If you love our Peppermint tea and chocolate. Here's a fantastic recipe for some delicious peppermint chocolate brownies! 

Ingredients

• 145g unsalted butter; more for greasing the pan'
• 120g dark chocolate, 60-70% cacao, roughly chopped
• 45g unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1/2 tbp. espresso powder
• 4 tsp. Tea Drop peppermint tea leaves
• 250g dark brown granulated sugar
• ​3 large eggs
• ​1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 65g all-purpose flour

How to make 

Center a rack in the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 7×11-inch baking pan, line it with parchment (the paper should extend at least an inch above the long sides to act as handles for getting the brownies out), and butter the paper.

Combine the chopped chocolate, cocoa powder, and espresso powder in a heatproof bowl and set aside.

Add the butter and 2 teaspoons of peppermint loose leaf tea to a small saucepan over medium heat and cook the butter for about 5 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally.

Immediately filter out the tea and pour the hot butter over the chocolate mixture and whisk until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted, then set aside.

Combine the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of peppermint loose leaf tea and salt in a food processor and finely grind and set aside.

Add the eggs in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Thereafter mix the finely grounded sugar with the eggs and whisk again.

With the mixer on, pour in the slightly cooled chocolate butter mixture and blend until smooth. Sift in the flour and use a rubber spatula to gently fold until combined.

"Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula and bake for around 40mins, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out fudgy but the edges look cooked through. The center of the brownies will seem under-baked, but the brownies will continue to set as they cool."

"Set the brownies on a cooling rack and cool completely in the pan. Use the parchment paper to lift the cooled brownies out of the pan. Cut into 12 or 15 bars."

Enjoy!

Try our Peppermint Tea! A taste for all things cool!

Here is an easy to make iced tea popsicle recipe for a deliciously refreshing summer treat. These homemade healthy popsicles only need 3 ingredients. Your favourite tea, cold water and a sweetener of your choice and of course a popsicle mold.

How to choose the right popsicle molds

There are a lot of various kinds of different molds for popsicles. It doesn’t matter what shape you use. These iced tea popsicles will taste amazing. You can even use a paper cup by pouring the tea brew into it and just insert a stick. It’s that simple.

What you need

• 15g Loose Leaf Tea
• 1l Cold water
• 2tbsp honey or sweetener of your choice
• Popsicle mold

How to make

• Select your favourite tea and measure 15 grams of the loose-leaf tea into a jug.
  We have used Fruits of Eden, Tropical Sky, Mango Magic & Sweet Peach.
• Add 1 ltr of cold water. There’s no need for a specific temperature, cold filtered water from the tap will be just fine.
• Let it steep overnight.
• The next day, strain the tea, discarding the steeped loose leaf.
  Stir in the honey.
• Pour the tea into your popsicle mold and place in freezer until it’s frozen solid.
• Remove from the mold before serving.

We would love to see you try this iced tea cube recipe and let us know what you think – share them on our socials @teadroptea.

• 190g powdered brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons Tea Drop Traditional Chai Latte Powder
• 84g butter

Frosting

• 115ml Heavy cream
• 90g powdered brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons Traditional Chai Latte Powder

How to rock and roll?

1. In a large bowl add flour, salt, softened butter and eggs.
2. In a separate bowl warm up the milk and add sugar and yeast and stir till it dissolves. (Warm milk not hot -  we do not want to kill the yeastlings)
3. Begin mixing the flour mixture by slowly adding the milk mixture to it. You can use a standard mixer bowl to speed up and the process but we did it the old fashion way and used our hands to knead the dough. (this takes time and can get messy)
4. Knead the dough till it loses its stickiness and doesn’t stick to the surface.
5. Roll up the well kneaded dough into a ball and let it sit in the bowl covered with a plastic wrap. Let it rise for an hour or until doubled.
6. Now whisk together the brown sugar and the Traditional Chai Latte powder
7. Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough out into a large and thick rectangle with even edges.
8. Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough.
9. Sprinkle evenly the chai sugar.
10. Tightly roll up the dough, forming a thick log and cut into 12 evenly sized pieces. Each about 2 inches thick.
11. Lightly grease a baking dish and fill it with the rolls. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 30 minutes.
12. Remove plastic wrap. Bake the rolls in a pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown at 170 ˚C.
13. In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together heavy cream, Traditional Chai Latte powder and powdered sugar until smooth.
14. Go ahead and drizzle on your chai cream frosting over the freshly baked rolls while it’s still warm.

