September 28, 2015
Summer’s not over yet! Here are a couple of summer cocktails recipes to help you enjoy the last days of summer! Don’t let the name fool you, this tea/ summer cocktails can be enjoyed anytime of the year! The tea brews to a dark amber cup with a smooth, refreshing, light peach taste and subtle Earl Grey undertones. Infused Vodka: Put 1 Tbsp of Summertime Earl Grey Tea in an 8oz jar and cover with vodka. Set aside for 5 days to infuse then strain out the tea. Cocktail: 1oz Summertime Earl Grey Vodka 5oz Tonic Orange twist or wedge Fill a glass with ice then add the vodka and tonic. Garnish with an orange twist or wedge. The orange flavor really complements the bergamot! There’s not a […]
July 2, 2015
The chocolate, cinnamon and hazelnut tastes in this herbal tisane make it the perfect ingredient to use in baking and especially in this coffeecake recipe. Delicious!
June 2, 2015
Moringa (moringa oleifera) is a highly nutritious plant where all parts have beneficial properties (the leaves, the seeds, flowers, young tender pods, immature seeds and the roots). This plant is rapidly becoming a staple in countries that have poor soil and growing climates. It is rich in vitamins and minerals and high in protein. Moringa brews to an amber cup with dark green leaves and an interesting steamed spinach-like taste. Moringa is also delicious and nutritious when ground and added to different recipes. Here are 2 below. Moringa Dill Hummus 2 ½ cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained ¼ cup tahini 2 Tbsp olive oil 1/3 cup lemon juice 2 cloves garlic ½ tsp salt 2 tsp Moringa leaves, ground 1 tsp dry dill leaf Place all ingredients except […]
April 22, 2015
A delicious tea bread made with tea! Nothing says cozy more than this tea and the aroma of baking sweet breads. This bread is lovely and even lovelier when enjoyed with a cup of Simpson & Vail’s Cozy Comfort tea 🙂 Banana Nut Bread with Cozy Comfort Tea 1 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1 Tbsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup (4 oz) Cozy Comfort tea butter* 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 2 eggs 1/3 cup honey 1 1/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (3-4 medium)1 cup walnuts, chopped *Cozy Comfort Tea Butter 5 oz butter 2 tsp Cozy Comfort tea Melt the butter in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Add the Cozy Comfort tea and […]
March 16, 2015
Have you used tea as an ingredient in baking yet? If not, you’re in for a tasty surprise when you try it! The two most used teas in recipes are Chai and Earl Grey, and you’ll find recipes using both on our website. The Earl Grey recipes we feature are Earl Grey Tea Shortbread and Earl Grey Chocolate Truffles. Here’s another one that I just made – Earl Grey Almond Cookies: Earl Grey Almond Cookies 1 ¾ cups flour 1/3 cup ground almonds 1/8 tsp salt 6 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar 2 tsp Earl Grey tea leaves, ground 4 ½ oz butter, chilled and diced 1 egg ½ tsp vanilla extract thick jam for filling confectioners’ sugar for dusting Put the flour, almonds, salt, confectioners’ sugar and ground Earl […]
January 13, 2015
Chai Masala originated in the areas in and around India and Tibet thousands of years ago. There are a few legends surrounding the invention of masala tea. One is that an Indian king was made this tea by his chef and so loved the drink that he banned the chef from revealing the recipe to anyone else. After his death, the secret recipe was given out, whereupon it was changed based on the ingredients people had available to them. Another legend claims that the Tibetans were the originators of this recipe, using it as an offering and as a sign of hospitality. Their recipe used spices with salt and whatever dairy products were available (goat’s milk, yak butter, etc …). Whoever was the originator of chai and masala […]
December 31, 2014
Chocolate and mint … a perfect combination especially during the holiday season! We infused our organic Candy Cane Rooibos Holiday tisane in butter for a delicious, sweet mint flavor. “Tea” butter: 7 oz butter 3 Tbsp Candy Cane Rooibos organic herbal “tea” blend Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the Candy Cane tisane and steep on low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and steep for 5 minutes. Strain the leaves from the butter using a fine strainer or cheesecloth. Some of the butter clings to the tea leaves, so always make sure to use more butter than a recipe calls for when making infused tea butters. I strained the tea butter into a measuring cup to make sure I had enough […]
December 4, 2014
Can you achieve balance in your life with a cup of tea? Probably not. But you can start, with that first sip, on a journey of wellness, adventure, relaxation, joy. Sitting with a cup of tea and the intention to start your life right from this moment can be quite powerful. From a simple intention can spring forth an entirely new perspective, a new reality. Why not give it a try? In 2007 we introduced a line of herbal tisanes, our “Yoga” line, that we designed to help people as they started on their new paths. The philosophies, principles and life styles of yoga have existed for 5,000 years in one form or another and are now easily available to the average person through books, dvd’s or the […]
November 14, 2014
Bring the aroma of Spring and Summer into your house this winter with some of our floral teas. Are you new to floral teas and how they are made? Here’s a little introduction. Our floral tea blends are a combination of either teas that are just blended with herbs or teas that are blended with herbs and flavorings. Jasmine Teas All of our Jasmine teas are produced by infusing the tea leaves with fresh picked Jasmine blossoms. The process of producing Jasmine tea started in China sometime during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) using tea blended with Jasmine blossoms. Jasmine teas are created using different types of tea: white, oolong and green predominantly. The base teas used are picked, depending on the type of tea, from March to June, […]
October 10, 2014
These Apple Cinnamon Tea Cookies are so scrumptious that we ate almost all of them right from the oven! To add the superb flavor to these cookies, we infused our Apple Cinnamon Coffeecake black dessert tea in butter then strained out the leaves. The butter was left with the most heavenly taste and aroma. Tea butter: 2 sticks (8oz) butter 8 Tbsp Apple Cinnamon Coffeecake Black tea blend Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the tea and steep on low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and steep for 5 minutes. Strain the leaves from the butter using a fine strainer or cheesecloth. Some of the butter clings to the tea leaves, so always make sure to use more butter than a […]