Winter Melon Tea

Before you start

Winter melon tea is not brewed from tea leaves at all. Chunks of winter melon are cooked down with brown sugar and rock sugar for a couple of hours until the flesh collapses and the syrup turns the color of strong coffee. That long cook is the whole point: the melon itself is mild and watery, and the deep caramel and faintly smoky, toasted-sugar flavor only appear once most of its water has boiled away.

The result is a thick concentrate you dilute with water and ice, much like a cordial. The decisions that matter are how dark you take the caramel (pale syrup tastes flat and sweet; very dark syrup can turn bitter) and whether you strain out the pulp or blend it in for a cloudier, fuller drink. Some tea shops also mix the base with brewed black tea or milk, and both are covered below.

Ingredients

• Concentrate1.5 kg (about 3 lb) winter melon, with skin — yields roughly 1.2 kg peeled, seeded flesh
• 250 g (1¼ cups packed) dark brown sugar
• 100 g (about ½ cup) rock sugar or yellow lump sugar — or 100 g more granulated sugar
• 60 ml (¼ cup) water — only to start the pot
• To serve (per glass)60 ml (2 oz) winter melon concentrate
• 180 ml (6 oz) cold water — or brewed black tea, cooled
• 1 cup ice cubes

Method

1. Cut the melon into wedges, scoop out the spongy seed core and slice away the green skin. Cut the white flesh into 2 cm (¾ in) cubes. You should have about 1.2 kg.
2. Put the cubes in the pot with both sugars and the 60 ml water. Stir and leave for 15 minutes; the sugar draws liquid out of the melon so it starts cooking in its own juice.
3. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for about 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes. The cubes turn translucent and the pot fills with thin, pale amber liquid.
4. Keep simmering for another 60 to 90 minutes, stirring more often as the liquid reduces. Press the softened melon against the side of the pot so it breaks into strands.
5. Watch the color closely near the end. Stop when the syrup is a deep mahogany brown and coats the spoon thickly, roughly 105 to 107°C (221 to 225°F) on a thermometer. If it smells sharp or acrid, take it off the heat at once.
6. Decide on texture. For a clear drink, press the mixture through a fine strainer and discard the fibers. For a fuller, cloudy drink, blend the pulp smooth with an immersion blender.
7. Let the concentrate cool to room temperature, about 1 hour, then pour it into a clean jar.
8. To serve, stir 60 ml of concentrate into 180 ml of cold water or cooled black tea, then pour over a glass of ice. Taste and add a little more concentrate if you like it sweeter.

Tips for success

• Choose a heavy pot. Thin pans scorch the sugar at the edges long before the center has reduced, and burnt sugar flavor cannot be removed.
• The last 20 minutes go fast. Stay at the stove and stir constantly once the syrup starts to thicken and darken.
• A 1:3 ratio of concentrate to water is a good starting point. Shop versions are often sweeter, closer to 1:2.
• Pre-cut winter melon from Asian grocery stores saves the peeling step and works well.

Substitutions

Rock sugar

Use the same weight of granulated or light brown sugar. Rock sugar gives a slightly cleaner sweetness, but the difference is small after a long caramelizing cook.

Dark brown sugar

Muscovado or Okinawan kokuto sugar gives a stronger molasses note and a darker color. Plain white sugar works but needs a longer cook to reach the same depth.

Water for diluting

Cooled black tea makes the shop-style winter melon black tea. Whole milk makes a creamy winter melon milk; use 60 ml concentrate to 150 ml milk.

Variations

Winter melon black tea

Dilute 60 ml concentrate with 150 ml strong cooled black tea and a splash of water. Shake with ice for a frothy top.

Winter melon lemon

Add 15 ml fresh lemon juice per glass. The acid cuts the sweetness and brightens the caramel.

With tapioca pearls

Add cooked tapioca pearls to the glass before the ice for a bubble tea version.

Troubleshooting

The drink tastes only sweet, with no caramel depth

The concentrate was not reduced far enough. Return it to the pot and simmer, stirring, until it darkens to deep brown.

The syrup tastes bitter or burnt

It went too dark or scorched on the bottom. Bitterness this strong cannot be fixed; next time use lower heat, a heavier pot and stop at mahogany, not black.

The concentrate set into a hard block in the fridge

It was reduced very far, which is how some traditional blocks are made. Dissolve a piece in hot water before chilling, or warm the jar gently in a water bath.

Storage

Keep the cooled concentrate in a clean, covered jar in the refrigerator and use it within about 2 weeks. For longer storage, freeze it in ice cube trays for up to 3 months. Discard it if you see mold, fizzing or a sour smell. Diluted drinks should be served right away.