Russian Tea

The recipe mistakenly listed "1 (3 ounce) package unsweetened lemonade powder". It has now been corrected to read "1 (3 ounce) package powdered lemonade mix". This is a sweetened mix containing sugar.

This is the age old recipe I grew up with. It is a staple at our house, especially around cold and flu season as the cloves in the mixture, soothe sore throats. Instead of the 3 oz. package of lemondade, we just use the smaller .23 ounce sugarless lemonde mix.

A couple of days ago I started craving this tea--my mom made it when I was a kid. It turned out great--I used decaf unsweetened tea mix, tang, and countrytime lemonade which is sweetened so I reduced the sugar to 1 cup. It turned out great!

This hot beverage tastes like Christmas to me. I have not had it for years. My husband and I "stole" away for lunch at a sweet little local tea house this week. As I was looking at the tea menu, I saw "Russian Tea". I wondered if it was this recipe and it was! My husband and I sipped tea and enjoyed our lunch date. It was the very first of December and the Christmas music was playing . Oh, the taste of the tea and the music really put me in the Christmas spirit- praise God for His indescribable gift of Jesus! Enjoy!

Growing up we always had this stuff in the house. I hadn't had it in years and decided to make a little gifts for my co-workers. It was delicious but a little too sweet for me. I made it in 2 batches, the second batch I added half the sugar it called for and it was great. (I do not like sweet tea.) My 11 year old son is hooked on this stuff now. FYI: it is the little packets of unsweetened lemonade that should be used in the recipe, about .25 oz. each.

I've wanted to make this recipe for years (since I saw a similar recipe on the back of the Tang container) and finally did! I used the 1 tiny little Kool-Aid unsweetened pack like the others and subbed allspice for cloves because that's what I have. I was surprised by how much I enjoy this drink, it tastes like those apple cider mix packets you can buy only cheaper and better. I now have a big empty peanut butter jar full of this tea mix and will look forward to drinking it every day. Thanks!

2 cups of sugar when the tea, lemonade and tang are sweetened? YIKES!!! I didn't use the sugar and added a about 1/2 tsp of ground ginger. Very tasty!

Perfect - exactly as my mother used to make me as a child! Sometimes we add red hots to give it that little extra kick.

I changed the recipe to my taste. 1 1/2 c of tea, 2 c Tang, 2 pkg Koolaid Lemonade (non-sweeten), 1 c sugar, 2 t cinnamon, 1/2 tsp allspice and it made my taste buds happy. It taste more like the Russian Tea that I drank at the Texas RenFest.

I have loved this tea since I was a child, sipping on it in the cold Wyoming winters.

I used unsweetened Koolaid and the mixture was still very sweet. Very good, but too much sugar for my taste even without the sweetener in the Koolaide. Will make the next batch with a 1:1 ratio of Tang to instant tea, a package of unsweetened lemonade Koolaid, and the spices and will add sugar to taste. This is still a good drink, just a little too sweetened for my taste. Update-changing the ratio as mentioned did not improve the flavor. This is still pretty sweet-will continue to look for a similar drink that has the flavors with less sweetness.

Always a hit. My better-half can't have the holidays without this around the house.

Ahhh... Just like I remember. I left out the sugar completely, seemed like 2 cups of sugar was A LOT (especially with sweetened lemonade and Tang). It is perfect! I also agree with a previous reviewer, 3-4 tbsp is A LOT of mix per serving. I use no more than 2 tbsp.

I think brandynicole is correct. I think it is only one package of Kool-aid lemonade. I followed her tip and this is a good mix. yum.

Excellent and Warming recipe. The whole family loves it!

I had not had this for years and went to a Methodist Womens meeting where it was served, got the recipe and went to buy the ingredients and the small tin of cloves was over $7.00 so I decided to try apple pie spice - glad to read the reviews of others who did not use cloves. I always read the reviews. THANKS!

I completely left out the sugar, and it was good.

This is the best! Growing up we always had this in the house! Makes great Christmas gifts!!!

Used to make this while demo tupperware parties gave to hostess. This is great when you hae a cold. Seem to help the process of getting better. Really tasty and feels good when heated.

I love this stuff....As a kid this is what we got in the winter all the time. It is a very sweet drink but isn't that what kids love?

