As cooler weather creeps in, I truly feel that fall has arrived. Besides pulling on a cozy sweater for warmth, I also reach for a cup of hot chocolate.
There is just something about this beverage that not only warms my body, but my soul as well. A favorite way I make it is infused with Earl Grey tea. I find that this black tea flavored with oil of bergamot gives the chocolate a little extra zest.
This lovely tea was named after an English aristocrat named Charles Grey. It is not clear how he became associated with the tea, but there are a few tales. My favorite is one that tells of a gift sent by diplomats in China. Bergamot oranges and Earl Grey tea were shipped together and during the voyage the tea took on the flavor of the fruit. Quite a happy accident!
Now as the days grow shorter and the wind whips outside, I will curl up sipping this treat and lose myself in a much loved book. Perhaps you’d like some too?
But indeed I would rather have nothing but tea.
—Jane Austen
Earl Grey Infused Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
1 teaspoon Earl Grey loose tea
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons sugar (use 1 tablespoon if you don’t want it to be very sweet)
1 cup milk (whatever type you prefer)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
First whisk the cocoa, sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk in a little saucepan over medium-low heat. Next whisk in the rest of the milk and heat over medium heat. Keep whisking until the liquid is hot. Now pour it into a cup. Then put the tea in an infuser and place into the cup. Let the tea steep for 3-5 minutes and then remove. Lastly stir in the vanilla extract.
Serves one
If you are in a rush, you can make this very quickly using packaged hot chocolate and an Earl Grey tea bag!
