Things are starting to heat up in the capital as summer finally arrives. As China is famous for its fragrant teas, what better way to relax in Beijing than with a home-brewed iced tea in hand! From iced matcha smoothies to lemon and honey green tea to the classic milk cha, here’s a list of recipes perfect for getting you through the sweltering heat.

I found experimenting with teabags that the bitter taste that normally comes if you leave the bag too long in boiling water doesn’t come through in cold brew tea – leaving the bags in water overnight in the fridge. apart from the matcha, pu’er, and milk tea recipes, the teas here are made cold-brew and should have to bitter aftertaste. For tea enthusiasts less lazy than I am, one tablespoon of loose leaf tea is approximately the same strength as one teabag (I normally use Twinings). However, different brands and the age of the tea will vary – you just have to experiment a little!

Matcha smoothie (serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon matcha powder

1/2 cup [coconut] milk

1 frozen banana or 1/2 a diced mango

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

1/2 cup ice

Instructions

Blend ingredients on high for 30 seconds to one minute. Add more ice or water if needed for preferred consistency.

* Do not add the frozen fruit but use 1 cup milk of choice and 3/4 cup ice for matcha latte instead of a smoothie.
* Matcha powder is probably easier and cheaper to buy online than in stores unless you bring it home from Japan! Taobao has the advantage of receiving your order within 2-5 days – many other online stores will take longer. However, be careful of matcha powder with added sugar or sweeteners: look for 100 percent matcha in ingredients.

Lemon and honey (serves 4)

Ingredients 

1/2 lemon juice and zest

1/4 cup honey

3 loose/bag pure green tea

pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions

Add 1/2 cup boiling water to lemon juice and honey mixture and mix well, leave to cool. mix with 5 cups water and the teabags and leave in fridge to brew overnight. Strain teabags and serve with ice.

Jasmine rose (serves 2)

Ingredients

2 jasmine green tea bags

1/4 cup dried rose buds (available in most Chinese tea stores)

honey (to taste)

Instructions

Add the dried rosebuds, teabags, and 3 cups water to jug, leave overnight in fridge to brew. strain teabags and add honey to taste.

Apple and mint (serves 4)

Ingredients

1 thinly sliced apple

mint sprigs

3 green teabags

Instructions

Peel and thinly slice an apple (discarding core). Add 5 cups water, handful of washed fresh mint leaves and green tea bags. brew overnight in fridge. strain mint and teabags to serve.

Pu’er pear (serves 4)

Ingredients

3 pu’er teabags

1 sliced Asian pear

juice of 1/2 fresh lemon

goji berries (available in most Chinese supermarkets as well as Jenny Wang/Lou)

Instructions

Peel and thinly slice 1 Asian pear. add 5 cups boiling water to medium saucepan. add 3 pu’er tea bags, the sliced pears and tablespoon dried goji berries. Slowly bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring often (longer if you want it stronger). Leave to cool and then refrigerate overnight, adding more water if needed. Strain the teabags as well as pears and goji berries to serve if you don’t feel like eating your tea!

Earl Grey (serves 4)

Ingredients

4 Earl Grey teabags (i normally use Twinings teabags, available in DD’s Markets and Jenny Wang’s)

1 orange/lemon

sugar syrup (to taste)

Instructions

Grate the orange or lemon zest and thinly slice. Add 1/2 cup sugar to a saucepan and 1 cup water. Heat and stir until all sugar is dissolved. Keep in small pouring jug and cool. Add 4 earl grey teabags to 5 cups water as well as the citrus fruit zest. Brew overnight in the fridge and serve with sliced citrus and sugar syrup to taste.

Milk cha:

Ingredients

1/2 cup condensed milk

2 cups lowfat milk

6 bags strong black tea

1 teaspoon vanilla essence (100 percent vanilla)

brown sugar or 100 percent maple syrup (to taste)

Instructions

Add low-fat milk, condensed milk, and vanilla to a saucepan. Bring to boil and add 6 bags of strong black tea such as English breakfast or Assam. Reduce heat and simmer until the strength of the tea is to taste, around 15-20 minutes but can be for longer (add water or brown sugar if needed). Leave to cool, strain the teabags, and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

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