Thé de Noël, Christmas tea is a must in this season. You can buy it, and be very happy of your purchase, surely. But the quality ranges from absolutely abominably artificial to very good and you can’t always try before buying. Then the price is rarely a bargain.
It’s possible to make yours “like the shop” buy pouring essential essences on cheap tea leaves, but for a small quantity buying the essences is not a good deal. So try the old-fashioned way. You can custom it at your tastes.
Grandma’s Christmas Tea :
You need only this : spices, citrus, a piece of bean of vanilla (not on the photo, I went to get it later), tea.
A stick of cinnamon and 1 or 2 cloves, most people have already in their kitchen. The citrus are in season and you need only the rind.
You don’t want top grade famous plantation tea to make fancy spice mix… or I no longer talk to you. A decent CTC black tea is perfect. CTC means crushed leaves, as you can sea on the photo. That’s already much better than the dust you get in 99% of teabags. This one is a pack from the supermarket, a mix of Ceylon and Indian teas. That was written on the package “not very tannic, very mild” and that’s true. Perfect for flavoring.
Be careful to choose fruits without preservatives sprayed on the skin. For me, it’s easier to find natural limes and mandarin oranges than other oranges and lemons.
Grate the zest of the citrus with a peeler. Let them dry one day on paper.
Roughly crash the spices, cut the vanilla and zests in small bits. Just mix in the box, and wait one week (or more) before brewing.
Elegant touch : Small roses that I dried last Summer.
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