Freeze Dried Strawberry Pieces

Description

Do you love strawberries? Most people do. They?re sweet, juicy and bite-sized. What?s not to love? Karl Linnaeus, famed Swedish botanist and "father of taxonomy" certainly had a thing for them. For a brief period of time between 1707 and 1708 he ate nothing but in a bid to prove that Strawberries were perfectly edible. His gastronomical experiment was to counter an old belief held in some parts of Europe that because strawberries grew along the ground, and were likely crawled upon by snakes and toads; they were not fit for human consumption. The notion was concocted and written down in the 12th century by an abbess, or leader of a convent, named Saint Hildegard von Binger. Many Europeans at the time were rather, ahem, shall we say, "unsophisticated" and Hildegard's writings, put down as they were on paper, were as good as carved in stone.

Speaking of odd European beliefs, in some parts of Bavaria, strawberries were considered an essential component in cattle and dairy farming. It seems the Bavarian farmers believed the elves who lived in the woods surrounding the fields helped their cows produce healthy calves and a dependable supply of milk. The farmers, in an effort to attract and appease the elves would tie small baskets of strawberries around the horns of grazing cattle as a gift of thanks. Even very, very early Europeans jumped on the strawberry loving bandwagon. The ancient Romans believed that strawberries were a symbol of the goddess Venus and that if you shared a large "double strawberry" with someone you were destined to fall in love with that person forever. Over the years this proved highly problematic for many Roman cousins, siblings, aunts, uncles, etc.
Now, not all Europeans loved strawberries. Henry VIII hated them. His second wife Ann Boleyn is said to have had a strawberry shaped birthmark on her neck. He disliked it so much he had her beheaded. There were also the charges of adultery and treason but that's another story. (Popular belief holds that she was innocent of all charges anyway. And don't worry, Henry VIII got his too.) Well, we at Metropolitan Tea love strawberries. We're particularly enamored with these freeze dried strawberry pieces. Why? In our minds anything that can be custom blended to create all-natural tea and herbal creations gets a big thumbs up. They're sweet and packed with strawberry flavor - give your customers something new to fall in love with!

Steeping Instructions

PRODUCT TYPE: Loose - Herbal Tea

IDEAL BREWING TEMPERATURE: 100ºC/212ºF

ANTIOXIDANT BENEFIT: For a greater antioxidant benefit brew longer and use more tea.

FOOD SAFETY ADVISORY: We strongly recommend using filtered or freshly drawn cold water brought to a rolling boil when brewing all types of tea. Today's water has been known to carry viruses, parasites and bacteria. Boiling the water will kill these elements and reduce the potential incidence of water-borne illnesses.

Epic Iced Tea Instructions

Tea isn't just served hot!  Iced tea is one of the most refreshing and natural thirst quenchers around the world.  Here is our suggested method of brewing the best iced tea.

ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Pitcher): (To Make 1 Liter/Quart):

1. Place 6 slightly heaping teaspoons of loose tea or 6 tea bags into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher.
2. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 1¼ cups/315ml over the tea.
3. Steep for 5 minutes.
4. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water.
5. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the tea or removing the bags.
6. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste.
7. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase
8. the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.

Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about.

ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Individual Serving):

1. Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea or 1 tea bag into a teapot for each serving required.
2. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 6-7oz/170-200ml per serving over the tea.
3. Cover and let steep for 5 minutes.
4. Add hot tea to a 12oz/375ml acrylic glass filled with ice, straining the tea or removing the bags.
5. Not all of the tea will fit, allowing for approximately an additional ½ serving.
6. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted.

Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about.

HERB & FRUIT ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Pitcher): (To Make 1 Liter/Quart):

1. Place 12 slightly heaping teaspoons of herb & fruit blend or 6 tea bags into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher.
2. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 1¼ cups/315ml over the herb & fruit blend.
3. Steep for 5-10 minutes.
4. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water.
5. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the tea or removing the tea bags.
6. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste.
7. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced herb & fruit tea is to increase the strength of hot brew since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.

HERB & FRUIT ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Individual Serving):

1. Place 2 slightly heaping teaspoons of herb & fruit blend or 1 tea bag into a teapot for each serving required.
2. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 6-7oz/170-200ml per serving over the herb & fruit blend.
3. Cover and let steep for 5-10 minutes.
4. Add hot tea to a 12oz/375ml acrylic glass filled with ice, straining the tea or removing the bags.
5. Not all of the tea will fit, allowing for approximately an additional ½ serving. Garnish and sweeten to taste.
6. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed herb & fruit tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted.