Apple tea is a delicious brew of aromatic spices giving your guests a warm welcome. Bonus! Your house will smell like freshly baked apple pie all day long!
Now is the perfect time for apple tea. Apples, oranges, and warm fall spices like cinnamon and cloves, make this a quintessential Fall drink. You have to try this one!
Black tea is lovely, but sometimes it's fun to spice it up a little. Homemade cinnamon apple spice tea is easy to make. This unique brew of aromatic spices will give your guests a warm welcome. Your house will also smell like freshly baked apple pie all day.
Spiced Black Tea Origins
Ancient spiced tea recipes originating from South Asia and the Middle East have an ingenious way of incorporating medicinal benefits while simultaneously serving deliciousness. The spiced apple tea recipe is an adaptation of a Middle Eastern citrus spiced tea.
Spices add a wonderful flavor and have many healing properties. The best way to use their benefits is to add them to foods or beverages.
But how?
Black Tea comes from the extraordinary Camellia sinensis plant and is used generously in these eastern countries. South Asian and Middle Eastern countries have been drinking tea for thousands of years. It is widespread for them to add spices to black tea for its healing properties.
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Ayurveda is a traditional medicine native to India and part of Indian philosophy dating back to 700 BCE. It includes the use of herbal blends in beverages and cooking with the addition of spice combinations.
Plant-based treatments in Ayurveda are derived from roots, leaves, fruits, bark, or seeds such as cardamom and cinnamon.
Pro Tips:
- For the tea, I recommend a strong black tea such as an English Breakfast, an Indian Assam, or a nice Chinese Keemun.
- You want to select the type of black tea that holds up well to milk and sugar to balance the spice flavors.
Popular Spices in Apple Tea
The most common herbal blends include turmeric, cumin, coriander, fennel, mint, black pepper, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg cayenne. These spices enhance digestion and metabolism, cleanse the body, and prevent digestive disorders.
Spices need heat to bring out their best qualities and flavors. I think even inhaling the aroma of this simmering brew gets digestive juices flowing. If nothing else, it made the house smell good!
Pro Tips:
- Part of the benefit of spices is in their aromatic compounds. That is one of the reasons it is recommended you buy the spice seed, and not the ground powder, whenever possible.
- Grind the spice seed at home with a mortar and pestle, or you can grind them in a coffee bean grinder—either way, the fresher the spice, the greater the benefit.
Not only do the spices add a wonderful flavor, but they are also beneficial. Double score!
I was pleasantly surprised at the flavor and aroma of this spiced tea. I’ve only made it hot, and it is delicious! But I know it would also be excellent served over ice.
In India, Ayurveda principles advise against drinking cold beverages. The rationale is that it is bad for digestion. They may be correct, but we are used to drinking cold drinks here in the US.
Apple Tea Latte
Another way to make this apple tea is to create a tea latte with whipped cream on top and make it "fancy like Applebee's!"
Brew up this excellent apple cinnamon tea and turn it into a tea latte by topping with whipped cream and sharing it with a friend. They will love it and love you for sharing.
Be sure to use a good quality specialty tea for the best flavor possible. Let's spice it up!
Apple Cinnamon Tea Recipe
You can make this and store it covered in the refrigerator for a day or two. Transfer it to a saucepan and heat up just before serving.
Add a shot of apple brandy, and you have a tasty aperitif.
Apple Cinnamon Tea
Ingredients
- 4 cups filtered water
- 5 teaspoons black loose tea
- 1 apple
- 2 oranges
- ⅓ cup pure cane sugar
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 2 seeds allspice
- 12 seeds coriander
- 4 whole cloves
- ½ cup whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon for topping
Instructions
- Bring water to boil and turn off heat.
- Add tea leaves.
- Steep 5 - 10 minutes
- Remove tea leaves
- Peel apple, core, and dice finely.
- Grind allspice seeds and coriander seeds.
- Juice 2 oranges.
- In a saucepan add all the spices, sugar, juice and apples to the brewed tea.
- Stir well.
- Bring to a boil and immediately turn down heat and simmer for 10 mins.
- Whip cream in a separate bowl set aside.
- Pour tea through a strainer and pour into cups.
- Spoon some whipped cream into the tea and stir to incorporate.
- Top off with more whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- For the tea, I recommend a strong black tea such as an English Breakfast, an Indian Assam or a nice Chinese Keemun.
- You want to select the type of black tea that holds up well to milk and sugar to balance out the spice flavors.
- Part of the benefit of spices is in their aromatic compounds. That is one of the reasons it is recommended you buy the spice seed, and not the ground powder, whenever possible.
- Grind the spice seed at home with a mortar and pestle or you can grind them in a coffee bean grinder. Either way, the fresher the spice, the greater the benefit.
Nutrition
Apple Cinnamon Tea Benefits
As always, I include a comprehensive nutritional breakdown at the end of this post.
Oranges - A good source of Thiamin, Folate, and Potassium, and an excellent source of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant.
Black tea - Tea is high in polyphenols, a potent antioxidant. Antioxidants have proven health benefits for cardiovascular health.
Black tea contains an amino acid called l-theanine, unique to tea, and has fascinating effects on the brain. L-theanine increases alpha brain waves inducing a calm and deeply relaxed state. Combined with the caffeine, about half the amount found in coffee, the overall effect is a focused calm.
Apple nutrition facts –Excellent source of dietary fiber and Vitamin C. Apples are low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
Coriander seeds - Are a good source of Vitamin C, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Copper, and Selenium, and an excellent Dietary Fiber source, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, and Manganese. Coriander seeds are said to help the assimilation of other spices. And have anti-inflammatory properties.
Clove - Often used for an upset stomach. It is also a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Calcium, and Iron, and an excellent source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Magnesium, and Manganese.
Whipping cream - A ⅛ cup of whipped cream has 10 milligrams of calcium. Heavy whipping cream has small amounts of phosphorous, potassium, folate, and vitamin A.
Cinnamon - Contains large amounts of highly potent polyphenol antioxidants. Some studies show that the antioxidants in cinnamon have anti-inflammatory activity.
Allspice - A good source of Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, and Copper, and an excellent source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Calcium, and Manganese.
Doug r
It is really good. More like a cider.
Janelle S
Holy! This is sooo delicious. Thank you.
Christen Phillips
I just decided that I have to make this tea... like, right now. What a deliciously fall recipe! Thank you for sharing and I loved to read your little tea education as well. I too am obsessed with tea. 🙂
Mary Ann Rollano
Thank you, Christen! So glad you enjoyed it. It's a wonderfully warm fall recipe - I just love the aroma while it's cooking.
Danielle @ Follow My Gut
I love a good cup of tea especially as the temperature is so cold here in Los Angeles. The photo you have looks so tasty and I love that you have some of the benefits of tea too for people like me, in case we need to know why they're so good. Great post!
Danielle | FollowMyGut.com <3
Mary Ann Rollano
Danielle, Nice to hear from you! I am so glad you enjoyed the post.