Homemade tea blend with citrus, berries, apples, roses and white tea is an invigorating infusion of sweet fruity flavors and the lively taste of antioxidant rich white tea.
Scrub the surface of the oranges and apples with a vegetable brush and rinse well. Rinse the strawberries very well and drain. Wipe the fruit surface dry using a paper towel.
Slice the fruits crosswise using a mandolin slicer or a sharp knife. Retain the peel and cut fruit into uniform ¼-inch thick slices. Discard the end slices.
Then place the fruit slices on the food dehydrator trays. Stack the trays in the dehydrator and turn it on.
Next, let the fruit slices dehydrate until the fruit center is dry. Depending on the number of trays stacked, this may take six to eight hours or more.
To allow uniform drying of the slices, do remember to switch the order of the trays.
Once the fruit slices are dried well and crisp, break them into smaller pieces.
HOMEMADE TEA PREPARATION AND INFUSION
Using the suggested ratio, combine the dried fruits with the white tea and dried roses. You may add some dried herbs if you prefer.
Use hot water (but not boiling) as the tea may turn bitter due to the longer steeping time.
You may use two tablespoon of the homemade tea blend per 1 cup hot water. Adjust as per your taste.
White tea can be steeped longer than black tea. It is recommended to steep the tea for 7 to 10 minutes.
Notes
Do check out my homemade tea preparation tips above.
You can buy dried roses (culinary grade) from Persian/ middle eastern/other ethnic grocery stores or online.
Here is a detailed tutorial for white tea preparation.
Nutrition Facts: The calories are an approximation based on similar commercial tea preparations, as it is difficult to estimate the amount of calories from the fruit sugars released. Nevertheless, they are minimal.