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As the long winter months have drawn on, I’ve been looking for warming drinks to change up my routine. I was getting a little bored with some of the teas I usually drink and I adore bone broth, but that was getting a little tedious day after day as well. I also have to be a bit careful with herbal teas, as I have a sensitivity to chamomile and have noticed that some other herbal teas give me a similar “itchy” mouth. So, I started hunting around and came across a recipe for Russian tea. This was an “instant” mix though and absolutely filled with terrible ingredients, like “orange drink powder,” “instant powdered tea,” and “cinnamon drops” (you know, those red, spicy candies). I did a little research into the flavors associated with Russian tea and came up with this healthier version.
One thing to note, this does call for black tea. Caffeine is allowed, but can be tricky on AIP. Read the introduction on this recipe for a little background detail here and to determine if you might want to swap a decaffeinated tea in when enjoying this mix.
- ½ cup loose black tea
- ½ cup coconut palm sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup collagen
- zest of 1 lemon, dried
- zest of 1 orange, dried
- Using a spice or coffee grinder, grind loose tea into a fine powder. Add to a clean glass jar.
- Add sugar and all three spices to grinder, grind to a fine powder. Add to jar.
- Add collagen to jar.
- Add dried lemon zest to grinder, grind to a fine powder. Do the same with the orange zest. Add to jar.
- Seal jar and shake well to combine.
- To serve, pour 1½ cups hot coconut milk or water into a blender. Add 1 tablespoon Instant Russia Tea.
- Blend 30 seconds, until frothy.
- Allow to steep and sediment to settle for 3-5 minutes. Alternatively, pour through cheese cloth to strain sediment.
9 comments
I made it with half coconut milk and half water.
It is very tasty.
Hi, I have just been diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and I have been looking at the AIP diet. I am slightly confused though. It says that caffeine isn’t allowed so is it ok to have the black tea in some of these recipes?
I would be so appreciative if you could help me out.
Thanks
Emma.
Hi Emma! AIP is coffee-free but not caffeine-free. Hope that clarifies things for you!
I would like to try an autoimmune diet – I’m coeliac- but, oh dear, I’m also vegetarian, does your book and recommendations cover veggie options. Most paleo diets are heavy with meat. Thanks!
Trish-
We don’t recommend an AIP diet as a vegetarian. The eliminations will not meet your needs for protein w/out including animal meats. That said, many folks in our community came from vegan & vegetarian backgrounds. You might consider slowly adding meat back in, perhaps starting w/ fish, as it is the easiest to digest.
Can those of us with Hashimoto’s drink black tea? My understanding is that black and green tea take up fluoride in the root system. Thanks!
Susie-
I try not to add too many concerns to an already very challenging protocol. AIP is a coffee-free, but not a caffeine-free protocol. If you find that your blood sugar is stable and you aren’t dealing w/ very depleted adrenals, a little caffeinated tea from time to time might be a suitable option.
I have just been recently diagnosed with a rare auto immune condition called Scelerodurma. part of the problem is that my immune system responds by producing too much collagen! I’m trying hard to understand all the critical information that you are so generously providing but find some is a wee bit confusing at the moment! Am I right to assume that collagen is probably not a good thing for my rare condition? If so can you suggest an alternate?
Many thanks for this wonderful resource
Would this work without the collagen? I have everything else at home already.