Old Fashioned Southern Spiced (Russian) Tea is a mixture of warm black tea with orange and lemon juices infused with cloves and cinnamon. It’s a soul-warming winter tea that’s all about comfort.
This hot spiced Russian tea recipe is a classic southern recipe that’s perfect for almost any social occasion. It’s the perfect drink to serve for holiday parties, family get-togethers, or social occasions like christenings, weddings, and baby showers.
You’ll find this recipe in most old Southern cookbooks. It’s made with fresh orange juice, lemon juice, black tea, cloves, and cinnamon. One taste, and you’ll wonder where this drink has been all your life.
I’m going to show you how to make Russian tea from scratch in this recipe. If you’ve been searching for spiced tea recipes, I’m sure you’ve come across many that use Tang breakfast drink as a base. Bleh. If you want to experience the true flavor of spiced Russian tea, this recipe is 100% authentic and beats the socks off those Tang-y versions.
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: Southern Vintage
Cooking Method: Stovetop
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Servings: 8
Primary Ingredient(s): Black tea, sugar, spices, orange juice, lemon juice
Skill Level: Easy
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This recipe is the real deal with all fresh ingredients. Served it on Christmas Day and everyone loved it.”
— Feed the Mind Transform the Body
What is Russian Tea?
This is a warm, citrusy spiced tea. Way back when, we called it Russian Tea. I don’t know why, and we had no idea whether it was actually Russian or not. We probably thought it sounded exotic.
According to Southern Living magazine, Russian tea did actually start out as a hot beverage enjoyed by upper-class Russians in the late 19th century. Though their version was made with black tea, lemon, and sugar only, Southerners quickly picked up the idea and made it their own by adding cloves, cinnamon, and orange juice.
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What You’ll Like About This Recipe
- This Russian Tea recipe is a Southern classic that has been enjoyed for generations.
- It’s the perfect beverage for social occasions and celebrations.
- It has a really lovely balance of sweet and tangy flavors infused with warming spices.
Ingredient Notes
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- Black Tea — If you can find loose tea, I recommend it; otherwise, use small black tea bags.
- Orange Juice and Lemon Juice — Freshly squeezed is recommended.
- Whole Cloves and Cinnamon Stick— You’ll need the whole spices, not ground.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook!
You can see this recipe on page 26 of my cookbook, My Southern Table! Get your signed copy today.
How to Make Spiced Tea (Russian Tea)
Prepare and Steep the Tea
- Place the tea bags or loose tea in a heatproof measuring cup or other container.
- Pour the 4 cups of boiling water over the tea bags and let the tea steep while preparing the rest of the recipe.
Pro Tip
I haven’t made this recipe in a while, so when I went to the grocery store for some loose black tea, I was shocked that I couldn’t find it. I mean none…anywhere! I’ve always used Lipton’s loose black tea for this, so I settled on trying some black pearl tea bags. It was just as good, but does anyone know why you can’t find loose tea in the regular grocery store anymore?
Prepare the Infusion
- In a medium saucepan, prepare an infusion by bringing 1/2 cup water, sugar, cloves, and the cinnamon stick to a boil.
- Boil for one minute.
- Remove the cloves and cinnamon.
- Add the orange juice and lemon juice into the spiced infusion. Stir well to combine.
- Remove the tea bags (or strain the loose tea) and combine with the spiced infusion and juice.
- Serve warm in punch cups or teacups.
Questions About Spiced Tea
In cooking, to make an infusion simply means to steep one or more ingredients in liquid (usually warm) until the flavor from the ingredient(s) becomes infused into the liquid. In this recipe, we’re extracting the flavor from the spices into the sugar and water mixture.
If you want to make a big batch for a party and keep it warm, you can do so in a slow cooker. Follow the recipe and simply pour the finished tea in a slow cooker set to its lowest temperature.
I’ve made this recipe with only black tea for the last 40 or so years, so I can’t advise you on how to substitute other kinds of tea.
You can, but you’ll have to strain the tea through cheesecloth to remove the spices before serving. It’s worth it to purchase a small jar of each of the whole spices for making the recipe.
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Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
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Recipe
Spiced Tea (Russian Tea)
Ingredients
- 8 small tea bags black tea (or 8 teaspoons loose black tea)
- 4 cups boiling water
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup sugar
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice strained
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice strained
Instructions
- Place the tea bags or loose tea in a heat proof measuring cup or other container.8 small tea bags
- Pour the 4 cups of boiling water over the tea bags and let steep while preparing the rest of the recipe.4 cups boiling water
- In a medium saucepan, prepare an infusion by bringing 1/2 cup water, sugar, cloves and cinnamon stick to a boil.½ cup water, ¾ cup sugar, 6 whole cloves, 1 cinnamon stick
- Boil for one minute.
- Remove cloves and cinnamon.
- Add the orange juice and lemon juice into the spiced infusion. Stir well to combine.¼ cup fresh orange juice, ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- Remove the tea bags (or strain the loose tea) and combine with the spiced infusion and juice.
- Serve warm in punch cups or teacups.
Notes
- If you can find loose black tea, I recommend it; otherwise, use small black tea bags.
- Freshly squeezed orange and lemon juice are best.
- You’ll need whole cloves and cinnamon sticks, not ground.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Loose tea can be bought from Amazon.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I wanted to see if anyone had a recipe similar to my family’s, and this is the closest I’ve ever found. The ratios are close, but if I could be bold enough to suggest the addition of pineapple juice (1 cup based on this recipe’s ratios) and ginger (2 thumb-sized pieces, or equivalent crystallized). These add just a little more depth to the aromatics and citrus flavor.
Funny enough, this recipe (with the above alterations) came from my great-grandmother, whose maiden name was Stuart. This is the aroma of the holidays for my family, and I hope anyone who hasn’t ever had or made it takes the chance to try it out. It will not disappoint.
I think pineapple juice sounds like a wonderful addition! I’ll look forward to trying that next time I make it.
This is the REAL DEAL ! None of that Tang crap. I like to use the small can of frozen O.J. Concentrate and just pout it all in without adding water to it. I like the pulpy bits mixed in. I used Family Size Tea bags….think I used 4 and 8 cups of water. Great recipe, great winter drink.
I’ll bet your grocery store phased the loose leaf tea out because it wasn’t selling well. That’s what my local one did last year. I now buy my loose leaf tea from Stash Teas in Oregon. They have several varieties to choose from.
My Grandma Croft (my father’s grandmother/adopted mother, long story) made a fruit spiced tea a lot like this one, though she used whatever fruit juice she had on hand–apple, pineapple and cranberry were a few family favorites. However, the orange juice version is the only hot tea my father AND my son will drink.
Yes, you’re probably right about them discontinuing the loose leaf in stores. Not many people buy it now. However, I did find that I could purchase it online easily!
This was amazing! Very easy and fast to fix and my family loved it! I did add a bit more ground cloves and cinnamon because I love the spice. Over all this is a great addition with my sugar cookies :)
Great! I’m so pleased to know you enjoyed it!
I’ve always had this with pineapple juice. My Mama and her sisters all make it with pineapple juice. Is that just a weird family thing?
I’ve never had it with pineapple juice but I’m sure it’s delicious.