When the weather outside is frosty and unpleasant, there's nothing better than a hot cup of spiced tea to warm both body and soul!

Today, we would like to share with you a recipe for a warming tea, which is a true essence of flavors and aromas typical of the winter holiday season. The base of our recipe is Festival Tea from the Carnival collection, which surprises with its refreshing, intensely fruity taste. This hot infusion, enriched with fresh fruits and spices, tastes like Christmas in a cup!

 

What ingredients are needed to prepare winter spiced tea?

* The ingredients listed below are sufficient for 4 servings of tea. *

 

• 20 g of Basilur Winter Festival Ceylon black tea from the Carnival collection

Broken Orange Pekoe Ceylon black tea with added pineapple, cornflower, and blackberry aroma.

• 1 green apple, thinly sliced
• 1 red apple, thinly sliced
• 1 large cinnamon stick
• 1 orange, sliced
• Honey (preferred amount)
• 600 ml of boiling water

 

How to prepare winter spiced tea?

 

1. Brew the perfect base.

Start by boiling water (it should reach 100°C). Measure out 20g of tea and put it into the vessel where you intend to brew it. Pour boiling water (600 ml) over the leaves and let them steep for exactly 5 minutes – this time is crucial for achieving the perfect balance of flavors.

 

2. Prepare the fruit.

While the tea is brewing, focus on:

• washing and thinly slicing the apples, then cutting them into crescent shapes.
• slicing the orange.
• preparing the cinnamon stick.

 

3. Finishing touches!

Once the tea has steeped, remove the leaves. Then, add the apple and orange slices, cinnamon stick, and drizzle with honey into the infusion. Gently stir everything to combine the ingredients.

Serve hot!

 

Tips:

• Remember that for the fullest flavor, it's best to use fresh apples.
• Slice the fruits just before adding them to the infusion to prevent browning.
• Warm the vessel with hot water before adding the tea and starting the brewing process.
• You can modify the amount of honey and fruit as you wish.
• Leave the cinnamon stick in the mug/cup – this way it will continue to infuse the tea with its flavor.

 

Create your own version of winter spiced tea!

You can modify our recipe in any way you like – your imagination is the only limit! Here are a few suggested changes you can make to the recipe:

• Add star anise if you want a sweet yet pungent aftertaste.
• To diversify the flavor, add a few cranberries, which will give the tea a slightly tart accent.
• Instead of apples, you can use pears; also sliced. You can also use both fruits.
• Add a sprig of rosemary, which will give the tea a slightly bitter taste and a strong, piney aroma.
• If you don't want to use honey, opt for maple syrup.

 

 

Why are warming winter teas so popular?

The combination of hot tea with a deep, complex flavor with fresh fruits and spices creates a harmonious blend of tastes that provide our senses with various experiences. Our recipe, based on Festival Tea, is a source of apple sweetness, slightly tart citrus notes, a sweet-spicy accent of spices, all crowned with the intense sweetness of honey. Such diversity of ingredients in one drink not only delivers an explosion of flavors but also allows us to enjoy a strong, warming effect that we feel in our bodies after just a few sips of tea.

The beauty of winter teas doesn't just come from their taste. The very process of preparing them, especially with loved ones, can evoke immense joy, which is intensified by the tasting of a drink prepared from scratch.

 

Note: After drinking the tea, the fruit can be safely eaten – in this form, it will be deliciously infused with the flavors of the winter drink.