Cinnamon Apple Tea

Cinnamon Apple Tea

Making homemade flavored teas is one of my favorite ways to keep warm as the days get cooler.  Yes you could use a store-bought bag of apple cinnamon tea, but many are filled with questionable added flavors and are either overly spicy or lacking in real apple flavor.  Making your own homemade version is easy and notably tastier. 

The taste is warm and inviting, with hints of sweet/tart apples and warming cinnamon, cloves and star anise.  The smooth, mild taste of South African red rooibos tea is the perfect backdrop to the other more robust flavors.  I prefer it to black tea here as it lacks the bitter tannic taste of regular tea and is naturally caffeine-free, which means I can enjoy a cup any time of day, but feel free to substitute your favorite tea.  Best of all you need just a handful of ingredients to make it yourself.

Ingredient Notes:

(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe.  As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

All you need to make your own cinnamon spiced apple tea are: fresh pressed unfiltered apple cider or apple juice, a few cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, star anise and rooibos tea. 

• Apple Cider – Use unfiltered fresh pressed apple cider or apple juice (not from concentrate).
• Spices – You’ll need cinnamon sticks (use Ceylon cinnamon sticks for the best flavor), whole cloves and one star anise.
• Tea – Rooibos tea is naturally caffeine-free and gives the tea a reddish hue.
• Sweetener – Use maple syrup or the sweetener of your choice to taste.
• Optional - Apple slices for serving

How to Make Cinnamon Apple Tea:

(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe.  Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

1. Combine the apple cider with water and spices in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer; reduce heat, cover and simmer.
2. Next, turn off the heat, add the tea bags; cover and let steep. Remove the tea bags, strain the spices, and stir in the sweetener of your choice to taste.
3. Serve it in mugs with slices of fresh apple and a cinnamon stick stirrer and enjoy!