Spiced Christmas Leaf Tea

Too much water.
That is what my doctor after numerous visits decided was why I am anemic and lacking iron and other minerals in my body.
And sadly, I have one of those smart doctor’s, who knew that I drank tea and knew that it is not a dehydrating as soda or coffee.
Plus, that I still drink a fair amount of water in a day.
So, he decided that all the minerals were getting flushed out of my body.
He told me to cut back to my total amount of water (tea included) to 3 quarts a day.
Drat.
Then this last weekend, I finally got that horrid flu thing that has been going around (probably because I have been in the doctor’s office so much)
Which, weirdly enough, the flu did not bother me as much as cutting back on my tea consumption.
I just can’t believe it, most Americans do not drink enough and are constantly dehydrated, but me…no.
Anyway, I really wanted a Chai tea this morning, since I am still drippy, coughy and achy.
Chai always hits the spot.
But, alas, I am totally out of Chai tea!
How did I let this happen!?
I remembered this tea that I received in food basket at Christmas.
I was so surprised when I pulled this out of the basket, especially since its loose leaf. Most gift teas are bags.
But, I was glad!
Anyway, on to the tea.
Orangey black tea is the first aroma, slightly robust smelling.
A real orange smell, not bergomonty.
Then, the spices emerge, cloves and cinnamon.
Taste is orange and spicy.
The black tea taste not as strong as it smelled
This is not a chai. Does not even resemble one, but it is hot and slightly spicy.
I do not consider it a waste of my alloted tea water for the day.
I tried to log on a couple times last week but each time, steepster must have been having some problems.
Glad to see you all are still here:)

It’s not the holiday season without this spiced blend. I prefer this to other spiced teas because of it’s fragrant tanginess. Like others have said, it’s almost chai-like quality will keep you warm all winter long.

This is by and far the nicest holiday spice tea I’ve ever had. If Christmas had a taste, this would be it!

this is a very nice winter tea … light but warming. best made in a glass pot so you can also admire the pretty orange peel pieces and flowers.

Ahh, that’s more like it! I think the flu might be helping to actually make this tea taste better than normal! I haven’t had a cup this good since I first received this tea, which was SUCH a long time ago that I really thought they would have no flavour left by now. This was a Christmas gift from my might-as-well-have-been-flatmate’s boyfriend when we did Secret Santa in my first year of uni (2012) which makes this tea almost exactly four years old and definitely the oldest in my cupboard. It’s a bagged tea rather than loose leaf, though I’m pretty sure it’s the same as the loose version, which might explain why it’s held onto its flavour so well. I used a small mug so the tea is fairly strong, and added a teaspoon of sugar and a splash of semi-skimmed milk and this is really tasty! The cinnamon and other spices are what I usually find most dominant in this tea, but today it’s super citrussy and the orange is definitely the stand-out note. I’m not sure what the base tea is in this blend but I suspect it might be something with natural citrus notes, as the flavour is more complex than just ‘orange’. The spices play around in the background, complimenting the orange and lingering after the sip. The cardamom is a little more dominant than I’d like, seeing as I’m not a fan, but I can live with it. I only have a couple of bags of this left now – I wish I’d figured out how to brew it like this sooner.