Dragonwell tea leaves, grown in China’s Zhejiang Province, are valued for their aroma and flavor, as well as the color of the tea they produce. Mighty Leaf wok-fires the tea leaves, creating an end product that steeps into a surprisingly full-bodied cup of tea. With an almost buttery mouthfeel, there is a barely perceptible sweetness and nutty undertones. Be careful to observe the steeping time; as with most green teas, allowing this tea to steep too long will result in a bitter cup of brew.

 While this tea is perfectly enjoyable on its own, I think it makes a particularly good companion beverage to fruit desserts. In particular, I would choose Organic Green Dragon to serve alongside plum or apricot cake, fruit crisps or cobblers, fruited shortcakes, or pound cake with fresh fruit.

Savory foods like mild soft cheeses, chicken or shrimp salad, and seafood would be well paired with this tea.

The color of the brewed tea is lovely - a striking jade green at first that gradually eases toward a pale olive shade at the end of brewing time. I enjoyed it hot, without adding a thing to it. I believe this is probably the best way to appreciate the subtleties of its fine flavor. However, if you prefer to add a sweetener, I think orange-blossom honey would be a very good choice.

This tea can stand up to icing, but again, be careful not to oversteep or the end result will be bitter. To sweeten iced tea without gritty undissolved sugar lingering at the bottom of the pitcher, try making a simple syrup by combining equal parts sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar, let boil for 1 minute, and remove from heat. Let syrup cool completely, chill in refrigerator or ice-water bath, and then add to cooled tea. Enjoy!

Photos by me.

One great thing about this is that I typically will unearth some treasure that presents the possibility of a bit of creative experimentation. Such is the case with the bag of frozen watermelon chunks I dug out from beneath a tub of spinach and white bean soup. Watermelon chunks that were the remnants of the sugar babies we grew experimentally this year. What on earth was I planning for back in July, that would make me freeze a resealable bag full of diced watermelon?

I don’t know what I was thinking then, but now I thought, Watermelon Slush. It’s easy to make slush if you have a decent blender. That is, your blender needs to be able to chew through ice cubes with a minimum of distress - no smoking, no sparks.

This bag of rock-solid frozen watermelon went into the fridge to thaw for a few hours. Be sure to keep an eye on this - you want it to soften just enough to allow you to break off chunks that will be suitable for your blender. If it melts down too much, you’ll have a watery mess on your hands.

The recipe is loosey-goosey - no specific amounts because it uses whatever you happen to have on hand. Play around, taste as you go, have fun. It’s a wink good-bye to Summer!

Watermelon Slush

• 2 or 3 cups frozen diced watermelon, thawed slightly
• 1/2 to 1 cup juice (orange, apple, fruit punch, etc.)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey, or to taste
• Squeeze of fresh lime
• Splash of sparkling mineral water or seltzer

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Well, with school right around the corner, it’s too late to do anything about the seacoast for this year, but I aim to at least get a slushy drink or two in before cider season arrives. In that spirit, I concocted this sorbet chiller from a batch of fresh kiwifruit sorbet, some chilled ginger ale, and a delightfully unique Green Tea liqueur I had the pleasure of reviewing some months ago. Leave out the liqueur to make this a mocktail for the kids - but only those old enough to handle the seeds from the kiwi sorbet. Enjoy - the cocktail, and the remainder of your summer!

Kiwi-Green Tea Fizz

Makes 2 cocktails 

2 large scoops kiwifruit sorbet
4 ounces Green Tea Liqueur
2 lime wedges
12 ounces chilled ginger ale (can use diet)

Place one scoop of kiwifruit fruit sorbet in each of two highball or stemmed wineglasses. Pour 2 ounces Green Tea Liqueur into each glass. Squeeze a lime wedge into each glass. Divide ginger ale between the two glasses, pouring slowly to minimize foaming. Add a straw and serve immediately.

At first glance, I was disappointed. I knew Starbucks’ Café Estima Blend is Fair Trade Certified, but none of the three others (Gold Coast Blend, Komodo Dragon Blend, and Kenya) I checked were. I was starting to feel even worse about that Mocha, until I turned a package over and read the fine print on the side panel. Each package of coffee beans I looked at had a similar message, tailored regionally. Turns out that Starbucks is stepping up to the plate (or the to-go cup, as it were).

According to information on their packaging, which invites readers to view their Web site for more info, Starbucks employs a varied approach to corporate responsibility that integrates equity practices, loan funds to small-scale coffee farmers, social development programs in coffee-growing communities, and economic transparency, among other initiatives. This means different things in different places. For example, building a safe bridge to market in one area, a clean-water reservoir in another, schools and health-care clinics in still another. A visit to the corporate Web site also revealed that Starbucks supports the African Wildlife Fund, Save the Children, and MercyCorps.

This is all great stuff. Granted, it’s not going to make the Caffe Mocha an everyday event for me, but it is going to make me enjoy it a little bit more the next time I order one.

Picture courtesy of Starbucks.

