A love letter to citrus
Welcome to the February edition of Tasting Notes, our monthly musings on everything we’re talking about, and tasting, at the moment. With Valentine’s cards still on the mantelpiece, we’ve been reflecting on the notion of devotion…
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We were enchanted by chef and recipe developer Nicola Lamb’s recent words on oranges:
“I always think of these jewels as a little wink from the heat of last summer, like a simultaneous reminder of the season past and a promise of good things to come”
It reminded us of our love of all things citrus, especially Dry Dragon and its delicious citrus top notes. Join us as we reminisce about those long summer sessions spent in the garden going through bottle after bottle of deliciously chilled Sparkling Tea, it won’t be long before we’re there again!
There’s something incredibly endearing about the versatility and universality of citrus. From lemons to limes, oranges to kumquats, there’s a zesty fruit with dimpled skin for every moment. Whether the sight of big, knobbly Amalfi lemons (leaves still attached) takes you back to eating granita on the Italian coast, the scent of bergamot reminds you of a past love, or the taste of yuzu takes you back to your favourite tiny bar in Tokyo, citrus is definitely something we can’t live without.
Later I’ll share the recipe for my go-to deliciously zesty lime and courgette cake that won the approval of the pastry chef at The Fat Duck on their visit to The Fermentery, but for now let’s discover where the notes of citrus in Dry Dragon actually come from as we reveal the science behind our devotion.
N O T E S O F C I T R U S
Our Dry Dragon Sparkling Tea delivers extraordinary notes of citrus and a gentle, nutty finish. It’s easy to discern where the nutty finish comes from as we use pan-fired Dragonwell green tea - the act of bushing handfuls of tea leaves around a sizzling wok imparts a delicious, almost smokey whisper that presents as a nutty finish.
In contrast, the notes of citrus are hidden deep within the tea leaves and are coaxed out during our fermentation process. During fermentation, our carefully selected microorganisms work together to transform the vegetal, grassiness of the loose-leaf Dragonwell into delicate flavours of sweet lemons and grapefruit on the palate.
F I T F O R T H E F A T D U C K
Back in September we welcomed the team from The Fat Duck into our Fermentery to learn more about the process behind our Sparkling Teas that have sat on their menus since 2017. It would have been wrong not to feed them while they were with us (an ever so slightly daunting task), so we headed to our kitchens with our very best recipes.
With the crumbs left at the end of the session signifying a seal of approval, and in the spirit of all things citrus, I’d like to share with you my recipe for a deliciously zesty lime and courgette cake topped with sweetened cream cheese.
While we can’t promise cake, we’d love for you to join us for a Tasting & Tour at our Fermentery on either Sunday 12th or Sunday 26th March. Book online now to secure your spot!
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Thanks for joining us this month, hopefully we’ll see some of you at The Fermentery soon!
Bye for now,
Robyn