Try using this in the Banana Bran Muffins recipe on Allrecipes! http://allrecipes.com/recipe/banana-bran-muffins/ I cut the brown sugar back to 1/4c, and then added an entire half cup of Russian Tea Mix. The muffins are so delicious! Wow. This mix is a blast from the past, I was born in 1980, and my mother used to make this for my sister and I in the early 80's through until we were pre-teens. Delicious! I make it with ONLY CINNAMON, NO LEMONADE MIX, & NO SUGAR, and it's still delicious, I don't notice anything's missing! Thanks for putting this recipe up here, Paula!

I love Russian tea, but this recipe is very sweet, I will be cutting way down on the sugar next time, especially since the tang and lemonade mix is already sweetened. I ended up adding more tea to cut down the sweetness.

Nearly every review says to use one pack of unsweetened lemonade. I used two. I also think there is not enough tea, too much sugar and to much orange.

I did not have the packet of lemonaid kool aid but subbed the presweetened lemonaid mix like Country Time in place of the kool aid and sugar. I did not add extra sugar and it turned out really good. I made another batch with Tang and used the kool aid packet and Splenda for my mom and it tasted like the original thing.

I always use this recipe. I skip the sugar and use presweetened ice tea instead (3 cups). Been using it for three years now.

Reminds me of my childhood! My mother used to make this for us every year when the weather started to cool. I like all-spice and nutmeg in place of ground cloves. And I added a little more of the Tang. Delish!

My husband made this drink mix and gave it to his father to see if it was similar to what he used to drink last Christmas. This year he asked us for more and the recipe. Great mix!

Our Walmart in N Texas have quit carrying Tang, found it at the Dollar General.

I have not had this tea in years and decided to check out the recipes. I adjusted this one to curtail some of the sugar. 1 cup Lipton instant unsweetened tea 2 cups Tang 3 pkgs. Wyler's Light Pink Lemonade, sugar free 1 cup Splenda 2 tsp. ground cinammon 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg I am sippping on a cup made with 2 tsp. of the mix and it is oh so delicious! The color is nice too. Thanks for the basic recipe!

Reminds me of warm and snuggly Christmases! I used decaf, unsweetened tea, regular Tang and Country Time lemonade mix and added 1/2 t ginger as well. Great to make in a double or triple batch to give away. I agree you only need 1-2 T mix/cup of water. Next time, I will use 1-1/2 c tea, though, for a little more tea flavor.

This drink is the best! My mom made for us when we were little and I still drink it. It's perfect on a cold day!

Perfect! I'm tripling this batch and giving away as Christmas gifts this year. Hubby and I sampled a cup and we both loved it! I'm also keeping some for my own home. I have memories of my mom giving me a warm cup of Russian tea to soothe my throat when I had a bad cough as a kid. I'm happy to have found this recipe and have some on hand to give my kids when they need a warm treat or a sweet, soothing remedy.

I was really worried about what it was going to taste like but I have to say this is awesome. My family really liked it also. But for the lemonade I just used a pkg of unsweetened koolaid and it turned out just fine. Thanks. for a great recipe.

amazing.

My mom always made this yummy drink during the holidays...a warm, spicy mug always brings back childhood Christmas memories.

My mom used to make a huge batch of this for me all the time, thank you for posting the recipe!

love this tea! it is such a reminder of my childhood!

Wonderful!!! Will be put to use alot during the cold months!!

great drink

Thank you so much!! This recipe brought back so many memories. This is one to pass on to your kids.

This is the same recipe my mom used to make for me as a kid. I just started making this for my kids and they love it. It makes a great holiday gift for teachers as well.

My daughter and I both liked this (my husband spit it out ooops he hates tang) I can see how this would be perfect served hot when your sick. I omitted the cloves as I have a distaste for them. I used A LOT less drink mix than called for.

This is a recipe my Mom made me for years, even after I moved away from home. My brother and I call it Tiger Tea because of the stripes it makes in the jar after it's mixed all together. Superb for when you have a sore throat. You can reduce the sugar some if it's too sweet for you. You can also just use unsweetened instant tea which is I think what is meant here in the recipe. The only problem I've had is I have to use caffeine free instant tea which is sometimes hard to find.

Solid recipe. I added some granulated orange peel and a dash of dried mint. Really delicious and exactly like a store used to sell in my home town growing up.

I love this winter time Christmas tea! Have been making it all my life! Very yummy, and is so fragrant!

Love this tea, my sister in law turned me onto it and it is my form of illegal drugs!! Just kidding, it is so good. Use 1/2 cup of sweetened lemonade mix and only 1 cup of white sugar. Turns out perfect!