My sample bottles arrived packed as snugly as warheads in bubble wrap and a small brown box. (Having been on the receiving end of samples in broken glass jars before, I assure you, this is a good thing.) Withdrawing each one from the box and removing the wrapping, I admit, I was pretty tickled by the bottle art. From the print font to the message at the neck of the bottle - “Gently shake my hips before placing bottle to your lips” - I was charmed.

I received four flavors of Fizzy Lizzy: Gulf Coast Tangerine, Costa Rican Pineapple, Lone Star Grapefruit, and Yakima Valley Grape. It was a sweltering day, and I knew, knew I should just put the bottles, which had gotten quite warm in transit, in the fridge and exercise some self-control, but no. I decided to try one warm, poured over ice. Tangerine was the lucky Lizzy; the others went into the fridge for chill time.

Alas, my enthusiasm got the better of me. Poured warm over ice, the subtle nuances of the tangerine flavor were lost; all I got was “orange.” I was a little disappointed. Until I had the brainstorm to take a sip directly from the bottle, where it would be undiluted by melted ice. Ahh, the sweetly distinctive notes of tangerine were there! 

With the exception of the Pineapple flavor, for which I had other plans in mind, I shared the Lizzy samples with my kids, eager to hear their thoughts. Until my kids went to school and were educated by their helpful peers, they thought soda was flavored seltzer. (Hey, it’s not like I lied to them. Club soda, anyone?) Juice and seltzer mixes are a staple beverage in our house, and this seemed a perfect match. It was; the kids loved it. The Lone Star Grapefruit, with 70 percent juice, was a particular favorite.

Now, what about that Costa Rican Pineapple Lizzy? She went over crushed ice, along with some coconut milk, a squeeze of fresh lime, and a bit of rum: Skinny Lizzy Coladas!

I actually thought I was being a bit naughty by mixing a Fizzy Lizzy with alcohol (even a fairly demure amount) . . . till I paid a visit to her Web site! Turns out that Lizzy is a bit of a party girl! Check out the yummy-sounding cocktail recipes - both alcoholic and nonalcoholic.

You can find Fizzy Lizzy at fine food grocers and cafes, as well as natural food stores, but not at mass-market retailers. There’s a helpful locator on the Web site to help you track her down. Enjoy!

Somewhere between lunch and dinner, I am sinking into the cozy cocoon science-minded folk like to refer to as the postprandial dip. My head nods, I reread the same passage of the same page over and over without grasping a shred of meaning, I look at the computer screen and find mysteriously miscast words and long skirls of letters — “monkey” and “pepper” and “sslkdflskdddddddddddddddd” — inserted in among the sentences I am attempting to type.

Clearly, it’s time for caffeine! I’ve spent the morning with my coffee mug, so now I switch over to my teacup, hoping the change, and the simple act of balancing a cup of scalding liquid, will perk things up a bit.

Happily, the tea in my cup today isn’t just plain old orange pekoe, which is good enough on a regular afternoon, but not invigorating enough on a day when one finds the word “monkey” incomprehensibly inserted in the body of a sentence whose subject is grammar. Today, I’m sampling another one of Mighty Leaf’s wonderful blends. This time, it’s a caffeinated elixir, a black and green tea brew called Orange Dulce.

In the cup it is as aromatic as a pomander; mahogany colored and inviting. The orange notes are surprisingly subtle; the taste is full of rich caramel and smooth vanilla, braced by the invigorating briskness of black tea from Ceylon and China. The finish is gently sweet, the lingering scent of jasmine faintly evident.

Now I’m not sleepy any longer; I’m distracted by this lovely cup of tea. I’m thinking how nice it would be poured over cracked ice, sweetened with a bit of orange blossom honey. Here’s to hoping that the caffeine kick arrives before my deadline does.  

Green Tea Tropical is another delightful whole-leaf artisanal offering from Mighty Leaf, a blend of green tea leaves, colorful cornflowers, and tropical fruit.

Pulling the silk tea sachet out of the foil envelope, I was immediately struck by how pretty this tea is. The green of the tea leaves was speckled with flashes of blue and red flower petals. The aroma was the second thing that captured my attention. Straight from the package, the tea gives off a lively fragrance that reminded me of nothing more than fruit punch. Clearly, this is not a fuddy-duddy tea!

I steeped the tea bag for the suggested three minutes in very hot — not boiling — water, then removed and discarded the tea bag.

As with other Mighty Leaf tea blends I’ve sampled, I found that Green Tea Tropical did not require any sweetener to enhance its flavor or mitigate bitterness. In fact, there was no hint of the bitter notes that sometimes characterize green tea. The brew was full-bodied without being cloying, and the flavor was bright, with well-defined notes of pineapple and guava.

Because this tea has such an unusually vibrant quality, I would take care when selecting food to pair it with. Although I didn’t have an opportunity to do so, I would try it iced, and serve it with salads or seafood. Hot, I think it would make an excellent stand-alone dessert tea. If serving with sweets, I would not match it with any kind of elaborate or rich dessert, but would offer only a simple pound cake or sugar cookies, or perhaps grilled summer fruits.

