Hot Spiced Tea

mainecooncat's Note:

I got this recipe from my Girl Scout Troop leader about 40 years ago. This was one of the refreshments we always served when we had a special event or a program that we invited our parents to attend. I just found the recipe in my childish handwriting tucked away in one of my mother's old cookbooks.

• Total Time: 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 6 cups cold water
• 6 tea bags
• ¾ cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ cup sugar

Directions:

1. Add spices to water and bring to a rolling boil.
2. Add tea bags, cover, and steep for 5 minutes.
3. Strain into heated teapot or carafe.
4. Heat juices and sugar just to boiling.
5. Add to hot tea.

Reviews

[stars1012]

I'm a huge tea drinker, so I just couldn't pass this up. It probably would've been better if I'd had the ingredients it called for. Without orange juice or cloves in the house, I decided to take a stroll down to the supermarket. That plan backfired when a .6 oz. thing of cloves was 8 bucks and there were no small containers of O.j. I improvised using a little ground ginger and a sprinkle of nutmeg in place of the cloves and some very concentrated crystal light sunrise in place of the orange juice. Overall, it turned out alright.

[LonghornMama]

Delicious! Nice strong cup of tea with a lovely blend of spices yet not too sweet. Best with fresh-squeezed juices. Instead of straining the spices right away, I like to let them float around at least until the tea is cooled for stronger flavor. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

[justcallmetoni]

I made this using Splenda instead and otherwise followed the directions. A lovely aromatic late night treat. Made an iced tea with the leftovers and thought that was even better than hot - the cooling time allowed the wonderful citrus to emerge more. Will certainly make this again playing more with the spices. Thinking a cardamom pod or two could be a good addition. Thanks!