How to make Taylor St Baristas' City of Eternal Spring Iced Tea

By Michaela and Ott of Taylor St Baristas

In mid-May we were blessed with warm weather - the perfect opportunity to host our second annual ‘Big Iced Teaser’ competition: where baristas and tea lovers from our cafe, restaurant partners compete to create the best-tasting iced tea in London town.

Facing the judges from Caffeine Magazine, Gail’s Bakery, Sainsbury’s and our own tea bar were a group of ten competitors, each with a unique recipe. Although there were some stunning from an all-star line-up (Oatly, Sandows, 26 Grains, Caravan, The Peanut Vendor, Coal Rooms and the Good & Proper team), there could only be one winner.

The judges’ decision was unanimous: the stunning ‘City of Eternal Spring’ from Taylor St Baristas’ Michaela and Ott was the rightful winner. Named after the capital city in China’s Yunnan province, where flowers bloom all year round, Michaela and Ott’s drink combines the smokiness of our Yunnan black tea with juniper syrup and barley tea. Kayang, an Asian herb grown in rice paddies, enhances the slightly savoury herbal notes. The result is a uniquely delicious iced tea, a true taste of a fresh spring day.

What You Need

• 20g Good & Proper Yunnan
• 1.5l filtered water
• 100g caster sugar
• 10g dried juniper berries
• 90 pearl barley (or roasted barley)
• Ice
• One bunch of kayang leaves (check your local Asian supermarket)

Method

For the Yunnan tea

Add 20g Yunnan tea to 800ml room temperature filtered water, and allow to steep for 30 minutes at room temperature. Then leave in the fridge for 8 hours and strain.           

For the juniper syrup

Muddle 100g caster sugar with 10g juniper berries in a saucepan, then add 50ml boiling water and bring to a simmer on a hob whilst stirring. Give the mixture in the saucepan a few quick pulses with a stick blender and strain through a fine sieve.

For the barley tea

Toast the barley in a pan, stirring constantly until the grains have a tan colour. Then add water, bring to boil and let it simmer for 20 min. Strain and allow to cool down to room temperature. You can also buy pre-roasted barley in Asian supermarkets – doing it yourself can get quite smoky!

To make one drink:

• 80ml chilled G&P Yunnan
• 25ml barley tea
• 7ml homemade juniper syrup
• Ice
• Small bunch of kayang leaves, plus a sprig to garnish

1. Add all the ingredients into a shaker tin, top with fresh ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds
2. Strain into your serving vessel (a rice bowl works well!)
3. Garnish with a sprig of kayang
4. Enjoy the taste of springtime in Yunnan