Green Tea Tropical does contain some caffeine, but less than black tea, and provides beneficial antioxidant compounds.

For more information or to order Green Tea Tropical or other Mighty Leaf teas online, check out the Mighty Leaf Web site.

Although it’s not surprising that green-tea liqueurs have apparently been around for a while in Japan (there’s green tea ice cream, why not liqueur?), according to its press packet, ZEN is the first to be formulated especially with the American market in mind. Seems like a good idea to me, as Americans are currently enamored of all things green tea. Riding the wave of that green-tea love, ZEN Green Tea Liqueur is essentially a blend of high-quality green tea leaves, herbs, and other flavors, in a neutral-spirits base with an alcohol content of 20 percent.

(ZEN is produced by the same company, Suntory Ltd., who makes Midori, a light, sweet, emerald-green liqueur that has become extremely popular in the United States. Together with Midori, ZEN is distributed stateside by SKYY Spirits, LLC.)  

Provided along with the bottle of ZEN was a little booklet of recipes. I chose a fairly easy one — the Zen Mojito — to sample first. Opening the bottle, which I’d chilled in the fridge for a few hours, I took a sniff. Raspberry iced tea, was the first thing that came to mind. The fruitiness was unexpected but pleasant, and I thought it was a good sign that the tea aroma was predominant over the alcohol. (For the record, it doesn’t actually taste like raspberries.)

Tasting the ZEN Green Tea Liqueur in the mojito, and then going on to taste it in a few other ways (over the course of a few days–NOT all at once), I developed a preference for those combinations where ZEN was the dominant flavor. The mojito was mmm, mmm mojito, but the rum in it masked the subtler herbal notes of the ZEN. My husband, who, for purposes of scientific objectivity, tested the recipes along with me, came to a similar conclusion, commenting, “I’d like to try the ZEN on its own, to see what it really tastes like.”

ZEN Mojito (recipe courtesy of ZEN)

• 1 ½ parts ZEN Green Tea Liqueur
• 1 ½ parts Matusalem Platino Rum
• ½ part fresh lime juice
• ½ part simple syrup
• Mint leaves
• Club soda

Muddle mint in a cocktail shaker. Add ZEN, rum, lime juice and simple syrup and shake. Serve in a tall glass over ice. Top with club soda.

Because it is tea based, ZEN Green Tea Liqueur seems to marry well with pretty much anything you’d pair logically with a cup of green tea. Good flavor and ingredient matches include ginger, mint, lemon, even cream. Ultimately, our favorite mix consisted of ZEN over crushed ice with a splash of ginger ale and a squeeze of lime. Simple and very “zen.”

Incidentally, chilled and served over ice, ZEN is quite nice on its own. Grass green, the liqueur served without a mixer tastes something like a reduction of honey-sweetened green tea flavored with lemongrass.

ZEN manages to avoid the cough-syrupy consistency that characterizes many liqueurs, having a body that is fairly light and mellow, rounded out with a pleasant herbal finish. Plus, there’s an authentic astringency from the green tea, which I found provides just the right balance to the sweetness. Overall, I really like this liqueur. It’s unique, elegant, and surprisingly versatile. 

I’d say this is the perfect liquor to sip with appetizers on a warm spring or summer evening. I’d like to try it in lemonade, iced black tea, and maybe as a flavoring in white sangria or even granita. 

For recipes and more info, check out the ZEN Green Tea Liqueur Web site.  

ZEN Green Tea Liqueur and ZEN Mojito images courtesy of ZEN Green Tea Liqueur

The day I taste-tasted the Chamomile Citrus blend, I wasn’t feeling good. Nothing specific, just a yucky sort of mid-March malaise characterized by a scratchy throat and iffy stomach. I felt like the soggy and withered lawn outside my window looked. In other words, it was the perfect opportunity to test drive a cup of restorative chamomile tea.

Packaged individually in foil envelopes, Mighty Leaf teabags are not made from paper, but are actually handcrafted silk pouches. As I tugged the bag from the foil wrapper, I took a close look at its contents. The Chamomile Citrus infusion is an artisanal whole-leaf blend. What I saw inside the silk-mesh bag looked exactly like herbs you might grow and dry yourself for tea. Which is to say, they look whole, real, and wonderfully intact. Leaves, blossoms, and spices were well preserved enough to still be colorful.

The smell of the dry tea was, I’ll confess, a little off-putting at first. Perhaps it was my already shaky stomach, but the chamomile smelled uncharacteristically strong, almost weedy. I prepared the water and continued to hope for the best.

After steeping the teabag for the recommended 3 minutes, I removed the bag and took a sip of the tea, unadulterated with sweetener or anything else. In a word, perfect. The reconstituted spices balanced the chamomile, and no one flavor dominated. There was a subtle and delicate sweetness, and the aroma of citrus brightened up the whole mix without overwhelming the chamomile. Really, a masterful blend.

By the end of the cup I was feeling a good deal cheerier if not entirely cured, and what more could you want from a great cup of tea?