Licorice Tea

Another wonderful spiced tea! I made a tea for some human friends one winter during Christmas season. It was very well received by them, at the time I had run out of tea and spices from Vulcan because my friends are bigger “tea addicts” than I am. I needed to put together something on the fly for the large group,since we ran out of spiced apple cider. The recipe below is what I came up with,and it was well received. It didn’t taste the same but smelled wonderful, filling the home with a spicy comforting scent. I’m taking some Terran spices home: This “tea” is all spices!Ingredients
10 pieces of ginger, 1-inch. sliced or chopped
4 cinnamon sticks, broken
1 tsp green cardamom pods
2 1/4 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cloves, whole
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp licorice root
1/2 tsp allspice
5 cups water
3 tbs honey & milk, to taste
If your spices are whole, rub small amounts in between your palms to release their essential oils.
Combine all the spices in a saucepan. Cover pot and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the pot from heat, and let sit for another 35 minutes (covered). If you can stand to wait that long. Strain out the spices and add honey, and milk if desired. If you are lactose intolerant, any of the nut-based milks will work wonderfully.