Drinking Persian tea, or "cha-ee" is simply a part of Persian lifestyle - it is consumed in the morning, after meals, and throughout the entire day...
My mom makes her own blend of tea by mixing together Twinings Earl Grey tea leaves with a basic strong Indian black tea. There are also pre-mixed teas available in both loose leaf and tea bag form (available at Amazon.com).
Traditionally, the tea is prepared by steeping the leaves in a small tea pot to brew a concentrated batch of tea that is later combined with hot water to create the desired strength (designated by color) of tea - basically the same concept as a Caffe Americano in the coffee world. (A samovar is designed for this purpose)
 |
| Persian Electric Samovar |
If you are using loose leaf tea leaves, the easy way is using a coffee pot to brew the tea - this is not nearly as delicious as the flavor that results from having the tea leaves truly steep as they do in the concentrated version, but when I'm yearning for a quick cup of Persian tea, it does the trick. Of course, tea bags are even easier still.
A couple of things to keep in mind:
* For the best flavor, use only filtered water
* Persian tea is always served in a clear glass in order to gauge the desired strength (indicated by its color - darker is stronger)
I enjoy my Persian tea sweetened with sugar or alongside some of my favorite Persian desserts, like rose water flavored zoolbia and bamieh (which I'm totally going to have to try and make myself!)
twinings earl grey tea , always my favorite
ReplyDelete