Violet Black Tea

I love springtime! The beginning of the growing season, the plants coming alive, the birds rapturously serenading, the warmer breezes blowing... I always hold off on the first mowing of my lawn as I hate to destroy the beautiful sea of green, happy yellow dandelion flowers and the varying array of cheery violet flowers. In my garden beds I always like to grow borders of different violets. Their happy little petals put a spring in my step and add a new dimension to my culinary creations. I love to pick violet petals and candy them with sugar to make decorations on cakes and muffins. When we were looking for new floral teas to offer I was thrilled to find this violet flavor. Added to our black tea blend, it produces a deep amber cup that is wonderfully fragrant. This tea tastes like springtime in a cup! Ingredients: black teas, violet flavor, and malva (mallow) blossoms. Brew tea at 212º - steep for 3 minutes. Violet iced tea: Put approximately ½ ounce (¼ cup) of loose Violet tea into a small container. Pour boiling water over the tea to cover. Let steep 5 minutes, strain out leaves into a ½ gallon (8 cup) container and add cold water to fill. Sweeten as desired. Stir and refrigerate. If your iced tea gets cloudy, add a few drops of boiling water to the brew.