        Happy Holidays! 

Tea is the most popular beverage in the world after water. And no matter the season we can always enjoy a cup of warm or iced tea any time of the day.  Tea leaves are made from the plant Camellia sinensis. Black tea, Green tea, White tea, Oolong tea and Pu Erh tea comes from this same plant. The distinctive flavour profiles and colours that come from these tea types are due to the way the plant is processed.

Different types of tea leaves

Green tea leaves and white tea leaves are the least processed and not oxidized and therefore regarded the healthiest. Black tea leaves are fully oxidized, and oolong tea leaves are only partially oxidized. Pu Erh tea leaves are aged and considered a post oxidized tea. These tea types offer a host of health benefits. The caffeine content will vary between these teas depending on the process.

Herbal tea is not officially a tea, as it does not come from the Camellia sinensis plant, but is instead an infusion of leaves, fruits, bark, roots, or flowers of almost any edible, non-tea plant. The most common herbal teas are chamomile tea, hibiscus tea, peppermint tea, ginger, and rooibos tea. Herbal teas have been around for a long time, with our ancestors’ making infusions of the plants, roots, and herbs they saw around them for medicinal use. This practice continues today with the use of herbal teas to support a healthy mind and body.

Why is tea healthy?

Potential health benefits of tea are due to the polyphenol or flavonoids content in the tea leaves. These chemical compounds act as antioxidants, which control the damaging effects of free radicals in the body. The more tea leaves are processed, usually the less polyphenol content. But their antioxidizing power will still be high.

Health benefits of tea

No matter the season, we recommend getting into the natural, immune-boosting habit of drinking tea every day as tea has a myriad of health benefits.

• Keeps You Hydrated - Did you know that drinking 4-6 cups of tea a day is as good for keeping you hydrated as a litre of water. Whether enjoyed as a delicious hot cuppa or served on ice stay hydrated with tea.
• Great Coffee Alternative – Herbal teas are caffeine free, while traditional teas have less amounts of caffeine than typically found in coffee. Therefore, it will help boost energy and you can consume it without the jittery side effects when the caffeine wears off.
• High in Antioxidants – Tea is loaded with antioxidants that help protect your body from free radicals, keeping you healthy mentally and physically.
• May aid in weight loss – The jury is still out on this, but studies have shown that the caffeine and catechins in tea may aid with weight loss. Green tea is a popular choice for weight loss, as it contains amino acids that signal the body to burn stored fat. The caffeine in tea also helps boost energy and is ideal as a pre-workout drink. Teas are calorie free and the ideal drink to have guilt free.
• Aids in digestion – Tea aids with digestion and can treat issues from nausea to an upset stomach. It also contains tannins which has shown to reduce intestinal inflammation, which can help soothe stomach cramps and irritable bowel syndrome. Teas with ginger are a popular choice.
• Boost your mood – Drinking tea is always connected with calming and soothing effects and linked to decreased stress levels and help you unwind after a tough day.
• Boost your immune system - Tea is great for your immune system. Many types of teas have antiviral and antibacterial properties that can aid to prevent you from getting sick. Whether you’re worried about flu season, or just want to improve your overall health, a daily tea schedule will benefit you.

By incorporating tea into your lifestyle, not only is it a refreshing & aromatic treat, but there is also a myriad of benefits designed to elevate your life. So, get ready to enjoy a flavoursome and sensorial tea experience from the very first sip.

Experience the freshness, different flavour characteristics with some of our fave brews.