Name: Winter Tea Spice Blend
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 3 parts Cinnamon Chips; 2 parts Dried Ginger Pieces; 1 part Cardamom Pods; 1 part Chicory Root Pieces; 1 part Whole Pink Peppercorns; 1 part Whole Star Anise; 1 part Whole Cloves

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The perfect gift

Need a homemade Christmas gift? Nourishing Herbal Teas are the best! This Winter Tea Spice Blend is perfect for the winter seasons and would make a lovely homemade gift to give.

This tea spice blend is the perfect holiday gift for any tea lover on your list. It’s easy to make and smells amazing!

The warm, spicy blend is reminiscent of a cozy winter evening in a cup. If you’re looking for something unique and thoughtful to give this season, look no further than this simple DIY recipe!

All you require for this recipe is some cinnamon chips (I put whole cinnamon sticks inside a plastic baggie and smashed them with a meat mallet to make the chips), star anise, whole cloves, dried ginger, cardamom pods, chicory root, and whole pink peppercorns. Add them all together in a pretty jar with a lid, and add a nice holiday label or gift tag.

If you want to make some labels for your gifts (or just for yourself), we made some a free printable for you here: Winter Tea Spice Blend Gift Tags

I love brewing tea. I probably have at least four cups a day, and my kitchen is full of glass jars of all sorts of delicious blends. Likewise, I especially love blending my own teas to get the perfect amount of flavors and properties that I want. One of my absolute favorites is this Winter Tea Spice Blend. I’ve been making this tea for years now—it’s the one I make when it’s cold outside and I need to feel cozy inside. It has a rich, spicy flavor that warms you right down to your toes.

This lovely tea spice blend tastes wonderfully warm and spicy, and looks so pretty in a jar. If giving as a gift, I recommend tying on a little wooden scoop and adding a pretty label or gift tag. The recipient of this gift won’t be able to resist how beautiful it is with the star anise and pink peppercorns!

Where to buy quality herbs

Most of the tea blends I make are made with locally grown or foraged herbs, however when I need to purchase ingredients for tea blends like this one, I turn to Mountain Rose Herbs. They offer high quality herbs that are either homegrown or ethically and sustainably sourced. The result is a delicious tea that is perfect for cold mornings, long evenings by the fire, or just because you need some cozy time.

Brewing a cup of winter tea spice blend

Now, to brew this blend of herbs and spices, you’ll need about two teaspoons per cup of boiling water. That will give you a strong but not overwhelming brew. If you’re serving it over ice, which is fabulous—especially in the summer—then you’ll want to brew it a bit stronger to account for the ice melting and diluting it a bit. I use about three teaspoons at that point.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with the ratios of the herbs and spices in your own blend. I like mine heavier on the cinnamon, but you can play with the ratios to suit your taste. That’s all part of the beauty of blending!

Isn’t this blend beautiful? I love how the pink peppercorns add a pop of color to this tea, and the fruity spice they lend to it. Plus, star anise never disappoints. Feel free to make as much or as little as you want too. When I’m blending together herbs like this, I start by measuring by tablespoons to get the perfect blend, while brewing and tasting as I go. Once I get it where I want it, I look at the ratios and go bigger if I’m making a large amount. Just be sure to store it in an airtight glass container.

FREE Gift Tags

concluding thoughts

I think this is one of the best Holiday Recipe I have offered up yet! The smell of the spices when you make it is absolutely intoxicating, and the taste is just as good. You could replace various spices with others if you wanted to create your own blends or you could simply just use this one.

This Winter Tea Spice Blend is the perfect holiday gift for any tea lover on your list. It’s easy to make and smells amazing! If you’re looking for something unique and thoughtful to give this season, look no further than this simple DIY recipe!