2 cups water ���

2/3 cup sugar ��

3 tablespoons snipped fresh mint ��

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup lemon juice ���

2 cups strong brewed tea ��

1 one-liter bottle club soda, chilled

Rose, calendula, or pansy petals (optional) for garnish

Flower ice cubes or ring (optional)

Place water, sugar and mint if desired, in a large stainless-steel or nonreactive pan. Bring to boiling; remove from heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain mixture through a mesh tea strainer.

Add orange juice, lemon juice, and tea to flavored water; chill. Just before serving, add chilled club soda. If desired, sprinkle punch with flower petals and serve with flower ice cubes or ring. Makes about 3 quarts or 16 (6-ounce) servings.

Flower Ice Cubes: Fill ice-cube trays half full with water and place an edible blossom or petal on water in each cube. Freeze until firm, then fill the tray with water and freeze again.

Flower Ice Ring: Fill ring mold half full with water and place edible blossoms or petals on water in ring. Freeze until firm, then fill the mold with water and freeze again.

Make-Ahead Tip:Prepare punch except do not add club soda. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Prepare Flower Ice Cubes or Flower Ice Ring and freeze. Add club soda to punch before serving

4 cups boiling water

5 English Breakfast tea bags

2 cups sliced fresh fruit*

2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups white grape juice

In a teapot, pour boiling water over tea bags; cover and brew 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and cool. In large pitcher, combine fruit with sugar. Pour tea over fruit; stir in juice. Serve in ice filled glasses. Makes 6 10-oz. servings. * use any combination of apples, peaches, pineapple, oranges or strawberries.

Steep 3 Tropical Tea bags and 3 Peppermint Teabags in 1 quart of boiling water for 5 minutes, then remove teabags. Add 3 quarts cold water to the tea concentrate. Add 2 quarts apple juice. Add 4 ounces lemon juice. Serve over ice, with lemon slice garnish.

6 Lemon tea bags

24 oz. Strawberry puree

1 bottle club soda or sparkling water

To make the puree, place fresh or frozen strawberries in a blender for 1 minute.

Steep 6 Lemon tea bags in 4 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes. Gently squeeze the tea bags and remove them. Allow the tea to cool. In a large pitcher combine tea concentrate with Strawberry puree. Add 1 bottle of sparkling water. Stir well and serve over ice. Makes six 12 oz. servings.

8 cups of water

6 tablespoons Thai tea (found in most Asian supermarkets)

Sugar to taste

Some ice cubes

Half and Half milk (small 1 pt. container is sufficient)

Preparation: Bring the water to a boil. Then steep in the tea for roughly five minutes. Then strain the tea, and add in sugar to taste. After the tea cools, pour into a tall glass filled with ice, and pour in a little half-and-half milk

Black teas are great for afternoon tea. Amber-colored and fragrant, blended black teas such as the delicate Darjeeling, rich Earl Grey, and mellow English Breakfast are popular choices. Black teas taste wonderful alone or served with sugar or honey, milk or cream.

Or take your tea Russian style, with lemon, sweetened with raspberry jam, and sipped through a lump of sugar placed in the mouth. The oriental Green tea is best served plain or with lemon.

To make your perfect cup of tea, fill your teakettle (or saucepan) with fresh cold water. Bring just to a good rolling boil and remove from heat. While the water is heating, warm your teapot by filling with hot water. Before the water boils, empty your teapot and add tea. One spoonful of loose tea for each cup, plus one for the pot. For teabags, use one less than the number of cups. Place lid on pot. When the water comes to a rolling boil, pour immediately into the teapot and let brew for 3 to 6 minutes to desired strength. Remove teabags. If using loose tea, stir gently and pour through a tea strainer. Loose tea left in the pot may become bitter. If you have tea left in the pot after pouring the first cups of tea, transfer to another heated pot, or if that is too much fuss, use a infuser tea ball to place the tea in for brewing and easy removal of the tea leaves

~Chocolate Mint Tea~

Makes 6 servings.

6�Peppermint tea bags

6 cups (48 oz.) milk

6 tablespoons hot chocolate mix

Place tea bags in bottom of pan. Add milk and heat to just under boiling. Remove tea bags. Place one tablespoon chocolate in each mug and pour one cup of hot minted milk over chocolate. Serve with fresh mint leaf or peppermint stick candy.

~Tea Latte~

Makes 6 servings.

Use your espresso maker to prepare this recipe

8 English or Irish Breakfast tea bags

4 cups (32 oz.) water

1 oz. almond syrup

Whole milk

Prepare a strong tea with 8 tea bags in 4 cups (32 oz.) boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags. Pour 5 oz. of hot tea into each tea cup, add almond syrup and stir. Steam whole milk and top tea with 1 tablespoon steamed milk. Garnish with ground nutmeg or chocolate.

~Black And White Tea~

Makes 6 servings.

This Recipe is an Elegant Interpretation of the Classic Black Tea with Milk

Use your espresso maker for this recipe

6 Darjeeling or English Breakfast tea bags

1 quart whole milk

Prepare a strong brew of tea, using 5 tea bags in 4 cups (32 oz.) boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags. Pour 5 oz. of hot tea into each tea cup, top with foamed milk and sweeten to taste.

Tea Storage

Store tea in a clean dry airtight container. Always use a dry spoon for scooping out the dry, loose tea, and close the container tightly after use to retain aroma and flavor. Do not store tea in close proximity to items with a strong aroma such as soap, spices, herbs, and dried meats. Americans seem to prefer the Tea bag, whereas the English prefer loose Teas.

Tea-Tips and Curi-Osi-Teas

The Victorian era transpired the years 1835-1901, during the reign of Queen Victoria. Taking Tea Is Quintessentially English!

For extra flavor store your tea bags in a covered jar with vanilla beans or cinnamon sticks.

Enclose a tea bag in your letters to friends to send them warm wishes.

For special occasions, dip the rims of your ice tea glasses in lemon juice. Then dip into a dish of grandulated sugar.

Old tea pots make great dispensers for balls of string or yarn.

A peppermint hard candy dropped into your hot tea makes it very flavorful.

Make a herbal tea compress with a cooled brewed tea bag. Place it over closed eyes to soothe and refresh them. A warm tea bag will reduce under eye puffiness.

Herbal Teas are caffine free.

Green Tea has excellent health benifits it boosts immune systems, aids in digestion, contains beta-carotenes and has anti-carcinogenic properties.

Tea has half the caffine of regular coffee.

Tea Quotes and Poems

~"Winter Afternoon Tea"~

Winter seems to me, Time for tea,

When all the garden is at rest,

To sip and sip is best,

A time to dream, A time to plan,

A time essential to every man.

"A Woman is like a tea bag...it's when she is in hot water that you know how strong she is"...Nancy Reagan

~"A Cup Of Tea"~

When the world is all at odds,

And the mind is all at sea,

Then cease the useless tedium,

And brew a cup of tea.

There is magic in its' fragrance.

There is solace in its' taste,

And the laden moments vanish,

Somehow into space,

And the world becomes a lovely thing,

There's beauty as you'll see,

All because you briefly stopped,

To brew a cup of tea.

"Remember the tea kettle - it is always up to its neck in hot water, yet it still sings!" Unknown

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea." Henry James

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