Lebanese Spiced Tea (Printable)
Fragrant black tea infused with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger for a comforting warming beverage.
# What You'll Need:
→ Tea & Water
01 - 4 cups water
02 - 2 tablespoons loose black tea or 4 black tea bags
→ Spices
03 - 1 cinnamon stick
04 - 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
05 - 4 whole cloves
06 - 1-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
07 - 1 star anise (optional)
→ Sweetener & Garnish
08 - 2–3 tablespoons sugar or honey, to taste
09 - Lemon slices (optional)
# How-To Steps:
01 - Combine water, cinnamon stick, crushed cardamom pods, cloves, ginger slices, and star anise in a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.
02 - Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes to allow spices to fully infuse the water with their aromatic flavors.
03 - Add loose black tea or tea bags to the spiced water. Simmer for 3 minutes for standard strength, or up to 5 minutes for a stronger brew.
04 - Remove from heat and strain tea into a warmed teapot or individual cups, discarding spent spices and tea leaves. Stir in sweetener to taste and garnish with lemon slices if desired.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- Its the kind of drink that makes you slow down and actually breathe
- The spices hit differently than regular tea, like a gentle hug for your throat
- Your kitchen will smell better than any candle could ever hope to
02 -
- Once, I skipped crushing the cardamom pods and wondered why the tea tasted so bland
- Letting the spices simmer too long makes everything taste bitter and medicinal
- The tea keeps getting stronger as it sits, so strain it promptly when its done
03 -
- Make a huge batch of the dry spice mix in advance, just multiply everything except the tea and sugar
- For iced version, brew it double strength and pour over ice cubes made from the same tea