Russian Tea Recipe - Marty's Musings (2024)

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Instant Russian Tea recipe with Tang is an old holiday favorite that’s the perfect inexpensive hot drink for the holidays!

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The slightly sweet smell of an evergreen tree. Christmas tree lights twinkling in a dimly lit room.

Strains of beautiful music from Point of Grace A Christmas Story CD.

Sound perfect? I think so! The one day that stands out in all our family traditionsis Thanksgiving Day.

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Since our children were little the day began with me putting the burly turkey in the oven before anyone opened their eyes.

Everyone awakened to the smell of turkey wafting through the house and the countdown to Thanksgiving Day parades.

From our family meal of turkey and all the fixin’s to hunting down the perfect tree at the Christmas tree lot, this day is one to cherish for all of us.

Instant Russian Tea is a tasty part of this tradition as well. This hot beverage is one our familyalwaysenjoys on Thanksgiving night as we decorate the Christmas tree.

We love to drink the tea all winter but the first batch gets made just before Thanksgiving.

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Why is it called Russian Tea?

Russian Tea has very little to do with Russia and a lot to do with Southern creativity. The tea takes its name from the black tea with lemon and sugar that was the preferred beverage of upper-class Russians in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Eventually it became a Southern staple, handed down in church cookbooks over the years.

What is Russian Tea made with?

A 1966 edition of theStatesville (North Carolina) Record and Landmarkincluded a recipe that swapped loose black tea for instant and the oranges for the recently invented powdered orange drink, Tang, along with sugar and spice. Tang eventually printed its own recipe for the drink.

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What kind of tea is used in Russian Tea?

For my recipe you can use any kind of tea powder but I use instant tea with or without sugar. If you like it sweet go with the type with sugar. If not go sugar free!

Is Tang still available?

Some readers have asked if Tang is still available. The answer is yes but if you can’t find it at your favorite store you can order it here on Amazon.

I have used some generic orange drink mixes but each store varied and I learned I prefer the original Tang.

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Substitutions

  • Note of caution: Do not try and use whole cloves to save money by crushing them yourselves. Picking bits of cloves out of your tea is not fun. Not that I would know about that ~eye roll~
  • If you don’t have Kool-Aid try using the single lemonade drink mixes.
  • If you use sweetened iced tea add less sugar to the Russian tea mix.
  • The tea hardens in the container over time but I love to drink it through the cold winters!
  • You can try substituting a generic store brand orange drink mix but I’ve had mixed results with this.
  • Try adding a teaspoon ground allspice to the instant beverage mix.

How to store Instant Russian Tea.

Sometimes if I’m lazy I just pour as much of the dry mix as I can back into the Tang container. I also have a specific glass Christmas jar that I’ve used through the years. An airtight container is preferred for this spiced tea mix.

Giving this recipe to friends and family.

This tea makes a great gift idea for teachers at school and church as well as for a special friendship. A mason jar is a good choice, wrapped in a pretty ribbon or used with these Christmas mason jar labels or with this merry and bright label. If you don’t have a mason jar use any large jar and maybe even add some cinnamon sticks with a ribbon for the perfect treats.

Ingredients:

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(I’ve included some affiliate links for your convenience.Click here to read myfulldisclosure policy.)

Instant orange drink (Tang)
Unsweetened lemonade-flavor drink powder
Unsweetened instant tea mix
White sugar
Ground cloves
Ground cinnamon

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions:

Pour Tang into large bowl.

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Add lemonade mix to bowl.

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Add instant tea.

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Pour in white sugar.

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Add teaspoon ground cloves.

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Add two teaspoon ground cinnamon to the tea mixture.

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Mix everything together.

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When ready to serve stir as many teaspoons as you’d like into a mug of boiling water.

It’s totally up to your preference but I like the drink to be thick and not so watery.

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When ready to serve pour boiling water over mixture in your favorite mug.

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Feel free to let the tea steep as long as you want and enjoy your Christmas time treat!

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Russian Tea Recipe with Tang

Instant Russian Tea recipe with Tang is an old holiday favorite that's the perfect inexpensive hot drink for the holidays!

Course Beverage

Keyword Instant Russian Tea

Author Marty’s Musings

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. jar instant orange drink Tang
  • 1 pkg. unsweetened lemonade Kool-Aid
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened instant tea
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions

  • Mix all ingredients well and store in tightly closed container.

  • Add to hot water as many teaspoons as desired to taste.

Video

Notes

I used sweetened instant tea and cut back on the amount of sugar added to compensate. I also used 4 single instant lemonade packets instead of kool-aid.

