Osmanthus Iced Fruit Tea | Sweetened with Golden Slab Sugar

Osmanthus is in bloom, and the afternoons are still warm enough for something over ice.

This fruit tea is simmered with orange, apple and green tea, then chilled and poured over small cubes of osmanthus jelly. The jelly is clear and soft, with the flowers suspended inside, and it gives the drink something to bite on.

The sugar

Golden Slab Sugar (冰片糖) is a pale golden Cantonese slab sugar. Its sweetness is soft and rounded, with a gentle cane note.

Fruit tea needs sweetness that supports the fruit instead of competing with it. Golden slab sugar dissolves slowly as the tea simmers and keeps the flavour clean, so the orange, apple and green tea stay in front. It also gives the tea a warm golden colour in the glass.

The osmanthus jelly is sweetened with Ship Brand Raw Cane Sugar.

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What makes it work

Simmer the tea gently. Low heat lets the green tea and fruit come together without turning bitter. Strain it, let it cool completely, and give it time in the fridge so the flavour settles.

The osmanthus jelly does not need the fridge. Stir it the whole time it heats so the jelly powder does not clump or catch, then let it set at room temperature until it turns clear.

Recipe

Osmanthus Iced Fruit Tea

Ingredients

For the tea

• Orange 70g, sliced
• Apple 1, sliced
• Green tea bag 1
• Ship Brand Golden Slab Sugar 90g
• Water 300g

For the osmanthus jelly

• Dried osmanthus 20g
• White jelly powder 40g
• Ship Brand Raw Cane Sugar 10g
• Water 400g

To serve

• Ice
• Lemon slice

Method

1. Put the sliced orange and apple in a pot with the water, golden slab sugar and green tea bag. Simmer over low heat until the tea and fruit flavours come together.
2. Strain out the fruit and tea bag. Let the tea cool completely, then chill for 4 hours.
3. For the jelly, combine the dried osmanthus, white jelly powder, raw cane sugar and water in a pan. Bring to the boil over low heat, stirring constantly.
4. Pour into a tray, spread level, and leave at room temperature until set.
5. Cut the jelly into small cubes.
6. Put the jelly cubes in a glass, fill with ice, and pour in the chilled fruit tea. Finish with a slice of lemon.

Closing

Clear jelly at the bottom, golden tea over the ice, and a little osmanthus in every sip. It is a gentle way to hold on to the last warm days of the year.

Ship Brand (帆船牌) is the retail line of Yuen Tung Sugar Factory Industrial Company Limited. Sugar refined in Hong Kong since 1987. Shop the collection.