I find that about HALF this amount of sugar tastes about right to me. I used two 6.5 gram packages of unsweetened Kool Aid lemonade mix instead of the 3 ounce package of sweetened lemonade mix that is called for.

is a old flavor that i have missed in along time,, Thank you!! I love the warm orange flavor, I like to use less cinnamon tho.

Love Russian Tea! It is delicious and definitely helps soothe a sore throat when battling a cold! I used a tea blend that was already sweetened and had lemon flavor in it already, so I did not add nearly as much sugar as this recipe calls for, nor did I use any lemonade powder for mine either. It tastes delicious! If you are looking for the Russian Tea that helps boost immunity during cold and flu season, this is probably not the recipe to use-- there are recipes that use natural juices that contain all the vitamins for the purpose of building your immune system. However, this is soothing and delicious so I will certainly make it again!

I drink this every time I feel a cold coming. It makes me feel better. Our family has been making this for years.

I love this recipe,but I adjusted it like suggested to .23 oz unsweetened lemonade kool-aid and reduced the sugar to 1 cup instead of 2. It was a hit with my family & co-workers!

Didn't add sugar but added another cup of tea.

This was a drink that was served at our neighborhood bank at holiday time. Ms. Betty Ross always made it and it was so delicious. So I have a jar that I made and it is not just for the holidays. I enjoy a cup or two at any time.

I just made this, it is great. I love tea of all flavors and I had forgotten about this version. I made it and I am going to give some to my Mother-in -Law for Christmas. She is 88 and I know she will enjoy this, she used to make this all the time. I used the regular little single Kool aid powder pack with no extra sugar and still find it sweet enough. Thanks for sharing.

I just love the flavor of this tea! My mom has been making this for years but couldn't find her recipe when I wanted to make it. Although it is a bit different, the flavor was the same! So yummy!

This was great! Added 1/2 tsp of allspice.

My mother-in-law was reminiscing about Russian tea from Christmas past, so I decided to make some to put in their Christmas box. Since the tea, lemonade and tang are all sweetened I omitted the sugar completely and just added the cinnamon and cloves.? it turned out great.?

it definitely didn't need any sugar, being perfectly sweet as is. i did add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of cloves.

that was good

I was looking for the recipe I remember from childhood which I am certain did not have instant lemonade. I'll give it a try without the lemon, the rest of the spices seem familiar....It certainly isn't Russian, I wonder where it got that name?

One of my absolute favorite Christmas beverages to make!

I don't care for that much sugar in mine, I also use the instant unsweetened Nestea, I also use tang and no other citrus powdered juice (makes a difference) I would cut the sugar in half so it's not too sweet and more balanced I grew up drinking this as a child, one of my favorites during the holidays!

Just followed the recipe the first time. (I did substitute splenda for the sugar), First cup was great!

will make again.

I made it just as directed, but only added two tablespoons of mix to the one cup of water. It's really good.

Real lemon juice.

Brings back memories of growing up in the midwest with its snowy winters. My mom made this often and we all love it.

I've made this and given to others at Christmas and always get asked for more or the recipe. It is amazing! I originally got the recipe from my grandmother, but lost it. So thankful to find here. We called it Christmas tea. I like it best with name brand ingredients. Tang, Lipton instant tea, Kool aide or country time lemonade.

Like others we had this growing up. We never added sugar so I left it out completely. Just tang, unsweetened tea powder, lemonade powder, clove & cinnamon. plenty sweet!

I made this recipe 50 years ago, and decided to make it again the week. I originally used 1 1/2 cups of instant tea to 2 cups of Tang and a package o Kool-Aid unsweetend lemonade. My recipe called for 1 cup of sugar with a note that 1 cup was too much, so I used 1/2 cup. I didn’t even know if Tang was still made, but it is and was with the Kool-Aid. My recipe didn’t say how much to use in a cup of hot water, so I decided to check online. I thought it must mean teaspoons instead of Tablespoons, because that would be so much. I used 3 teaspoons, and it seemed just right.

My sister gave me this recipe from a 2003 Prevention Magazine article. She advised me not to use all of the sugar which called for 1 1/4 c of sugar I cut that in half and it has enough sugar in it with the tang and lemonade mix. I am making it for my children because it is cold and flu season. I must find decaf instant tea. The store I frequent does not have it.