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Russian Tea Recipe - Marty's Musings (2024)

FAQs

Russian Tea Recipe - Marty's Musings? ›

It was traditionally composed of black tea with lemon and sugar, orange and pineapple juices, cinnamon, clove, honey, and lemon or orange wedges for garnish. It was typically afforded only by the elite at this time and enjoyed during the cold of winter as a way to warm up.

What is Russian tea made from? ›

It was traditionally composed of black tea with lemon and sugar, orange and pineapple juices, cinnamon, clove, honey, and lemon or orange wedges for garnish. It was typically afforded only by the elite at this time and enjoyed during the cold of winter as a way to warm up.

How to make a Russian caravan? ›

Russian Caravan
  1. 2 oz. bourbon.
  2. 2 oz. Russian tea.
  3. 12 oz. lemon juice.
  4. 14 oz. honey.
  5. Lemon peel, for garnish.

Does Russian tea have caffeine in it? ›

Like other black teas, Russian Caravan tends to be high in caffeine, containing about half as much caffeine per cup as coffee.

What type of tea is Russian? ›

Traditionally, black tea is the most common tea in Russia, but green tea is becoming more popular. Traditional tea in Russia includes the traditional type known as Russian Caravan as it was originally imported from China via camel caravan.

What makes Russian tea different? ›

Since no one can compete with a classic glass of sweet tea, though, in the South, Russian Tea became synonymous with a hot drink flavored with oranges or lemons and spiced with vanilla, rum, cinnamon, and sometimes preserved cherries.

What is special about Russian tea? ›

Traditionally-speaking, Russians preferred strong black tea from China with a heady aroma and they would let a spoonful of sugar or jam dissolve in their mouths just before drinking it.

What does yes mean in Russia? ›

The Russian word for Yes is Да (da). Let's check out this lesson on the Yes in Russian. You can certainly use other words to express your agreement.

What teas are in Russian Caravan? ›

Russian Caravan Tea is typically a blend of Oolong tea (semi-fermented), Keemun (black) and sometimes Lapsang Souchong (smoked) tea. The name comes from the 18th century camel caravans that would start at the beginning of the famous 'tea road' in China for the 6000 mile journey from the Chinese border to Moscow.

Do Russians put jam in tea? ›

They drink tea with lemon and/or milk, they can add sugar or jam. Russians drink tea daily, sometimes around-the-clock, everywhere - and on any occasion.

Why is it called Russian tea? ›

The giftable dry mix that is the stuff of countless mid-century community cookbooks dates back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when American urbanites sipped black tea with lemon and sugar in imitation of upper-class Russians.

What does a samovar look like? ›

samovar, metal urn, often of brass, with a spigot near its base, widely used in Russia to boil water for tea. In traditional samovars water is heated by means of a vertical tube, containing burning charcoal, running up the middle of the urn. A filled teapot is set atop the chimney to steep.

Does Russian tea come from Russia? ›

Tea was brought to Russia from Northern China, where it was called 'cha-i' or 'cha-e', that is why in Russia the drink got the name 'chay' (tea). Originally, though, in Russian records, tea was often called 'the Chinese herb' or 'the Chinese dry herb'.

Do Russians put milk in tea? ›

A typical style of drinking tea in Russia is brewing tea using traditional tea thing "Samovar", and add jam in their tea. Adding milk in the tea is not very popular, however, there is one region in Russia where people add butter and milk in their tea.

What is black Russian tea? ›

A blend of fine long leaf black teas with the addition of lapsang souchong. One sip of this bold smokey tea with its intense flavour and you'll be transported to the campfire. Black tea with smokey notes.

What do Russians eat with tea? ›

This beverage is called "Russian tea" and is often served with traditional Russian sweets such as pirozhki (savory pastries), blini (pancakes), or kulich (a sweet bread typically eaten during Easter).

Why is it called Russian Tea? ›

The giftable dry mix that is the stuff of countless mid-century community cookbooks dates back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when American urbanites sipped black tea with lemon and sugar in imitation of upper-class Russians.

How is Russian tea brewed and served? ›

Russian tea is commonly made by steeping black tea in a single teapot and boiling spices to prepare the spicy infusion. Then, black tea, spicy infusion, and orange and lemon juice are mixed to have Russian tea.

What do Russians eat for tea? ›

One popular way to prepare black tea in Russia is to make it very strong and serve it with lemon and sugar. This beverage is called "Russian tea" and is often served with traditional Russian sweets such as pirozhki (savory pastries), blini (pancakes), or kulich (a sweet bread typically eaten during Easter).

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