A freshly brewed cup of tea not only gives warmth to our body but also benefits in several other ways, especially in winter. There is scarcely something more comforting than a cup of tea. Being one of the largest consumed beverages in the world, tea is considered to be a miracle winter drink as it is useful for soothing sore throats, stopping sniffles and boosting our immunity system, helps soothe winter aches and pains.

The benefits of tea are many and winters only invite us to try at least one warm cup every day. Drinking tea is one way to naturally cleanse our bodies of toxins and provide aid for our ailments.

While making a cup of simple tea might look like an easy task, it too can get tricky with each one of us having our own preferences. While some like it black, others like it with or without milk and sugar.

Black tea is the most popular worldwide, followed by green, oolong and white tea.

Herbal teas are made from using fresh or dried herbs, spices, flowers, fruit, seeds, roots or leaves of other plants. Herbal tea typically does not contain caffeine as do traditional teas. The list of beneficial ingredients such as ginger root, turmeric, cinnamon, star anise, lemon, honey, rosemary, mint, etc. is unending and the limits set only by our imagination and preferences.

Adding those ingredients in our regular tea does not only make the tea unique and aromatic, creates magical compositions that warm us, stimulate the immune system, and strengthen our organism before it is confronted with difficult weather conditions. Without a doubt, a cup of tea in this weather is usually great.

Royal saffron tea

Ingredients

1 bay leaf

2 pods cardamom

½ inch cinnamon stick

2 cloves

¼ tsp fennel seeds

A pinch of nutmeg powder

1 cup liquid milk

½ cup water

10 saffron strands

2 tsp black tea

2 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp powder milk

1 tsp hot water

Method

Heat a tawa with all whole spices and roast in low heat for 2 minutes to release the aroma. Crush them slightly and set aside. Heat your tea pot or pan with liquid milk, water, crushed spices, nutmeg powder, ground tea and few saffron strands on low to medium heat. Boil it until milk gets thickened and tea releases its colour.  In your tea cup put sugar, powder milk and 1tsp hot water, whisk it to make a creamy paste. Pour your boiled tea into the cup using a tea strainer. Stir it and garnish with saffron.

Rose tea

Ingredients

1 tsp white tea

½ cup hot water

¼ cup pomegranate juice

½ tsp lemon juice

1-2 tsp sugar or honey or any syrup

5-8 buds of food-grade dried rose buds

Method

Take hot water in a mug and add white tea. Let set it for a while. In your tea cup, put pomegranate juice, lemon juice, sugar or honey or syrup, rose buds and stir well. Pour the hot white tea water over your tea cup using a strainer. Stir and sip.

Golden milk tea

Ingredients

½ cup almond or coconut milk

½ cup water

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp coconut oil or ghee

1 tbsp honey or jaggery

1 tsp black tea

2 black peppercorns

½ inch cinnamon stick

A pinch of salt

Method

In a saucepan over low-medium heat, bring all the ingredients except honey, coconut oil/ghee to a simmer. Stir well, cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain and pour the tea mixture into a blender. Put honey and ghee and blend for 30 seconds. Pour into your tea cup and garnish with a pinch of turmeric powder.

Christmas spiced tea

Ingredients

2 cups of water

1 cup of orange juice

1 apple, sliced

1 orange, sliced

2 cinnamon sticks

3 star anise

5 cloves

¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

2 bags black tea

2 tbsp any sweetener syrup or honey

Method

 In a saucepan, bring water to boil with cinnamon, star anise, cloves and nutmeg. Simmer for 5 minutes over low-medium heat. In a large pitcher, put orange juice, sliced apple and oranges along with 2 tea bags. Add sweetener syrup or honey. Pour the spiced hot water into the pitcher. Allow the tea bags to release its colour. Stir and pour into your tea cup.

Lemongrass tea

Ingredients

2 cups of water

2 stalks lemon grass

1-inch long ginger

Handful of peppermint leaves

½ tsp black tea

1 tsp jaggery or honey

A pinch of rock salt

A dash of lemon juice

Method

Cut the lemongrass stalks into 1-inch long pieces and julienne the ginger. In a saucepan, put water, lemon grass, sliced ginger, mint leaves, black tea and brew over low-medium heat until the tea quantity reduces by half. Strain and pour over your teacup. Add jaggery or honey, salt and lemon juice. Stir well and sip.

Food and Photo: Chiangmi Talukder Lena