Pot Of Hot Tea Recipe

Boil water

Pour 6 cups of cold fresh water into a medium pot or kettle. Place over high heat and bring to a rolling boil.

Add spices (optional)

If using ginger, cloves, cinnamon stick, or peppercorns, add them to the boiling water. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and simmer spices for 5 minutes to extract flavor.

Brew tea

Add 6 teaspoons of loose black tea (or 6 tea bags) to the simmering water. Turn off the heat and let the tea steep for 3 to 5 minutes depending on desired strength (3 minutes for medium, 5 for strong).

Strain

Using a fine mesh strainer, remove the tea leaves and any whole spices from the pot. If you used tea bags, lift and discard them. Return the strained tea to the pot and keep warm over the lowest heat or transfer to a teapot.

Prepare serving options: place sugar, honey, milk or cream, and lemon slices in serving bowls. Taste the tea and offer sugar or honey for sweetening, a splash of milk or cream if desired, or a lemon slice. Note: when adding lemon, do not add milk—use one or the other.

Ladle and serve

Ladle the hot tea into cups. Allow guests to customize with sugar, honey, milk or lemon. Recommended ratio: about 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar or honey per cup, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk or cream per cup if desired.