Floral Cold Brew White Tea with Fresh Violets

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This floral cold brew white tea with fresh violets is the lightest of my botanical cold brew series. White tea is naturally lite, calm and has an almost honeyed sweetness. This tea combines beautifully with the light, floral (and very distinctive) flavor of foraged violets. No need for heat here; all of the flavor intensifies slowly after a cold infusion process. These botanical cold brews are one of my evening rituals, I drink some whenever I feel like adding a little indulgence at the end of my day.

Loose Leaf White Tea

I use loose leaf white tea, or needles as they are commonly known for this infusion recipe. I find that the silver needle variety has the lightest, almost ethereal flavor and is the perfect backdrop base for the naturally sweet floral flavor of violets.

Wild Violets

Violets bloom here in the Hudson Valley from April thru May. Their season is actually quite short, so I use them as much as possible during this window. Fresh wild violets musky, floral flavor blooms in a cold water infusion. This recipe uses freshly picked wild violets, but during the colder months dried violets work just as well, although the flavor will not be as bright.

Fresh violets are one of the most beautiful ingredients of spring – the full violet recipe guide covers everything from violet jelly to sugared flowers if you want to make the most of the season.

If you have violet flowers left over after making this violet drink, make a small jar of violet jelly while the flowers are still fresh – it keeps the season going long after the blooms have gone.

What You’ll Need for This Cold Brew Recipe

The ingredients for this floral cold brew tea with edible flowers are few. The calm, slow routine of cold brewing this infusion is most of recipe.

• White tea; loose leaf, I prefer silver needle variety.
• Wild Violets; Using fresh violet flowers in cold brew tea will result in the strongest flavor infusion. If you do not have access to foraged wild violets, you can substitute dries violets, but the flavor will not be as strong.
• Water; use clean, purified water to pour over violet flower infusion.
• Glass Carafe; honestly any vessel with a lid will do, but this cold brew white tea with botanicals looks so beautiful with floating flowers, and long stems of white tea, I highly recommend a clear glass container.

The Process

For this delicate floral cold brew tea for spring, the flavor forms fully after a spell in the fridge. Layer the white tea and wild violets into the carafe and cover with water until full.

Cap the carafe (or your container of choice) and give the bottle a good swirl. Place cold brew infusion in refrigerator for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight for a deeper steep.

After the tea has been cold brewed, use a fine mesh sieve to strain the flowers and tea needles out.

A Note On Color

White tea produces a pale golden brew, as mentioner earlier, the color is almost ethereal. Fresh violets add the faintest blush of lavender, making this drink almost dreamlike as the flowers float softly above the white tea needles.
Each batch will look slightly different depending on how many violets you use; the more violets added, the deeper the color (and flavor). This violet drink is beautiful either way.

How to Serve It

Pour the strained white tea infusion over ice and sweeten with simple syrup or honey. Deepen the violet flavor by adding a teaspoon of violet simple syrup.

Pour into a large ice filled glass and top with sparkling water.

Float a sugared violet on top, as a garnish, this adds floral whimsy.

If you love cold brewing at home, the botanical cold brew green tea with jasmine and lemongrass is the first in this series and a beautiful place to start.

There is something deeply satisfying about putting this together before bed. A handful of white tea leaves, a few fresh violets tucked in alongside, cold water poured slowly over everything. The carafe goes into the refrigerator and the kitchen goes quiet. By morning something lovely is waiting – pale, faintly floral, completely unhurried. A small gift you gave yourself the night before.
This is that kind of drink. Not complicated, not clever. Just a quiet little luxury that costs almost nothing and tastes like the best version of a spring morning. Pour it over ice, top it with sparkling water and take a moment before the day begins or sip as is ends. You made this. It’s yours. Enjoy.