Holiday Tea Traditions And Recipes

Holiday greetings, tea-lovers! As winter air rolls in, we crave delicious holiday tea traditions and recipes to bring comfort, warmth, and a joyful mood. This blog helps you find your favorite holiday tea recipes to spice up the holiday magic. A steamy cup of tea sure calms the soul and brings family and friends closer. So let’s dive in to look at some holiday tea traditions, followed by some fantastic tea recipes for a beautiful concoction.

While favorites such as chamomile and oolong are steeped in tradition, the holiday season, however, calls for a little extra spice — cinnamon spice, that is.

“Surely everyone is aware of the divine pleasures which attend a wintry fireside; candles at four o’clock, warm hearthrugs, tea, a fair tea-maker, shutters closed, curtains flowing in ample draperies to the floor, while the wind and rain are raging audibly without.” – Thomas De Quincey.

Holiday Tea Traditions

For centuries, many cultures all over the world had enjoyed wonderful holiday tea traditions. Here are just a few examples:

Mint Tea

In celebration of Kwanzaa, North African tea sommeliers indulge in a decadent mint tea after the communal feast of Karamu.

Flaming Tea Ceremony

Jews in Eastern Europe conduct the Flaming Tea Ceremony, in which each participant lights a decadent bourbon-dipped sugar cube on fire, one after another. After a few holiday carols, the flames are extinguished by dropping the cubes into a cup of tea. Jewish lore even speculates that a person’s tea-drinking style determines one’s fortune.

Afternoon Tea Holiday Party

Christmas tea-drinking traditions date back centuries: in the 19th century, English teetotalers crusaded against alcohol-infused Christmas celebrations by attempting to transform the holiday into a family-friendly tea-centric observance, which instilled the tradition of the elegant afternoon tea holiday party.

Holiday Tea With Mulled Spices

How did this cup of spiced tea begin? It’s believed to start in the late 1800s when carolers sang from door to door. The residents offered hot tea with mulled spices as gifts for their songs, which soon became a holiday tea tradition. What a lovely way to reward the carolers!

Holiday Tea Recipes

Now, let’s take a peek at several traditional holiday tea recipes that soothe the soul. What lies before you is a comprehensive collection of the best holiday tea recipes, with helpful steps that’ll make your holiday season fantas-tea!

“Tea was so valuable in the 18th century that it was kept in a locked chest – which we now call a tea caddy.”

Holiday teas are abundant during the enduring winter months.  Its varieties exalt flavors of gingerbread, candy cane, and sugar plum. Its toasty temperatures exude a feeling of winter comfort. Here are a few recipes to try out.

Winter Spiced Tea

This aromatic blend elicits a joyful spirit, taming the flavors of gingerbread and mulled wine, and makes for a beautiful tea choice for the holidays.

To create this refined holiday beverage, you’ll need to remove a thin layer of an orange peel using a vegetable peeler. Then, place the layers on a cooling rack and leave them to dry for 12 hours.

After the wait, cut the orange peel into small pieces and combine it with crushed currants, sliced almonds, clove buds, and grated nutmeg.

Then place the blend in a reusable tea bag or tea strainer and plunge it into a cup of hot water. Finally, let the tea steep for 5 to 10 minutes, and add cinnamon sticks before sipping.

Recipe:

• ½ cup of organic black tea, including Earl Grey.
• ¼ cup of crushed and dried currants
• 2 tablespoons of sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons of whole clove buds
• 1 organic dried and diced orange peel
• ¼ tablespoons of freshly grated nutmeg
• 8 tiny cinnamon sticks

Vanilla Rose Rooibos Tea

A smooth floral blend, the vanilla rose rooibos tea is perfect for those wishing to indulge in subtle holiday magic. The steps are simple:

Mix rooibos tea leaves, dried rose petals, and finely diced vanilla beans in a bowl.

Steep the mixture in hot water until ready. If you’re unable to find vanilla beans on such short notice, a half teaspoon of vanilla bean seeds will work perfectly, as well.

Recipe:

• ½ cup of rooibos tea leaves
• ¼ cup of dried rose petals
• 1 finely diced vanilla bean

Chocolate Peppermint Tea

Mmm, nothing screams the holidays quite like peppermint. Among scours of candy canes, chocolate bark, and peppermint patties lies this decadent tea.

In preparation, grab a large bowl to house your cocoa powder.

Then, delicately fold in the peppermint tea leaves and cacao nibs into the medley.

Store the blend in an air-tight container to maintain optimal freshness before it’s time to brew.

Recipe:

• ½ cup of peppermint tea leaves
• ¼ cup of Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped cacao nibs

Christmas Morning Tea

The day is here: Enthusiastic children, heavy with excitement and sleep-fallen eyes, scamper down the stairs to the trove of presents under the tree. Laughter and giggles deck the halls, tinsel lies a-flung, and a delicious holiday tea simmers on the stove awaiting tightly gripped mugs.

This Xmas blend is forged from a black tea base, orange pekoe, and is brimming with as many ingredients as presents under the tree.

In a large bowl, combine Orange Pekoe Black tea with hibiscus flowers, peppermint, cinnamon chips, dried orange peels, and cloves. Store the batch in an air-tight container and store it away until Christmas day.

Tea sommeliers may also fill individual packs for a delightful stocking-stuffer.

Recipe:

• ½ pound of Ceylon Orange Pekoe Tea
• 2 cups of hibiscus flower
• 2 cups of peppermint leaves
• 1 cup of cinnamon chips
• 2 cups of chopped orange peel
• ½ cup of whole cloves

Hot Spiced Tea

Here’s a traditional holiday tea with a bit of a Southern twang — a tang of freshly squeezed pineapple, lemon, and orange juice.

Collect half a dozen tea bags of cinnamon spice or chai tea to dunk in a large pot of boiling water. Let the tea steep for 10 minutes, then remove the bags.

Then, reduce the heat and mingle the tepid tea with sugar, cloves, and cinnamon sticks.

Simmer and stir the concoction for about 10 minutes until the mixture is fragrant and the sugar is completely melted.

Finally, strain the spice blend from the tea and mix in the three juices. If you’re in a warmer climate, serve the tea cold atop a bed of ice.

Otherwise, pull up a chair by a roasting fire, and let the citrusy warmth wash over you.

Recipe:

• 6 cinnamon spice or chai tea bags
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons of whole cloves or mulling spices
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 cup of pineapple juice
• 1 cup of orange juice
• ½ cup of lemon juice

Enjoy your delicious holiday teas & cheers! Visit our tea blog to learn more about tea’s fantastic culture and history.

Christy Hui Author, Director & Producer

Brimming with ZEST. Consummate cultivator of ideas from sparks to fruit-bearing adventures. I love pursuing worthy causes elevating the human spirit. Care to join me for tea?