Jill Doughtie

I was looking at the ingredient list for one of my favorite herbal teas (or tisanes), and I was thinking I bet I could make something that tastes a lot like this without having to waste all this packaging. I was right. Here’s what I’ve been doing most mornings for the last few weeks:

I get out my mortar and pestle and I put in…

dried tangerine peel from a tree in my back yard,
a cacao bean,
a couple of black peppercorns,
a clove,
some cinnamon stick,
a slice of ginger,

a pinch of anise seed,
a pinch of fennel seed,
and a pinch of cardamom.

I crush it.

I pour it in a cup and added a dash of cayenne pepper.

If you don’t want large particles in the bottom of your tea, you can use a tea strainer. Some days I do. Some days I don’t.

I steep it in boiling water.

After a few minutes, it’s ready.

If you like, you can add more boiling water and make a second glass of tea with the same set of ingredients. It will be a little milder, but it’s still good.