Cool Off With The Tea Spot’s Honeydew Blues Frappe!

The intoxicating perfume of a sweet honeydew melon pairs perfectly with the crisp taste and fragrance of our Boulder Blues blend of green tea, strawberry and rhubarb. This frothy drink is a delicate celadon color, and will cool and satisfy you through the warmest days of summer. Plus, it’s quite easy to make! I was able to whip this up on a lazy Sunday afternoon and am a huge fan of these unique flavor combinations!

One quick note before digging into the recipe- I elected to make my own crystallized ginger for this Frappe simply because this was much more affordable than buying it pre-made. I’m so glad I did, because it also turns out that homemade crystallized ginger is also incredibly more flavorful than any store bought brand I’ve tired. Fair warning: making your own crystallized ginger will likely lead to excessive snacking and the desire to make more. Much more!

To make your own crystallized ginger– peel and thinly slice a large, fresh ginger root. Bring 1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups sugar to a boil in a medium pan, add your ginger, reduce heat and let this sweet & spicy combo simmer lightly for at least 20 minutes. At this point, you can pull your ginger out of the sugary syrup in your pan, let it dry for a few minutes, and roll those slices in a bit more sugar. I decided to save both my ginger and syrup in a container. This will keep for up to a full year. Not that it will last remotely that long, I’ve almost polished it all off already!

Now that you’ve got some crystallized ginger prepped, you’re ready to whip up a refreshing Honeydew Blues Frappe!

INGREDIENTS: 3 cups water, boiling; 3 TBS Boulder Blues tea leaves; 2 ounces crystallized ginger, roughly chopped; 4 cups cubed ripe honeydew melon; 2 cups ice cubes; Superfine sugar to taste.

PREPARATION: Chill 4 tall glasses. Brew the tea leaves in 1 quart water, with 175 degree water for 3 minutes. Add the crystallized ginger to the steeped tea and let cool until it becomes infused with the ginger flavor, about 15 minutes, or longer if time allows. Chill in refrigerator until cold. Pass liquid through sieve to remove ginger pieces. (For a more spicy flavor, fresh ginger root can be substituted.) Puree the melon and ice in the jar of an electric blender. Add tea ginger infusion and process just to blend. Pour into tall chilled glasses and sweeten to taste with superfine sugar. Garnish with a thin slice of honeydew wrapped with a slice of crystallized ginger. Serves: 4 – 6.

Enjoy!

As always, if you try this recipe or any of our other tea recipes, we’d love to hear how they go for you!