I don’t know what the weather’s like where you are, but it’s danged cold here– 42º but feels like 37º. Nothing warms one up on a frigid day such as this quite like a nice hot cup of tea.
What follows are a handful of tea recipes collected from Mr. Big Food’s Big Food Manual. Most call for, or assume, loose-leaf tea, but tea bags would work just as well if that’s what you have. I included only one of many that calls for Tang– yes, kids, there was a time back in the crappy olden days when every kitchen had a jar of Tang on a shelf, and every freezer some frozen concentrated orange juice! Couple of those in there, too. Fun times. Finally, as the post title indicates, some recipes are for a crowd, so invite some folks over this weekend and have a tea party! (Or cut the amounts.)
AROMATIC TEA RUSSIAN MANNER
(As you can see, this can also be made by the cup.)
“Scald the teapot with rapidly boiling water. Put 1 rounded teaspoon of your favorite blend of tea in the pot for each cup desired, plus 1 for the pot for good measure. Measure freshly drawn cold water and bring it to a bubbling boil before pouring it on the tea leaves. Steep the tea, covered, 3-5 minutes, add 1 bay leaf, 1 whole clove and a few grains of thyme leaves, and immediately strain into a clean, heated teapot. Serve at once, sweetening it with a teaspoon (more or less) of currant jelly.”
Here’s a representative of Tang tea. The mix is made ahead and stored. When ready, put 1 Tbsp. in a cup and pour boiling water over. It was quite the rage back in the day!
SPICED TEA MIX II
Ingredients
- 2 C instant orange breakfast drink
- 1 C instant tea mix
- 3 oz envelope lemonade mix
- 2½ C sugar
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and store in a tightly covered container.
More traditional recipes below the fold.
Ordered by number served, but easy enough to modify.
NUTMEG TEA
Ingredients
- 1 tsp sweet butter
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg preferably freshly grated
- Freshly boiled water
- Milk or cream
Instructions
- Put butter, sugar, and nutmeg in a heated teacup, fill cup two-thirds full of boiling water, and stir until butter is melted. Fill cup with milk or cream.
SPICED TEA
Ingredients
- ¾ C sugar
- ½ C cold water plus an additional 5 C water, “furiously boiling”
- Juice of 1 orange
- Juice of 4 juicy lemons
- 10 whole cloves heads removed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 5 tsp heaping tea
- A thin slice of lemon for each cup each slice studded with 1 whole clove
Instructions
- Dissolve sugar in cold water in a saucepan, and when quite dissolved bring mixture to boiling point. Remove from flame, add orange juice, lemon juice, cloves, and cinnamon, and mix well. Pour boiling water over tea in a heated teapot, and let brew and steep 5 minutes. Put fruit juice mixture into a crystal punch bowl, strain hot tea mixture over fruit juice, and serve immediately in punch or tea cups, each cup containing a clove-studded lemon slice.
HOT SPICED TEA
Ingredients
- 2 C boiling water
- 4 large tea bags
- 2 C pineapple juice
- 2 C orange juice
- Juice of 3 to 4 lemons
- Sugar
- 4 cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Cover tea bags with boiling water and let steep 10 minutes. Simmer together pineapple juice, orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon sticks, add tea, and serve hot.
MRS. JOHNSON’S RECIPE FOR SPICED TEA
Ingredients
- 6 tsp tea
- 2 C boiling water plus an additional 2 quarts, maybe more
- 1 small can frozen lemon juice
- 1 small can frozen orange juice
- 1½ C sugar plus more to taste
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Pour boiling water over tea and let cool. Add lemon juice, orange juice, 1½ C sugar, cinnamon stick, and additional 2 quarts water, and simmer mixture for 20 minutes. “If too strong, add water. Add extra sugar to taste.”
Notes
KENTUCKY SPICED TEA
Ingredients
- ¼ C tea leaves tied in a bag
- 4 C cold water
- ¼ C fresh orange juice
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 2 C sugar
- 2/3 C fresh lemon juice
- 12 C boiling water
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground allspice
Instructions
- Tie together nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice in a bag, and place with sugar and 4 C COLD WATER in an enamel or stainless steel boiler. Bring to a boil and boil 10 minutes. Put in tea bag, 12 C boiling water, and orange juice and lemon juice, and steep for 5 minutes. Strain if desired.
Notes
RUSSIAN TEA II
Ingredients
- 4 quarts cold water
- 5 Tbsp tea
- 3 C orange juice (about 6 oranges
- 8 Tbsp lemon juice about 4 lemons
- 1 ½ C sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 ½ Tbsp whole cloves
- 18 oz can unsweetened pineapple juice
Instructions
- Place 2 quarts cold water in a large enameled or stainless steel saucepan, add tea, bring to a boil. Strain off tea. Add remaining 2 quarts water, orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar. Tie cinnamon sticks and whole cloves together in a cheesecloth bag and add to tea mixture. Bring to a quick boil and simmer gently for 1 hour, adding pineapple juice during the last 10 minutes of cooking time.