Russian Tea Recipe {Slow Cooker Hot Drink} | Tastes of Lizzy T (2024)

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Comforting, warm, Russian Tea made in the slow cooker. This from scratch drink recipe is perfect for an evening drink after it simmers all day in the slow cooker.

Table of Contents
  1. Russian Tea From Scratch
  2. Ingredients Needed
  3. Does Russian Tea have caffeine?
  4. How do you make Russian Tea?
  5. Watch us Make Russian Tea
  6. How do you serve Russian Tea?
  7. Russian Tea Recipe
  8. Other Tea Recipes

Cool nights are coming and it’s getting dark earlier than ever! It’s evenings like this where I love to sip a warm drink before bedtime. Sometimes it is tea…other times it is coffee.

But when we’re feeling fancy, I make up this Russian Tea recipe (originally found in many of my old church cookbooks) and let it simmer all day. Not only will you love the taste of this comforting drink, but the house will smell amazing from all the spices, too.

Russian Tea Recipe {Slow Cooker Hot Drink} | Tastes of Lizzy T (1)

Russian Tea From Scratch

Many Russian Tea recipes are made with Tang orange drink mix and lemonade mix which allows the recipe to be a dry mix “Instant” tea. Although we love that Instant tea for gift giving and busy mornings when we are short on time, this is a “from scratch” recipe that uses juice and strongly steeped tea.

The flavors simmer in the slow cooker (or Dutch oven) for as long as you’d like. You’ll need to plan ahead just a few hours for this, but it is so worth it.

Ingredients Needed

Our Russian Tea mix is made from strongly steeped tea (think 5 tea bags to 2 cups of hot water!), sugar, pineapple juice, lemon juice, and orange juice. No powder mixes.

We use cinnamon sticks and whole cloves to add flavor like no other. It’s easy to keep these ingredients on hand so you’re ready to serve up warm tea any day you’d like.

Does Russian Tea have caffeine?

We normally make our Russian Tea with black tea which does contain caffeine. If you’d like you can use caffeine free tea bags for a treat that won’t keep you up all night.

Russian Tea Recipe {Slow Cooker Hot Drink} | Tastes of Lizzy T (2)

How do you make Russian Tea?

We like to use our slow cooker to make Russian tea. You can also make it in a dutch oven on the stovetop.

  • Simply add the sugar and juices to the pot and mix well.
  • Steep the tea bags in hot water along with the cinnamon sticks and cloves. Then drain off the tea into the juice mixture. Discard any cloves or cinnamon sticks.
  • Lastly, add 2 fresh cinnamon sticks to the tea mix. Cover and simmer.

That’s it! It will take a few hours to heat through depending on which method you use, but as soon as the beverage is heated through it’s ready to drink.

Russian Tea Recipe {Slow Cooker Hot Drink} | Tastes of Lizzy T (3)

Watch us Make Russian Tea

How do you serve Russian Tea?

If you are having a dinner party that is more buffet style, it may be best to leave the tea in the slow cooker and allow people to serve themselves. If you choose this you can add cinnamon sticks and orange slices to the top of the tea for a pretty look.

If you are serving individual glasses of tea, slice oranges and cut them in quarters. Spear a whole clove into the orange slice and serve on top of each individual glass as shown below. It looks so pretty and adds just a hint more flavor.

Russian Tea Recipe {Slow Cooker Hot Drink} | Tastes of Lizzy T (4)

Russian Tea Recipe {Slow Cooker Hot Drink} | Tastes of Lizzy T (5)

Russian Tea

4.66 from 32 votes

Comforting, warm, Russian Tea made in the slow cooker. This from scratch drink recipe is perfect for an evening drink after it simmers all day in the slow cooker.

Servings 12

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Print RecipeSave Recipe

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups pineapple juice
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 5 black tea bags
  • 12 whole cloves
  • 4 cinnamon sticks (divided)
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 2-3 quarts hot water (to taste)

Optional Serving Ingredients:

  • 1 orange (sliced and quartered)
  • 12 whole cloves

Instructions

  • In a slow cooker, combine the sugar, pineapple juice, orange juice and lemon juice.

  • In a large measuring cup, place the tea bags, cloves and cinnamon sticks.

  • Pour the hot water over the tea bags and let it steep for 5 minutes.

