Nothing is as soothing as a cup of freshly brewed Persian tea. In my house growing up, we made it either in a samovar or with stackable tea kettles, but now this is my go-to way to make it.
Freshly brewed tea can be enjoyed at any time, particularly to welcome guests to the house and served with sweets like this zulbia. Infused with a delicate warming cardamom flavor, I like to drink this tea sweetened with a little bit of saffron nabot, rock candy.
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Why this Recipe Works
Using loose leaf tea is essential for amazing flavor. It's more aromatic, and when placed in boiling hot water the leaves infuse their flavor into the water to create a more intense and rich tea flavor than tea bags can achieve.
Using boiling hot water to begin and leaving the tea to steep for the full five minutes is important to reach the full depth of flavor.
Using cardamom pods in the hot water also infuses a warm, herbal flavor that couldn't be achieved otherwise. Just these two ingredients are the base for a really delicious tea.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Loose-leaf black tea - Ceylon is preferred, but Assam or Darjeeling work well, too. The loose leaf tea absorbs the hot water which infuses awesome flavor, something you cannot achieve with a tea bag.
Cardamom pods - green is the most common cardamom pod color, which is what I use. You can't substitute these pods for powder. You can also find them on Amazon.
Looking for a shortcut? Try these Persian tea bags infused with cardamom.
How to Make Persian Tea
Start with 1 tablespoon of loose-leaf black tea and crack open 2 cardamom pods by piercing them with a fork.
Pop the pods and the tea into a teapot and top it off with about a cup of boiling hot water.
Steep the tea and pods for 5 minutes.
Next, strain out the tea and cardamom so you're left with just the steeped tea.
Serve with a dash of rose water, and sweeten with saffron nabat if you like. You can also add a sprig of mint for a refreshing additional flavor. Sometimes, I'll enjoy it with all three.
I like to use my prettiest glassware to really show off the amazing color of this tea!
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FAQs
Cardamom is a spice derived from the seeds of the cardamom plant. It has a warming, herbal flavor that some describe as citrus. If you're a fan of chai and chai lattes, you'll know this flavor very well.
Any time! You can enjoy Persian tea any time of day. I recommend enjoying it in the late afternoon with some saffron zulbia as a treat to go with it. It does contain caffeine, so keep that in mind.
Nabat is a kind of hard rock candy that dissolves quickly. This makes it perfect to stir into and quickly sweeten tea or pop into your mouth as you sip the unsweetened tea.
A double boiler is a glass bowl that rests over a pan of boiling hot water. The steam rising from the hot water warms the ingredients inside. When making tea over a double boiler, a samovar or stackable tea kettles are usually used.
Rosewater is a delicately flavored water made by distilling rose petals in water. It can have a strong taste, so a little bit goes a long way. I only add a small dash to my tea to enhance the flavor.
Related Recipes
Serve these delicious treats with your freshly brewed Persian tea, or check out some of these Persian recipes.
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Persian Tea
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Ceylon tea Assam or Darjeeling ok
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 cup hot water
For Serving
- saffron nabot optional
- rose water optional
- sprig of mint optional
Instructions
- Bring water to boil.
- In the meantime, measure 1 tablespoon of black loose leaf tea and crack open 2 cardamom pods.
- Steep the tea and cardamom pods in 1 cup of boiling hot water for 5 minutes.
- Strain out tea and cardamom pods.
- Serve in a glass with optional rose water, optional mint, and optional nabot or other sweetener.
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