Spices were fine, but the watered down taste of fake orange drink sort of killed it for me. Try a small frozen can of orange juice concentrate, don't put water and mix it, just use the concentrate by itself and mix it in. The pulpier the better, it adds a lot to it.

Very good, just like I remember it from childhood! I too, only used .23 oz of lemonade Kool-Aid. And I used Cinnamon Plus from Pampered Chef, so I only used it not ground cloves too.

Use up very quickly - becomes clumpy if stored long time. It makes by the cup by using same proportions. Also substitutes brewed tea and/or real lemon juice by adjusting other ingredients, TANG AND SPICES ARE A MUST. A CHRISTMAS TRADITION! I have tried a spicier version with ground ginger and got some good - some not so good reviews.

love this rec.

Definitely too much sugar. I simplified it a little with 1 part instant tea, 3 parts Tang, 1/2 part instant lemonade and ground cinnamon and cloves to taste. Love it hot especially in the winter or feeling a little under the weather.

I had to add more tea. It was too tangy

This tea makes Christmas movie night THE BEST!! Our new holiday tradition!! Thank you for sharing!!

This recipe was way too sweet even when I cut the sugar in half as some had suggested. I tweeked it to suit my taste which still has great flavor but not too sweet. I used a cup of tea, a cup of tang, a scant cup of sugar and one package of unsweetened lemonade koolaid. I used the same amount of cinnamon and cloves as called for in the original recipe. I thought it was perfect. It doesn't make as much but the flavors are full without being too sweet

Made this years ago for gifts and somehow lost the recipe! This time, I used instant tea with lemon. Turned out great.

Great. This is a classic recipe at the Holidays and throughout the year.

I don’t like regular tea so I made this for medicinal purposes. It was so good, and comforting I could drink it anytime .

I halved the sugar in this recipe and it is perfect!! I also used unsweetened koolaid and tea mix.

Really liked but a bit too sweet and I had only used one cup of sugar. Next time I will omit the sugar, Tang is very sweet and add the sugar to the cup if needed after I prepare it. The flavor is very very nice. Thank you for posting, I will be making this again.

Just wanted to say I found unsweetened tea mix on Amazon not in food market

I did not use any of the sugar, given the sugar already in the lemonade and orange mixes. My second batch, I also decreased the amount of tang (Orange mix) to 1 cup. My husband likes it much better.

I made it for my daughter, and she absolutely loves it. It's the only way I can get her to drink water. Definitely recommend for picky people.

My family has made this for YEARS!! We even call it by the same name. I was pleasantly surprised to see it here today. It truly is the BEST hot drink to fight off that hint of a sore throat. Thank you for posting this!!

Loved it. It’s a hit.

I began with the original recipe and thought it was too sweet, because I used regular (sweetened) ice tea mix. I ended up adding about 1-1/2 cups unsweetened ice tea mix to the batch. So tasty! Thanks for the recipe.

as written, I think it would be over-the-top sweet. I reduced the sugar to 1 cup and it was plenty sweet. This can be tweaked to individual taste but I am glad I read the reviews first. I used Country time sweetened lemonade and measured out 3 oz on a scale. I did bump up the spice a bit out of personal preference. I think next time I might add just a tad bit more tea; again out of personal preference. This is intended as Christmas gifts to fill baskets, and is a very nice gift to give comfort during the cold months. *I did whirl the mixture around in my magic bullet in 2 batches to make it into a finer powder and evenly distribute the ingredients. It worked like a charm.*

I have never heard of this and I was given this as a Christmas gift and I love it.... I Have drink this when I feel like I'm coming down with a cold or a sore throat... I will be making this in a big jar so I have it every winter.....

Good yummy. Great way to get rid of cotton mouth

Completely followed the recipe without making any substitutions or changes, and it was way too sweet - diabetic coma inducing sweet. Got duped by all the 5-star ratings, but when you start reading them, you learn that many people thought it was too sweet and altered the recipe. Tried adjusting how much mix to use and it was either too watery or too sugary.

This mix is a staple in my holiday gift baskets! I twerk the tea/tang ratio a bit, but it's always a hit!

This brings back memories of visiting my great grandmother and drinking rusisan tea when I was a child.

Love it! I make it every Christmas and it is one of the holiday drinks I look forward to... plus it's a great drink to warm you on a cold day!

I have wanted to make this for years and never had. It brings back memories of years ago. Love drinking it.

Delicious! Even my husband likes it. Nice to sip in the evening.