Rose & pomelo honey tea
Fragrant pomelo zest and rose buds steeped into a floral, citrusy tea with a little honey and fresh pomelo — a lift for the mood.
- 20 min
- Serves 2
- Steep
- Easy
Why it suits you: Qi Stagnation brings low moods and tension, and the shortening days around Autumn Equinox can bring on the 'autumn blues'. Fragrant rose and pomelo zest soothe the liver and move qi, while sweet pomelo flesh refreshes — an afternoon cup to lighten the mood.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 10 min- 1Scrub the pomelo skin with a little salt, then rinse and dry it.
- 2With a vegetable peeler, shave off a thin layer of the yellow zest, leaving the white pith behind, and cut it into fine shreds.
- 3Put the zest and rose buds in a flask, pour in the boiling water, cover and steep for 8–10 minutes.
- 4Let it cool slightly before stirring in the honey, and enjoy with a few segments of pomelo.
Cautions
- Pomelo interacts with some medicines, such as cholesterol-lowering statins and some blood pressure drugs — if you take regular medication, check with your doctor or pharmacist first.
- Avoid rose bud tea during pregnancy.
Chef's tips
- Perfect for pomelo left over from Mid-Autumn; shredded zest keeps in the fridge for 3 days.
- If you find it bitter, blanch the zest in boiling water for 1 minute before steeping.
The TCM view
Rose buds are sweet, slightly bitter and warm; they soothe the liver, relieve stagnation and harmonise the blood. Pomelo zest is pungent, bitter and warm and moves qi and eases the chest; pomelo flesh is sweet, sour and cold and generates fluids; honey is sweet and neutral and moistens dryness. Warm and cool balance out, with fragrance doing the work of moving qi.
