This hot fruit tea mix is a tasty way to warm up on a winter day and makes a great gift for family and friends during the holidays.
Several years ago we lived in Nashville, Tennessee. It was then that I discovered Fruit Tea. Living in the northern part of the US I had never tried or heard of fruit tea before. And, I haven't seen it since I moved back.
Fruit tea is similar to flavored iced teas that you can find in the north, but in my opinion, the tea I had in Nashville was more juice based rather than just flavored.
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Before we moved away, a friend of mine gave me a jar of fruit tea mix. It was meant to make instant cold fruit tea or hot fruit tea.
Recently, I came across the original jar she gave me and thought of her, the time we spent together, and this nice gift she made.
So, I decided to try to make my own hot fruit tea recipe.
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This mix works with a larger mug that holds about 12 ounces of water. However, you can experiment and vary the amount of tea mix for a smaller or larger cup.
I had an idea of what the mix should be like but when I was researching the idea I found something called Russian Tea. It seemed to be very similar to my idea of a fruit tea mix. Russian Tea in the US according to Wikipedia, is especially popular in the Southeastern United States. So perhaps my idea of southern fruit tea is actually Russian Tea.
The recipe I came up with uses instant iced tea as the base. Sugar, lemonade, orange drink powder, and cinnamon powder are added to give it that fruit tea flavor.
You could try using Tang and cloves as mentioned in the Russian Tea Wikipedia article for a variation.
If you want to make a bunch as gifts for friends feel free to use the label I created to add to your jars.
Just click on the label and it will open to a pdf with 12 labels on a page.
This recipe makes 2 cups of the mix which fits perfectly into a pint mason jar. Or you could get fancy and choose these pretty Weck Jars
.
I chose a wide mouth mason jar
to make it easier to spoon out the mix. Top it off with a piece of natural fabric and tie it with some raffia
, a cinnamon stick,
and a cute tag.
More Gift Mixes
Hot Fruit Tea Mix
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened ice tea mix
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 packet .15 oz lemonade
- 1 packet .15 oz orange drink mix
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together
- Store in a sealed container.
- Add a label with instructions.
Alicia
I have lived in the Nashville area pretty much always and have been drinking this tea for years.
We have just always called it spice tea. I started about 35 years ago mixing a big batch around the holidays for gifts. I put it in cute jars along with a pretty mug and it's always a big hit. The recipe I have is like the Russian tea mix.
I loved seeing this in my newsletter today.
Hope you and your family have a very Merry and Blessed Christmas.
Patti Estep
Alicia, what a great story. Thank you for sharing and I wish you and your family and Merry and Blessed Christmas too!
Krystal
Fruit tea is so very good! I don't drink it hot; rather iced, which as you know, is common here! I'm further south of Nashville, and my favorite fruit teas seem to always have pineapple or peach in them; sooo delicious! Whether it be canned fruit or juice (some have chunks of fruit), I love it. This recipe sounds like something out of this world though, especially with me rarely venturing into the world of hot teas (aside from the care blooming tea or herbals, like chamomile for a bad throat). Thank you for this new must-try!
Patti Estep
I agree that pineapple and peach are perfect for fruit tea. I noticed that I could have bought pineapple Koolaid mix online. I wonder if there's a peach flavor too. Next time.
Julie Briones
This type of mix was super popular when I was teenager (especially among my parents' group of friends). Brings back lots of 'sweet' memories. (See what i did there?!)
Patti Estep
That's so interesting Julie. I never even heard of fruit tea until I live in the south and this mix from my friend was new too. I still haven't heard about it up here in PA and yet, here you are telling me it's an old favorite. Thanks for sharing.
Christine
I LOVE tea! I guess it's the English in me! 🙂 I have a collection of sweet teas, and yours sound AMAZING! Your teacup is lovely btw!
Patti Estep
Thanks Christine. You must be an authority with your British heritage. I have no clue and just drink what I like. I do love the smell of bergamot so Earl Grey is a favorite. However, it is quite strong.
Ali Jude
Good morning,
This sounds wonderful. I had a friend make me Friendship Tea that was very similar. Instant tea, Tang, and Red Hot candies, it was very tasty. I am definitely going to be making this recipe. One question...are the packets of lemonade and orange drink mix like the unsweetened Koolaid?
Thanks!
Patti Estep
Thanks Ali. And yes, that's exactly what I used, the little 10 cent packages of unsweetened Kool-Aid.
I think a Koolaid pineapple would be good too but I could not find it when I was shopping for this post
Carole West
I have never heard of this but it sounds wonderful, especially warm in the mornings. Love the idea of making it for gifts too. Love how that jar filled up memories and inspired you to make more. Hope you have a great weekend Patti.
Patti Estep
Thanks Carole. It's funny where inspiration can come from. Hope you enjoy your weekend too.
Tommye
We have made this tea mix every fall for more than 30 years! It’s a wonderful hot pick-me-up after school or work, and it’s wonderful on a Saturday afternoon during football games! I use decaf tea, so we enjoy it in the evening well. Enjoy!
Patti Estep
That's great to hear. Thanks for sharing Tommye!