Mint tea (The’ Nana) and Cold Brew Coffee

While I am an inveterate coffee drinker and proud of it, there are times when coffee just won’t do and I just need that cup of tea.  This is mostly after a meat meal since for me coffee without milk is a non-starter and PLEASE people, let’s not pretend soy milk/cream can cut it.  Or low fat/skim milk.  Just don’t.

Well, now that I’ve calmed myself, back to the yes! calming tea moments.  I like the flavor of mint tea so much that I often will drink the herb infused water without the tea bag that they plunk on the saucer since I enjoy watching the water turn a pale green color.  Since I cannot help myself and must play around with things, I experimented with add-ons to take the place of a tea bag.  I throw in a cinnamon stick (think chai) and if I’ve got fresh ginger, I peel and slice a chunk and toss that in too.  I find another wonderful addition to be a (washed) strip of fresh orange peel.  Pour some boiling water over the lot and let steep a few minutes.  It is super refreshing, decaffeinated  and a delight to the palate.  Occasionally, I will break down a throw in a green tea bag with some ginger in it.  In a pinch, this too works.  A note to add, in case you’ve ever wondered if nana is spearmint or peppermint, it is spearmint. Spearmint only contains .05 percent menthol while peppermint has 40% making it overpowering and thus not that pleasant soothing drink you want.

Aaaand, back to coffee (you knew that would happen 😉 ) With the summer upon us, I find that occasionally the idea of hot coffee is too much for me to bear but I need that caffeine fix and I turn happily to the idea of iced coffee.  When I must sprint out the door to work, I generally will use a Nespresso capsule on espresso mode and toss in ice cubes, filtered water and milk in a cup to go.  But, when I plan ahead, I make cold brew coffee and the zing of caffeine that ensues (not to mention the flavor) is worth the effort. I also have found that cold brew coffee lacks the bitterness of regular coffee, since the filtering and the cold water  is what helps make the difference.

This is ridiculously easy to prepare and I have a dedicated pitcher that I use for this purpose.  What you are making is basically coffee essence which you then add water to (or milk if you wish to indulge) and ice.  Take your pitcher or bottle and measure out 1 cup of ground coffee, put it in.  Pour in 3 1/2 cups of cold water over the grounds, stir very well.  Cover the pitcher with plastic wrap (or close bottle) and  I put it in the fridge.  Some say to leave it out on the counter but I like to keep it in the fridge.  Leave it in overnight at least, 12-24 hours depending how strong you want it.  Take a sieve and place about four overlapping thick paper towels in it  and pour the brew slowly from the coffee jug into a clean pitcher.  It’s a bit sludgy, this is normal.  Let the mixture drip into the clean pitcher.  Walk away for a bit, or you might stop the process before it’s fully “dripped-out”.  That’s the whole deal.  I store my coffee concentrate in the fridge, and when you need a hit of cold caffeine, there you go.  The proportion of coffee to water is very personal.  I usually do 1:1 but you can make it stronger or weaker as you desire.

Mint tea

four sprigs fresh mint washed and cleaned

1 cinnamon stick

a slice (peeled) of fresh ginger

a washed strip or 2 of orange peel

a tea bag of green tea (with ginger is great)

Put all into a big glass mug (I use a beer mug) Pour boiling water over all to cover.  Let steep 2 minutes.  Enjoy!

Cold brew coffee

2 pitchers (glass or plastic, either is fine) able to hold one quart or liter

1 cup coarse ground coffee

3 1/2 cups cold water

a sieve

paper towels

Take one pitcher, add coffee grounds, pour water on them, stir well.  Cover pitcher with plastic wrap and put in fridge overnight at least or 12-24 hours.  Take second pitcher, put sieve over it, place four thick paper towels into sieve and slowly pour brew into sieve.  Let drip till no more drips are coming out.  Cover new pitcher with dripped out concentrate and refrigerate or pour into glass bottles and leave in fridge.  To use, pour out 1 part concentrate to one part water (or milk), add ice and milk to taste.  For a weaker brew, just dilute the coffee essence more.  It’s pretty strong stuff so be aware that you might prefer it more diluted.  L’chaim!!

my bottle that I use for the coffee concentrate

This coffee cup from Starbucks is how I like to drink it.  It’s thermal so it keeps the drink cold (and ice cubes melt crazy slowly) for a long time.  I sip at it merrily and it’s cold to the last drop.