The holidays are coming! None of us are ever really ready for the holiday season but it always manages to sneak up on us anyway! When we think of Christmas we imagine fresh pine trees and peppermints galore but can you imagine if we could condense this into a mug of tea?

Well, we have - well minus the peppermints! Get ready for our delicious Christmas tea recipe featuring pine needles, honey and a hint of delicious Darjeeling!

Preparation time:

20 minutes

Serving size:

2-3 cups of tea

Ingredients:

2 cups of green pine needles (try to pick the greenest ones!)

2-3 cups of water

1 Darjeeling teabag or enough loose leaves for one cup

The zest and juice of one orange

1 cup of sugar

2 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 cloves

Method:

1. Pour your water into a fairly large saucepan and put it on the stove.
2. Add your pine needles and bring them to a boil. Boil for 5-10 minutes. Look at the color of the water. The darker the water, the higher the Vitamin C content of your pine needle tea!
3. Take the pan off of the heat and strain your pine needles. Use a tea strainer, fine sieve or even a cheesecloth for this step.
4. Next, add the cloves, cinnamon, ginger, orange zest, orange juice and honey to the water and boil again for five minutes.
5. Then you must strain the mixture again and afterwards add the sugar.
6. Place the mixture on a low heat and stir until the sugar has fully dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, add your Darjeeling tea and let steep for around five minutes.
7. Serve warm in your favorite mug with a slice of lemon!

How Else To Enjoy Pine Needle Tea: 

This delicious tea can be enjoyed both hot and cold but to maximise the festive feeling we suggest serving it hot. If you want to make this tea a little more festive feel free to add a dash of brandy for the ultimate festive treat! You can add brandy and a little bit of cider to bring to any holiday party as a fantastic spiked tea punch!

About Pine Needle & Tea Life:

If you would like to check out more on pine needle tea be sure to visit our tea journal which is packed full of fantastic recipes and informative posts on all your favourite herbal teas!

There are so many benefits to drinking pine needle tea, not just for its festive flavour but also for its high Vitamin A content. Vitamin A helps with improving hair, skin and our eyesight! You can also serve a hot mug of pine needle tea to heal a sore throat, cough or chest congestion.

Purchase a delicious blend of Pine Needle Tea if you don't want to collect your own pine needles. Take advantage of our flexible payment options, including Afterpay & Zip Pay on all orders, amazing shipping benefits and start your Christmas shopping today!