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!

Russian Tea Recipe - Marty's Musings (1)

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 - Marty's Musings (22)

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4.80 from 5 votes

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.

Russian Tea Recipe - Marty's Musings (23)
Russian Tea Recipe - Marty's Musings (2024)

FAQs

What is the most famous Russian tea? ›

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? ›

As you can probably guess, this drink originated in Russia dating all the way back to the early 1800s. 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.

How is Russian tea or zavarka usually served? ›

To serve the tea, everyone is given a small quantity of the zavarka, and then they serve themselves the desired amount of boiling water from the spigot to dilute the tea depending on their tastes.

What to put in Russian Caravan tea? ›

Russian Caravan is made by combining roughly equal parts of Lapsang Souchong and a classic black tea like China Keemun. Russian Caravan is typically slightly lighter and mellower than Lapsang, with the smoky notes balanced out by crisp, classic black tea.

Do Russians put milk 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.

Do Russians put cherries in their tea? ›

As the blog Yesterdish notes, the name Russian Tea initially referred to a simple iced brew with lemon. Over time, it evolved into a hot beverage that could be flavored with oranges instead of lemons and jazzed up with vanilla, rum, spices, and preserved cherries.

Do Russians drink tea with lemon? ›

This time I will speak about those small and pleasant tea things which were invented in Russia: tea with lemon, drinking tea from the saucer, and tea 'vprikusku' (drinking tea holding a lump of sugar in the mouth).

What is a Russian tea maker called? ›

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.

How to make Russian tea in coffee talk 2? ›

Russian Tea - Tea, Lemon, Cinnamon. Shai Adeni - Tea, Milk, Cinnamon. Teh Tarik - Tea, Tea, Milk.

What is a Russian tea holder called? ›

The podstakannik (Russian: подстака́нник, literally "thing under the glass"), or tea glass holder, is a holder with a handle, most commonly made of metal that holds a drinking glass (stakan). Their primary purpose is to be able to hold a very hot glass of tea, which is usually consumed right after it is brewed.

What do you wear to Russian tea? ›

What Do I Wear for Tea at The Russian Tea Room? At the very least, dress smart casual but you can definitely dress up. Dark jeans without any rips will be OK, but avoid wearing sneakers. Aim to look put together but relaxed and comfortable.

What is gulag tea? ›

Chifir (Russian: чифи́рь, romanized: čifir', or alternatively, чифи́р) is an exceptionally strong tea, associated with and brewed in Soviet and post-Soviet detention facilities such as gulags and prisons.

Why is Russian Caravan tea smoky? ›

Traditionally the smoky character was considered to have been imparted to the tea by the close proximity of the camel caravans to countless camp fires en route across the Mongolian Steppes to Russia.

How long do you steep Russian Caravan tea? ›

Russian Caravan tea should be steeped for 4-5 minutes. Once the ideal brewing time has been reached, the leaves should be removed to prevent further steeping. Decant your Russian caravan tea and enjoy! How Much Russian Caravan Tea Do I Need?

What is the most popular Russian beverage? ›

Kvas. After vodka, kvas is the most famous Russian drink. It is carbonated and may contain approximately 1% alcohol. It's prepared through fermentation of flour and malt or dry rye bread, sometimes with the addition of herbs and honey.

What is the most popular tea in the world? ›

According to the World Tea Export Council, black tea is the most consumed tea globally, making up approximately 75% of the total tea consumption. This is followed by green tea, which accounts for approximately 20% of the total tea consumption, while herbal tea and oolong tea account for the remaining 5%.

Why is the Russian Tea Room famous? ›

The Russian Tea Room is more than a restaurant — it's a cultural landmark, a New York City institu- tion, a place to be seen and heard and, yes, a sumptuous ruby-red tearoom where tea and the world's finest vodka can be imbibed with equal pleasure.

What is Russian black tea called? ›

Russian Caravan is a blend of oolong, keemun, and lapsang souchong teas. It is described as an aromatic and full-bodied tea with a sweet, malty, and smoky taste. Some varieties do not include lapsang souchong, and thus have a less smoky flavor, while others include assam tea.

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