When it's cold and miserable outside, there's nothing better than a hot cup of spiced tea to warm both your body and soul!

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

What ingredients are needed to make winter spice tea?

* The ingredients listed below are enough to prepare 4 teas. *

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

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

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

How to prepare winter spice tea?

1. Brew the perfect base.

Start by boiling the water (it should reach 100°C). Measure 20g of tea and pour it into the container you intend to brew it in. Pour boiling water (600ml) over the leaves and leave to brew for exactly 5 minutes – this time is crucial for extracting the perfect balance of flavours.

2. Prepare the fruit.

While the tea is brewing, take care of:

• washing and cutting the apples into thin slices, then cut them into half-moon shapes.
• cutting the orange into slices.
• preparing cinnamon sticks.

3. Final touches!

Once the tea has brewed, remove the leaves. Then add the apple and orange slices, a cinnamon stick and drizzle with honey to the infusion. Mix everything gently to combine the ingredients.

Serve hot!

Tips:

• Remember, for the fullest flavor , it is best to use fresh apples.
• Chop fruit just before adding it to the infusion to prevent browning.
• Heat the container with hot water before adding the tea and beginning 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 flavour of the tea.

Create your own version of winter spice tea!

You can modify the recipe in any way you like – your only limitation is your imagination! Here are some suggestions for changes that can be made to the recipe:

• Add star anise if you want a sweet yet hot flavor.
• To diversify the flavor, add a few cranberries, which will give the tea a slightly sour 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 pine aroma.
• If you don't want to use honey, use maple syrup.

Why are winter warming teas so popular?

The combination of hot tea with a deep, complex flavor with fresh fruit and spices creates a harmonious combination of flavors that provide our senses with different experiences. Our recipe, based on Festival Tea, is a source of apple sweetness, slightly sour citrus notes, sweet and spicy spice accent, and all of this is crowned by the intense sweetness of honey. Such a variety of ingredients in one drink not only provides an explosion of flavors, but also makes us enjoy the strong, warming effect that we feel in our bodies after just a few sips of tea.

The beauty of winter teas does not come solely from their taste. The very process of preparing them, especially among loved ones, can evoke great joy, which is intensified by tasting a drink prepared from scratch yourself.

Note: After drinking the tea, you can safely eat the fruit – this way it will be deliciously infused with the flavors of the winter drink.