2/7/14 I’m experimenting with several different things with this tisane, so this tasting note is just the beginning. My sample arrived basically powdered, which made figuring out how to use it difficult, because all the references I’ve found tell me to use a number of flowers. I picked out the six largest remaining fragments, and put those into my rice cooker to make blue rice with – that’s still cooking.
I weighed the remaining powder – it came to five grams on my little scale, which I am guess is about 10-20 flowers. I put it all into a paper filter bag, and put it in my four cup measuring cup, and brewed it with boiling water for 3 minutes. It is a rich opaque dark blue liquid, with a light beany aroma and taste. I’m sipping a cup hot now, and have put the rest in the fridge to try iced. I’ll also experiment with adding some mandarin juice to it — it’s supposed to turn purple when an acid is added! Lime would be traditional, but I only have mandarins in the house.
I’ll also try a second steeping of my bag, and see how that brews.
So far, a fun and pleasant drink.
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The blue rice didn’t work so well — the flowers infused strongly in their immediate area, but the color didn’t filter well through the rice. I think I’ll get better color by infusing the water for the rice ahead of time. No trace of the flowers aroma or taste carried through to the rice.
You sound like a chemist
ROFL — I think that’s a compliment… My background is in professional cooking, so I can get a little hardcore foodie about things, I’m afraid.
Oh I used to love Good eats. Alton was so creative in his experiments
The mandarin juice did turn this tisane an amazing rich purple color – so pretty! The mandarin taste played okay with the pea flower, but lime would have been better. I think I could make an awesome lavender lemonade using this~!
Lol amazing lavender lemonade
In the interests of lavender lemonade potential, the second steep of these is a cold steep. 4 cups of water, and into the fridge, and we’ll see what I have tomorrow morning!
Ooh, how did it turn out?
Kaylee, I never got to find out. :( I fell sick, and never got to trying it.
Oh no! I hope you’re feeling better!
The blue rice didn’t work so well — the flowers infused strongly in their immediate area, but the color didn’t filter well through the rice. I think I’ll get better color by infusing the water for the rice ahead of time. No trace of the flowers aroma or taste carried through to the rice.
You sound like a chemist
ROFL — I think that’s a compliment… My background is in professional cooking, so I can get a little hardcore foodie about things, I’m afraid.
Oh I used to love Good eats. Alton was so creative in his experiments
The mandarin juice did turn this tisane an amazing rich purple color – so pretty! The mandarin taste played okay with the pea flower, but lime would have been better. I think I could make an awesome lavender lemonade using this~!
Lol amazing lavender lemonade
In the interests of lavender lemonade potential, the second steep of these is a cold steep. 4 cups of water, and into the fridge, and we’ll see what I have tomorrow morning!
Ooh, how did it turn out?
Kaylee, I never got to find out. :( I fell sick, and never got to trying it.
Oh no! I hope you’re feeling better!