Milk & Honey Tea.

Milk Tea., originally uploaded by razzieswirl.

My roommate and his girlfriend spent the holidays in the UK. A few weeks in England and a few days in Italy. Upon their return Asher told me about a tea they had enjoyed in Italy. A mixture of about 2/3 milk and honey to 1/3 strong tea. He claimed the aromatic, warm, sweet, milky mixture was a cure all elixir for whatever ails you (according to the Italians), and that indeed, upon consumption he and his sniffled ridden travel accomplice felt much better. The combo sounded lovely, right up my alley. Every morning I enjoy a strong cup of black tea. When I was a child my father was an avid "coffee" drinker, I say "coffee" because it was often 3/4 milk and sugar and 1/4 coffee. It was more like sweet milk with a bit of coffee flavoring than coffee itself. This tea reminded me of my fathers coffee. I used a black tea infused with flower petals and allowed it to steep in half a pot of boiling water for a good 10 minutes. The result was a strong aromatic tea base. Mixed with creamed honey and 2% milk that had been heated together, it was like heaven in a cup. So much so that I demanded we drink out of my pretty little tea cups.

This tea really made me feel as if we were sitting in some little cafe thousands of miles away from good old Bellingham. It's quite the treat, and I urge you to try it. It's not as sweet as you might think, it's more so calming and even dream inducing.

Recipe: Milk & Honey Tea

Ingredients:

1/2 pot very strong black tea
1 cup 2% (or more) milk
a few Tablespoons whipped honey

Directions:

1. Heat milk and honey in a medium pot until honey has incorporated and mixture is hot.
2. Pour tea into milk mixture and heat thoroughly.
3. Drink out of beautiful tea cups, and enjoy!