Green and White Tea with Jasmine

Tea is a part of my daily ritual. Just before the month of Ramadhan arrived I was making this one. I make 2 quarts or 2 liters at a time because I drink from it all day to avoid over-eating. It calms the old hand-to-mouth impulse.

1/4 cup loose organic white tea leaves with Jasmine flowers, from Rishi

1/4 cup loose Green tea leaves with Jasmine flowers, from The Republic of Tea

7 droppers full of stevia drops

6 cups boiling water

a 2 quart or 2 liter pitcher

glass or ceramic containers in which to steep the tea,

if you don't have a tea pot to brew in, clean glass jars work well, but then you will also need a strainer, to strain the tea when done

Green and white teas are both likely to turn bitter if steeped too long. The tea leaves should only be in the boilng hot water for about 2 minutes. Strain immediately to prevent the bitter flavor from setting in.

When you strain it, do not strain it directly into a plastic container, because heat causes synthetic hormones to leach out of the plastic, into your tea. Hot tea should always be handled in glass or ceramic containers for this reason. Wait until the teas are completely cool to pur them into the pitcher if you are using a plastic one. You could also purchase a glass pitcher, if you don't already have one, for the purpose of containing hot tea.

After the teas are brewed, strained and cooled, pour them into the plastic container and sweeten it with the stevia. I use 7 droppers full, but you may sweeten it to your taste.

Now fill the pitcher up the rest of the way with plain water and put the tea in the fridge to chill. Drink up sisters! It's a beautiful flowery taste sensation.


Note: The reason we should never pour hot food or drinks into plastic containers is because plastic is made with a synthetic estrogen, which mimics the female hormone, estrogen, and can cause bad hormone problems for women. Also, we should only use microwave safe ceramic dishes to heat food in the microwave, because microwaving in plastic can also leak the hormones into your food. I just threw away my microwave after I heard this, and other controversies about microwaves. However, I am not telling you that you should do the same, but just be informed that it is better to use microwave safe ceramic dishes than plastic if you must use a microwave.