- Citrusy
- Floral
Linlee Lemon Ice Tea at Home
手打柠檬茶 · Shou Da Ning Meng Cha
1 serving
Ingredients
- 8 g Ya Shi Xiang Dan Cong oolong — or any dark oolong or red tea
- 200 ml hot water
- 4 slices of perfume lemon — or any lemon
- 40 g simple syrup — or to taste, or a sugar-free alternative
- ice — to the 500 ml line
Steps
- 1Steep the tea in the hot water for 4 to 5 minutes. You want it strong because the ice will water it down later. Strain it and let it cool. Don't throw the leaves out, they're good for a few more sessions.
- 2Put the lemon slices and a few ice cubes in a shaker. Mash the lemon against the ice until the oils come out and it starts to smell like a tea shop.
- 3Add the syrup and the cooled tea.
- 4Top up with ice to the 500 ml line and shake well, until there's foam on top.
≈ 80 kcal per serving
Hand-pounded lemon tea is what LINLEE is famous for. They put whole lemon slices in and smash them with ice, so you get the oil from the peel as well as the juice. One of their regular versions uses Ya Shi Xiang ("duck shit") Dan Cong, an oolong from Phoenix Mountain in Chaozhou. It's floral enough to stand up to all that lemon.
Perfume lemons are a seedless variety grown in Guangdong. The peel smells much stronger than a regular lemon and the juice isn't bitter, so four slices don't take over the drink. Any lemon will do if you can't find them, but perfume lemons are what make it taste like the real thing.
We use Ya Shi Xiang in ours. A dark oolong or a red tea works too, as long as you brew it strong.