Currently sipping this tea – I crafted this as the April 17 tea of the week. When I crafted it, I was inspired by spring. When I think of spring – I think of hummingbirds, because my gramma used to have several little hummingbird feeders out – and as soon as the jacaranda trees started to bloom, she would start filling the feeders and we’d watch the hungry hummingbirds devour the magical liquid she’d put in the feeders – in the area that she lived (Garden Grove, CA) they would empty three feeders in 24 hours! Gramma’s magic would bring all the hummingbirds to the yard.
I’ve never actually tried a hummingbird cake (at least, not to my recollection) but I like the idea of a pineapple, coconut and pecan cake. It sounds delicious. So, I decided to try to create something like that in tea form. Since honeybush has a natural nuttiness and slight spicy tone to it, I thought it would make the perfect base – then I added pineapple & coconut & some nut-free pecan essence, plus some allspice & freshly shaved nutmeg to give it a pleasant spiced note.
It all comes together rather nicely. I didn’t try to turn this into a “cake” creation, but rather, something inspired by the idea of a hummingbird cake, with some of the featured flavors of the cake also featured in this blend (like pineapple, coconut & pecan). I cold-brewed a jar of it and it makes a really tasty iced tea. Compared to the hot tea version, I think that the cold brew has a stronger nutty & spicy flavor with hints of the fruit mingling in the background. As a hot tea, I notice more of the fruit. Both ways are delicious – although, I might prefer this one hot better than iced.
