How about a little taste of Jordan with this Arabic Herbal Iced Tea?
Isn’t it just like me to be reliving my last vacation right up until the day that I leave for the next one?
I leave for the next one tomorrow.
Anyway, this one. I had another idea for my first recipe recreation from Jordan but…I couldn’t get it to come out just right. Back to the drawing board with that one- you’ll see it later this summer which will be very apropos.
But let’s talk about this one- this Arabic herbal iced tea- with a side note about Jordanian hospitality. I’m pretty sure it rivals the nicest Southern grandma out there. And while such a grandma might present you with porch-brewed sun tea should you stop by to visit on any given day, a Jordanian counterpart might present you with this herbal tea.
More likely hot than iced, but this is an adaptation after all.
While wandering through various parts of that lovely country, we were offered team everywhere- every shop, tent, camp or hotel simply because. No pressure to buy anything. No pressure to sit an stay all day. Just a very warm welcome.
We first had something that resembled my version on one of our many stops in Wadi Rum, and it’s flavor immediately struck me. It was…familiar but…not? Cinnamon, sure. Cardamom, I got that. But they threw sage in there. SAGE!
You know I love sage.
Anyway, the combo of all three flavors just blew me away, so I jotted it down into my phone’s notes section for later contemplation.
Turns out later was this past weekend. The sun came out, the temps warmed and as I was in the kitchen figuring out how to best use its contents before the trip this week, the inspo struck with the things I just had on hand.
You just may as well.
British Breakfast Tea (PG Tips or Tetley are my faves) + a cinnamon stick + green cardamom cloves + fresh sage + sugar. Brewed to perfection and cooled over ice for the most perfect alternative to your normal summer brew.
Arabic Herbal Iced Tea
Arabic Herbal Iced Tea is a cool twist on a hot Jordanian hospitality, black tea spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and sage for the perfect herbal blend.
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 6 British breakfast (or other black) tea
- 1 3” long cinnamon stick
- 12 cardamom pods, crushed with seeds
- 4 fresh sage leaves
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Directions
- Step 1 Add the water, cinnamon, cardamom and sage to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to boil.
- Step 2 Once the water is boiling, reduced the heat to low, add the team bags and let simmer and brew for about 4-5 minutes. You don’t want to brew it too long or else the tea will be bitter.
- Step 3 Turn off the heat, remove the tea bags (giving them a good squeeze before doing so) and add the sugar immediately, stirring until dissolved. Let the herbs steep an additional 30-40 minutes. Strain the contents into a large pitcher and let cool completely.
- Step 4 Serve over ice and garnish with fresh sage.
