Simple Summer Sipping

Flash Chill Lemonade Maker
What could be better than refreshing lemonade on a hot day? The Takeya Flash Chill Lemonade Maker is easy to use and can serve a crowd healthful, tart, sweet fresh lemonade… like having a lemonade stand right in your kitchen.

Here’s how you do it:

• Fill the 66-ounce pitcher with ice
• Attach the juicer and squeeze about 7 lemons in the juicer (Yes, we wash our lemons first with a veggie wash solution)
• Remove the juicer top, add water to the pitcher, add desired sweetener and lemon slices (optional)
• Cover the pitcher with the lid and seal; shake gently
• Store the  lemonade in the refrigerator
• 
  

We loved this – it was so easy to make. We also tried the same recipe using limes instead of lemons. Delicious. And then, we added a few sliced strawberries to our lemonade mix. Lovely. And the piece de resistance: we created a refreshing lemon drop–like cocktail, adding in 6 ounces of vodka. Needless to say, we all toasted Takeya!

All parts are dishwasher safe, BPA free and a welcome addition to our summer kitchens.

Takeya Flash Chill Tea Maker
Need we say more – we are southerners and totally committed, regular iced tea drinkers.  We like our iced tea strong, sweet and cold! So, we were somewhat skeptical when we tried the Takeya tea maker.

We followed the instructions:

• Simply remove the lid and add whole leaf or tea bags to the infuser
• Twist the infuser onto the lid
• Pour hot water into tea maker (half-way up) and  replace lid with infuser onto the tea maker -  “brew tea” according to directions on tea box
• Remove the infuser from the lid; zip on the thermo jacket and add ice
• Seal the lid and shake to flash chill.
• Easy! Iced tea!

But how is the tea? We made our 1^st batch sweet, southern and simple – using classic bags of black tea , and a cup of sugar. We let it sit for 4 hours (we allowed our tea to brew much longer than recommended on the tea box), then followed the finishing directions. Yes, it tasted like the real thing, that southern thing.

Our second try was with an  infusion; filling the infuser with tea bags and fresh garden mint. We let this one sit for about an hour. So refreshing.

And then another day it was time for peaches. We sliced a peach placed it in the infuser along with tea bags, and let it brew overnight. This produced a refreshing, fruity tea with our favorite taste of summer. Of course, when serving, we added mint.

We love the features of the AcraGlass® 2 quart pitcher. It is convenient, dishwasher safe, doesn’t seem to stain or hold odors and is pretty enough to bring to the table. The lid is airtight, keeping tea tasting fresh in the refrigerator. The lid is so airtight that the pitcher can stand upright or on its side. (Yes we dared to try this and it did not leak!). And, the tea, it seems just as good as “Tara’s”, but quicker and fun to make and serve.

Takeya Double Wall Glass Tumbler
Summer “Sipping” on the Go
Keep hot liquids hot, and cold liquids cold in this insulated tumbler with lid. This one’s glass so it does take a bit of extra care – but it really does the job. Our hot coffee really stayed hot and our iced coffee – icy cold! Now we have to give it a try with tea.

Tea and Lemonade making tips:

1. Use unwaxed, organic lemons, limes or oranges when possible. If fruits are waxed and peel is used, scrub to clean, and use vegetable wash.

1. Sweeten tea or lemonade with sugar, agave or honey

1. Consider berries, apples, pears or any fruit or herb for creative infusion

For more information on Takeya, visit Takeyausa.com. Available at many retail stores including Amazon.com: Flash Chill Lemonade Maker, Flash Chill Iced Tea Maker and Double-Wall Glass Tea/Coffee Tumbler.

July 25, 2012