Persian•budget

Persian Tea (+ Chaii Shirin)

Find out how to brew Persian tea at home with basic ingredients. Love sweet tea? Then you'll love the Persian chaii shirin!

Ingredients

2-3 tbsp loose black tea like Ceylon or English breakfast (3 if you like strong black tea)
500 ml water (for brewing tea)
1 litre water (roughly) (for topping up)
10 rose buds (or 1 tsp rose water)
1 tsp dried orange peel (or 1 tsp orange flower water)
5 saffron strands (or the saffron sugar sticks to serve)
3 cardamom pods, split
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp loose black tea like Ceylon or English breakfast
500 ml water (for brewing tea)
1 litre water (for topping up)
white sugar as needed (1-2 tsp per person, each serving (that's 2-4 sugar cubes))

1
Put the kettle on with the 500ml (2 cups) of water and place the 2 Tbsp tea leaves in the tea pot.
2
When the water is boiling, pour it over the tea leaves, along with any flavouring you may be using. Cover with the lid and place a tea towel over the top of the tea pot and brew for 5 minutes. Or 10 if you want a stronger tasting tea with a more pronounced tannin flavour.If using rose or orange flower water, stir it in at the end of brewing time.
3
While the tea is brewing, put the kettle back on with the second batch of water.
4
When the tea is done brewing, pour it into 4 glasses through a strainer, reaching only ¼ of the way up. Or ⅓ or halfway up for stronger tea.
5
Top up with water. Add sugar if desired for chaii shirin, Persian sweet tea.
6
Brew the tea as in steps 1 and 2 above.
7
Place 1 tsp or 2 cubes of sugar in your tea glass. Pour hot water up to the ¼ mark and stir to dissolve the sugar.
8
Tilt your glass and very slowly pour the brewed tea in, straightening the glass gradually as it fills up.