By Peggy A. Alaniz
Last year for Christmas I got a surprise—orange tea. It was a gift from one of my relatives who always tries to find a unique tea for me to try. While I have added citrus to traditional tea, I never had one that was all citrus. It had a pleasant refreshing taste—one that I could pair with a cinnamon stick to give a little bit of warmth and holiday feel in the cold of winter. The whole house smells amazing when you brew orange peel with cinnamon on top of the stove. It made me realize that I can make a type of tisane (an herbal infusion) out of just about anything that will infuse into water.
Orange tea is a tisane. It is made from the peel of either a fresh or dried orange. It not only tastes good, but it is also good for you and easy to make. It will help to boost your immune system and improve respiratory function which is helpful during cold and flu season. The tea is also high in potassium and will help to not only lower your blood pressure but calm your anxiety. Orange tea contains collagen, so it will help the skin maintain its elasticity and not dry out—helpful for our long, dry Michigan winters. It helps to improve digestion, which during the holidays when we are eating all those rich traditional foods, can be helpful.
The tisane is relatively easy to make. You can also experiment with the flavor by adding a variety of orange peels, spices, or traditional teas. Because it is a tisane, orange tea contains no caffeine unless you add either black, green, or white tea with it. To make your own orange tea you can use fresh or dried orange peels. I suggest ½ of an orange peeled per cup of water. Place the peels and water in the pot. At this time, add any spices such as cinnamon, clover, or ginger as well. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for a minimum of ten minutes. You can let it steep longer depending upon how strong you would like the flavor. If you would like to add traditional tea to the mixture add loose-leaf tea or a tea bag once you remove the tisane from the heat and let it steep for up to five minutes prior to straining.
This particular tea goes well with spiced rum. It also can be made in a crock pot, as long as you keep the tea and spices like clove and ginger in a bag. It is great for a fall weekend or holiday gathering.
Crock Pot Cranberry Orange Tea:
5 to 10 cups of water
The clean peels of 3 to 5 oranges
1 cup of cranberries
2 cinnamon sticks
3-star anise
Up to 10 whole cloves
3 teaspoons of fresh ginger
5 to 10 black tea bags
Place 5 to 10 cups of water in the crock pot. Add the washed and dried orange peel along with the cranberries. Add the cinnamon sticks and star anise. In a tea infuser place the ginger and whole cloves. Add the tea bags. Cook on high for one hour then cook on low for one to two more hours. With a ladle, scoop the hot liquid into a cup. Optionally add a shot of spiced rum to the mixture.
Peggy A. Alaniz is a tea enthusiast with a MFA in writing from Naropa University in Boulder, CO. She not only writes for The Crazy Wisdom Journal but has also been published by Chicken Soup for The Soul in My Wacky Wonderful Family and has her own blog, “Tea, Travel & Spirits.”
