple of times during the 48 hours. 
5. Strain...

After a few attempts at making tonic water at home, I like this version the best. 

It's not too sweet and uses fresh stevia leaves which could be changed out with stevia liquid or dried leaves, it has plenty of citrus flavour and enough cinchona fllavour (the plant responsible for that recognisable quinine taste).

You can easily swap around the herbs and spices for those that you prefer.

As this is a concentrated recipe, you can dilute it to your taste liking with sparkling water or still water if you prefer.

This recipe makes about 700 millilitres (a little over a pint) and will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

TONIC WATER RECIPE

Ingredients

• 4g cinchona bark
• 4g citric acid
• 4g lemon zest (approx. 1 medium lemon)
• 75ml lemon juice (I used a medium meyer lemon which are very juicy)
• 3g lime zest (approx. 1 medium lime)
• 30 ml lime juice (approx. 1 medium lime)
• 8g lemon grass, fresh and chopped roughly
• 1g fennel seeds
• 1g allspice berries
• 1 x clove
• 3g stevia...

These delicious Chocolate Ashwaganda Energy Balls are filled with warming Chai spices, dark chocolate chips and yummy nut butter which make for a tasty energy snack or after dinner treat.

Pair with any of your favourite herbal teas or they are especially delicous with a hot cup of chai tea.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons nut butter (I used Everything Butter by Fix & Fogg)
• 3 tablespoons honey (I used our own raw, unpasteurised honey)
• 50g dark chocolate, chopped (I used Whittakers 72% dark)
• 1 tablespoon Ashwaganda, powdered
• 2 tablespoons dark cocoa or cacoa powder
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ginger powder
• 3/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Your choice of ingredients to roll the balls in; I used cornflowers, slivered almonds, coconut, cocoa powder and freeze-dried black currant powder

METHOD

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until combined into a large ball.
2. Take spoonful’s and roll...