Sea Buckthorn Tea
Sea buckthorn is fiercely sour, and the usual answer is a heap of sugar. Here part of the liquid is apple juice instead: sweet enough, and the drink still tastes of fruit rather than syrup. Half the berries are crushed for flavour, half stay whole for looks.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Rest
- 10 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 90 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Pear or white grape juice work in place of apple. Grape makes it noticeably sweeter, so add more lemon to balance it.
Makes: 1 litre, 4 cups
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Deal with the berries
Frozen sea buckthorn goes in straight from the freezer, no thawing. Crush half the berries to a rough pulp with a muddler and leave the rest whole.
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Step 2: Brew the spices
Bring the water, ginger, cinnamon and star anise to the boil and simmer covered for 5 minutes, which is what makes the water properly aromatic.
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Step 3: Add juice and berries
Pour in the apple juice, add both lots of sea buckthorn and heat to about 80 °C: steaming, not bubbling.
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Step 4: Keep it off the boil
Boiling strips sea buckthorn of its fresh scent, and vitamin C breaks down faster the hotter it gets. A few minutes near 80 °C gives you both flavour and benefit.
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Step 5: Infuse for 10 minutes
Take the pan off the heat and cover it. Add the orange slices only once it has stopped simmering, or the peel turns the tea bitter.
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Step 6: Serve
Pour it with the berries or through a strainer, as you prefer. The golden droplets on the surface are sea buckthorn oil and belong there.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Do not filter the tea through muslin: the pulp and the oil floating on top carry most of the flavour and the carotenoids.
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Variation
A sprig of rosemary or a few mint leaves added during the infusion changes the drink entirely. Neither should be boiled.
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Swap
Pear or white grape juice work in place of apple. Grape makes it noticeably sweeter, so add more lemon to balance it.
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Storage
Two days in a glass jar in the fridge. Reheat by the cup, and again, not to boiling.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 90 kcal | 360 kcal |
| Protein | 1 g | 4 g |
| Fat | 2 g | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 17 g | 68 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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