Though you’ve probably never had it before, Hawthorn Iced Tea is simple to prepare, deliciously revitalizing and boasts a one-of-a-kind tangy fruit flavor that complements any meal. The numerous health benefits of hawthorn make it highly valued in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Iced Tea Flavored With Refreshing Berries
It’s almost the end of summer, and regular iced tea drinkers may be getting bored with their usual blends.
However, if you’re looking for a tasty drink that won’t break the bank, try this Hawthorn Iced Tea instead. Hayne’s berries, both fresh and dried, sugar, and water. This is the dish I would enjoy making.
The term “Chinese Hawthorn” doesn’t seem to fit.
The Cretaegus genus includes plants native to Asia, Europe, and North America, including the Chinese hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida). Small, sour, red fruits that resemble crabapples are unique to the Chinese Hawthorn.
Although I had heard of hawthorn before, it wasn’t until my parents moved to Beijing that I actually tried one. Naturally, trips to Beijing on my school breaks meant regular trips to the grocery store and settling into a different rhythm of life in China.
Anyone who’s been to a grocery store in China can attest to the alluring yet puzzling quality of the snack/candy aisles with their many colors and oddball flavors (wasabi Oreos, anyone?).
I gravitated towards a bucket of plum-colored fruit leathers, and my mother actually thought they were yang mei or Chinese bayberry flavored, which I had recently taken a liking to.
Alas, they weren’t yang mei flavor, but it turns out it was a happy mistake, as they were actually hawberry fruit leathers. While I type this, I’m eating some of this candy, and the flavor reminds me of a cross between the tartness of a strawberry and the sweetness of an apple. To put it simply, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever tasted before and is absolutely ideal for the summer.
Fortunately, dried hawthorn berries, used to make this tea, are far simpler to come by in the United States than yang mei bayberries.
Ingredients:
- 70g of dried Chinese Hawthorn berries
- 6 cups of water
- 1/4 cup of sugar
Instructions:
- To a small to medium-sized pot, add the dried hawthorn and water. Start a boil with this. For the next 45 minutes, cook at a low simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the sugar until it has completely dissolved.
- Set aside to chill, then strain over a fine-mesh screen before serving over ice. Honey, which dissolves more quickly than sugar, might be added to taste if the tea is too sour.