Three Traditional Teas For A Cozy Christmas Eve

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Here are 3 teas that you can enjoy with your family and friends this Christmas Eve. From Traditional Irish Tea to Cranberry Wassail, these teas are sure to get you in a cozy holiday mood. Keep reading if you want delicious recipes and fun facts!

 

 

Traditional Irish Tea

In Ireland, tea is the most important beverage in every household. Although black tea with milk and sugar might not sound so special, the ritual of preparing a “proper cup” in Ireland is special indeed.

 

 

All You Need For Traditional Irish Tea

• 2 teaspoons Loose-Leaf Black tea: Irish Breakfast is preferred: it's a strong, dark blend of Assam and Ceylon teas
• 1/2 cup of milk (dairy is traditional, but non-dairy is fine)
• A teapot
• Hot water kettle
• Optional: A spoonful of sugar

 

How To Prepare Traditional Irish Tea

For two servings: multiply the recipe for more servings

1. Boil 3 cups of water in a hot water kettle.
2. Pour 1 cup of the boiling water into your teapot and swirl around to completely warm the pot. When the teapot is sufficiently warm, discard the water, and your pot is ready.
3. Place the tea leaves into the teapot.
4. After allowing the other two cups of water to cool off slightly (you don't want it to still be boiling), add the hot water to your teapot.
5. Let the tea steep for 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Grab your favorite holiday mugs and fill them 1/4 to 1/3 of the way full with your milk.
7. Pour over your strained tea to fill the mugs, stir well, and sweeten to taste.

 

Enjoy your perfectly brewed Irish cup of tea! For a uniquely Gaelic mood, check out this Scottish Christmas ballad.

 

 

Sweet Dreams Chamomile Tea for Two

There’s nothing more cozy than a cup of warm chamomile tea. I used to make this sweet and creamy version for my kids when they were little. 

 

 

Ingredients You Need For This Cozy, Family Friendly Tea

• 2 teaspoons loose-leaf chamomile tea
• 2 cups of hot water (16 ounces)
• 1-3 teaspoons raw honey
• 0.5 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
• Loose leaf tea brewing accessory: tea ball, tea pot with strainer lid, etc.

 

How To Make The Coziest Chamomile Tea

1. Add your chamomile tea leaves to your favorite loose leaf tea brewing accessory and top with the hot water. Let it steep for 5 minutes.
2. Stir in 1 to 3 spoonfuls of raw honey, until honey is dissolved.
3. Fill your favorite mugs with 1/4 cup milk each.
4. Pour the strained honey-sweetened chamomile tea over the milk to fill the mugs.

Curl up under a cozy blanket and enjoy!

 

Cranberry Wassail

The tradition of wassailing is an old ritual from Great Britain. Villagers would gather together in the apple orchard on the twelfth night of Christmas, and sing songs as a way of ensuring the health of the apple trees for the coming year. The singing was believed to appease the tree spirits and scare away evil that would cause blight and illness and interfere with future harvests. They would offer cups of mulled cider, or pieces of bread soaked in cider to the oldest of the apple trees.

Wassail was originally made of mead, and later, spiced cider, and people would drink the wassail from a large communal bowl. Today the wassail can be served in a punch bowl, and enjoyed at holiday gatherings with friends and family.

Below is a tasty modern recipe that uses Chai rather than individual spices for a modern twist. Cranberries are a New World addition, and the pineapple juice is a tropical ingredient that wouldn’t have been included in the Old English wassail bowl. This recipe is loaded with vitamin C, and spices that warm you up from the inside out.

 

 

Ingredients For The Modern Cranberry Wassail

• 2 teaspoons Naked Chai (organic Chai spices without any caffeine or other ingredients)
• 1 teaspoon Cranberry Apple Tart
• 1 gallon cranberry apple juice
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1.5 cups pineapple juice
• 1 organic orange, sliced thinly in rounds
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen whole cranberries
• 2” piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
• ½ cup raw honey (optional; if you like it super sweet)

 

How To Prepare The Cranberry Wassail, The Modern Way

1. Add all of the ingredients to a large stainless steel pot. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
2. Serve hot in mugs with fresh orange slices as a garnish.

 

Check out this traditional English wassailing song:

 

Wishing you and your family a cozy Christmas Eve! If you enjoyed this article, check out this yummy Chai-Spiced Cranberry Cider.