  • Strain the tea into the sugar and juice mix. Discard the cinnamon sticks and cloves that you strained out.

  • Add 2-3 quarts of hot water, to taste. Add 2 quarts in immediately, then add more water until you get the taste you’d like.

  • Add the 2 remaining cinnamon sticks to the tea and cover the slow cooker. Cook on low until heated through.

  • To garnish, slice an orange into thin slices, then halve or quarter them if you’d like. Push a whole clove into the orange slice and place it in the cup on top of the tea.

  • You can also serve the tea from the slow cooker. You can decorate the top with orange slices and cinnamon sticks if you’d like.

Video

Notes

The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 12 people, with 1 serving being 1 cup of hot tea. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Vitamin C: 20.5mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Author Julie Clark

Course Drink

Cuisine American

Calories 161

Keyword hot drink, hot fruit drink, hot tea recipe, slow cooker tea

Have you tried this recipe?

Share a review below or share on Instagram with the tag #tastesoflizzyt.

Other Tea Recipes

  • Cranberry Pineapple Iced Tea
  • Lemon Ginger Iced Tea
Russian Tea Recipe {Slow Cooker Hot Drink} | Tastes of Lizzy T (2024)

FAQs

Does Russian tea have caffeine? ›

We normally make our Russian Tea with black tea which does contain caffeine. If you'd like you can use caffeine free tea bags for a treat that won't keep you up all night.

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.

How do you drink Russian tea? ›

Zavarka Russian Tea Recipe (заварка)

Pour some tea concentrate into a cup, and fill the rest of the cup with boiling water. Adjust the tea, depending on the color and strength you prefer. Add milk and sugar, or a lemon slice if you prefer. Keep topping up the zavarka with hot water and enjoy drinking tea.

How do you make Russian tea in Coffee Talk 2? ›

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

What is special about Russian tea? ›

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 are the benefits of Russian tea? ›

Feeling a little stuffy? This warm tea will loosen mucus in your sinuses and it contains antioxidants that may even help to shorten your cold too!

Why is it called Russian tea in USA? ›

Place of Origin

American recipes for the drink date back to the late 19th century, when according to Garden & Gun, well-to-do Yanks adopted the Russian style of serving tea with lemon and sugar. As the blog Yesterdish notes, the name Russian Tea initially referred to a simple iced brew with lemon.

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.

Do Russian people drink tea with sugar or without sugar? ›

In the 19th century, Russians drank their tea with a cube of sugar (from sugarloaf) held between their teeth. The tradition still exists today.

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 brand of tea do Russians drink? ›

Zavarka: While not a specific tea variety, zavarka refers to the strong concentrated tea used to make Russian tea. It is typically made by steeping black tea leaves in a small teapot or samovar and then diluting it with hot water when serving.

What is Russian Ivan tea? ›

Russian Ivan Tea is a tea made by fermenting the willow herb plant also known in North America as fireweed.

How do you make Russian Caravan tea? ›

To prepare Russian Caravan, use one level teaspoon of tea leaves for every six ounces of water in your pot or cup. Heat water to boiling, then infuse the tea leaves for three to four minutes. Enjoy this tea on its own, or take it with milk and sweetener if you prefer.

What drink to give Neil Coffee Talk? ›

The Milky Way can be given to Neil when asked to "surprise" them.

Which boba teas have caffeine? ›

The amount of caffeine in bubble tea varies across the different types of tea. For example, there is roughly 40-50 mg of caffeine in black tea, 20-30 mg in green tea, and 20-35g in oolong tea.

Does Russian Earl GREY tea have caffeine? ›

Energy boost: Russian Earl Gray contains a moderate amount of caffeine, making it an energizing drink that can boost your energy levels without making you jittery or tense. Heart health: The antioxidants in black tea may contribute to better heart health by lowering blood pressure and improving blood vessel function.

Which tea has the most caffeine? ›

Black tea caffeine: Black tea typically has the highest caffeine content among teas. Oolong tea caffeine: Oolong tea generally has less caffeine than black tea, but more than green or white tea. Green tea caffeine: Green tea usually has less caffeine than black or oolong tea.

What boba tea has caffeine? ›

The two most common types of tea used in bubble tea are black and green tea. The caffeine in black tea ranges from 40 to 80 mg of caffeine per cup. This is because some black teas, like Assam tea, are higher in caffeine than others.

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