Earl Grey Teas & Spanish Sangrias

Left: Green Earl Grey tea and Right: Black Earl Grey tea that has been steeped overnight

Obviously I was finding something to do one boring afternoon. What can you make with left over, half-emptied wine bottle? Pour the contents into a simmering pot of Boeuf Bourguignon? Make the cliché, Poire Pochées with crumbled Danish Bleu Cheese? How about make Spanish Sangria!

Few months back, my girl pal, Mae-mae shared her Sangria project with me: It was a warm autumn afternoon in Sweden when Swedish moms and grand moms picked up fresh fallen flowers, wild berries and stored them in a jar, filled it with water and let it sit until summer. It's a household staple of sweet, fragrant and definitely healthy drink. It is kept in a jar, chilled and conveniently drank whenever thirst comes.

"It was so gooood!" Mae-mae said. Leaving me the sparkling interest of either visiting Sweden, asks the Mrs. Ahlund to teach me, pass on me their household tradition and cute culture of this summer quench. Or simply make my own; I want to make my own so bad! Sitting over that lunch, makes me thirsty of learning cultures through my palate.

Sangrias, a Spanish beverage made of wine, sliced fresh apples or cherry picked wild berries, and freshly squeezed fruit juice, sometimes spiked with brandy, then sweetened by honey. Sangrias are often presented in a punchbowl with a wooden ladle to prevent ice cubes and sliced fruits from falling into the glass .I think being a Spanish colony way, way back, this is where we got this wide, clear, crystal punch bowl tradition that we use over family reunions or baptisms..

Welcome to my tiny Sangria pantry!

There are infinite recipes on the web, some uses White Wine as per Sangria Blanca. For this experiment I tried using a red Merlot, 2013 and sweet white Chardonnay, 2010. Sangrias don't usually have teas, but my desired experiment with tea is my main reason for coming up with this entry.

I steeped 3 pieces Green Earl Grey tea and 3 pieces Black Earl Grey tea in separate containers and let it sit overnight. My objective is to find which variant of Earl Grey is best with wines. Certainly, Black Ceylon won me with Chardonnay and Citrus, and my personal favorite Three Layer Kuching Tea in my previous entries.

Left: Green Earl Grey tea vs. Right: Black Earl Grey tea

Left: Green Earl Grey tea vs. Right: Black Earl Grey tea

MERLOT & EARL GREY TEA  SANGRIA WITH CRISP GRANNY SMITH APPLES AND ASIAN PEARS

Makes 6 glasses

3 pcs  Earl Grey tea bag, steeped in 400ml warm water

325 ml Merlot, 2013

6 Tbsp Honey 

1 pc Granny Smith Apple, sliced

1 pc Asian Pear, sliced

Left: Green Earl Grey tea vs. Right: Black Earl Grey tea

Left: Green Earl Grey tea vs. Right: Black Earl Grey tea

CHARDONNAY & EARLY SANGRIA BLANCA WITH APPLE MINT AND BAGUIO STRAWBERRIES

Makes 6 glasses

3 pcs  Earl Grey tea bag, steeped in 400ml warm water

325 ml Merlot, 2013

6 Tbsp Honey 

60g Baguio Strawberries, halved

4 sprigs Apple Mint

The procedure is very simple: Once the teas are already steeped and cooled down (overnight), sweeten with honey and infuse with fresh fruits for at least 2 hours. Add wine upon serving, serve chilled or on the rocks.

Four different glasses: (Upper Left) Black Earl Grey tea- Merlot

(Lower Left) Green Earl Grey tea-Merlot, . (Upper Right) Black Earl Grey tea-Chardonnay and (Lower Right) Green Earl Grey tea-Chardonnay

I had each glasses passed around and asked which the guys and gals liked better. Over all, the Black Earl Grey tea-Chardonnay is the most favored. 

My verdict: I like the full bodied flavour of Black Earl Grey tea better than the light notes of Green Earl Grey tea. Black Earl Grey tea won my heart for combining with both Merlot and Chardonnay in Sangrias.

 Until my next adventure!