Strawberry Rose & Cardamom Tea (Hot or Iced)
Today we are making Strawberry Rose & Cardamom Tea (Hot or Iced)! Oh, Cupid’s arrow! Today is Valentine’s day, a holiday dreaded by some and celebrated over the top enthusiastically by others. Where did this day even come from though? Why did we make a day just to send each other sappy love letters and have a romantic night out (I’m all for Valentine’s day, but still curious)?
Aside from the dark chocolate cake, raspberry truffles and chocolate-covered strawberries, the recipe for this tea has fresh strawberry and floral rose Valentine’s flavors and colors for a hot or iced tea with a fruity twist using all natural ingredients!
History of Valentine’s Day
Apparently, this day is named after Saint Valentine, who was a priest from Rome that had helped Christian couples in love get married. It was in secret at the time, because it was against the Roman Emperor, Claudius II, since he did not allow men to get married. This was because single men were thought to be more dedicated soldiers. Saint Valentine ended up getting beheaded on February 14th, but before this was done, he helped to cure the blindness of the jailor’s daughter as his final act. He then wrote her a love letter that was signed “from your Valentine.” 200+ years later, February 14 is known as St. Valentine’s Day.
Grade School Valentine
Valentine’s Day during grade school was a whole ordeal. My mom would go shopping with me for Valentine’s cards a week ahead of time. I would spend the weekend before writing out the names of all my classmates, with a personalized note from me in each of them. This note went something along the lines of “you’re nice” “you’re cool” and sending these little kids all the good vibes. I would then (sometimes) attach a little chocolate or Hershey’s Kiss inside the cards with tape. On the day of, I would distribute the cards, as well as get a bunch myself. I would search through them, hoping for a secret Valentine message, but none was ever to be found. But you know what? I was my own Valentine.
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Rose & Cardamom Tea (Hot or Iced)
Pretty in Pink: This refreshing drink has the beautiful pink-red color of strawberries with roses. The color perfectly captures the ingredients used for this dish, which makes it even more appealing to drink, or to make a large batch to serve at a party. Tea with dried or fresh roses petals to top it off adds a beautiful touch of color and elegance when serving as well.
Steep the Tea
When I made this tea, I had to steep it for a while to get the flavor out. This is the same as when you put tea bags into hot water, the flavor comes out after steeping for some time. I used frozen strawberries for this recipe, but I couldn’t taste the flavor until it was steeped for 10-20 minutes. Because this recipe isn’t using a simple syrup, there isn’t an intense strawberry flavor, but rather a more mild flavor even after the steeping process. So the longer you leave it to steep, the better!
Substitutions
Strawberries: Frozen or fresh strawberries provide a bright pink color to this recipe. When summer rolls around, it’s strawberry season and you’re left searching for summer drink recipes or other strawberry recipes (is the perfect drink for summer a strawberry lemonade? A classic iced tea? Too many options to choose from), this is a great way to use up those fresh strawberries!
Rose Petals: This brewed tea uses dry rose petals, but fresh rose petals (if they’re fresh from a garden) may also be used. The floral scent and taste will be stronger with these!
Cardamom: Cardamom is an Indian spice that you can find at an Indian grocery store, or in the International aisle of grocery chains.
Sweetener: Making drinks at home is a better alternative to store-bought drinks because you can control the amount of sugar. If you prefer a sweeter tea, then a liquid sweetener will incorporate the best into tea. For example, pure maple syrup or agave syrup versus white sugar or xylitol. If sweetener is desired, stir it in while the tea is hot, before drinking.
If making iced tea, then this step should still be done when the tea is hot. Then give the drink a stir again once the tea has been chilled, to make sure any sweetener doesn’t settle on the bottom of the cup.
Strawberry Rose & Cardamom Tea (Hot or Iced) Recipe Notes
- Top the tea with fresh or dried rose petals for serving, for a more luxurious look!
- Make it iced instead of hot for a refreshing summer drink. Chill the tea in a pitcher and then add ice cubes when serving.
- Add fresh berries or sliced strawberries into a large pitcher if making this into an iced tea recipe. Adding fresh fruit makes the perfect party drink! It adds extra flavor and color.
More Homemade Drinks You’ll Love
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If you make this Strawberry Rose & Cardamom Tea Recipe, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!
Strawberry Rose & Cardamom Tea (Hot or Iced)
Equipment
- Medium Saucepan
- Tea Strainer
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp dried rose petals
- ½ cup frozen strawberries
- 2 crushed small green cardamom
- Sweetener optional
- 2 cups of water
Instructions
- Add ingredients to a pot over medium-high heat. Allow it to come to a rolling boil.
- Turn off the heat and leave the tea in the saucepan for 20 minutes.
- Use a fine mesh strainer to pour tea into a cup. Add any sweetener if desired at time time.
- Enjoy hot!
- For iced tea: Allow the tea to cool at room temperature for a few hours. Then place it in the refrigerator until chilled, and add ice cubes when ready to serve cold.
Notes
- Store tea in a covered pitcher for up to two days.
