Cinnamon tea facts for kids

Cinnamon tea is a warm, flavorful herbal tea made by soaking cinnamon bark in hot water. It's enjoyed around the world for its unique taste and comforting aroma. This special drink doesn't contain regular tea leaves, but instead uses the bark of the cinnamon tree.

Discover Cinnamon Tea

Cinnamon tea is a popular drink that uses the bark of the cinnamon tree. When you steep cinnamon bark in hot water, it releases its sweet and spicy flavors, creating a delicious and aromatic tea. People have been making and enjoying cinnamon tea for a very long time in many different cultures.

How Cinnamon Tea is Made

Making cinnamon tea is quite simple. You can use either cinnamon sticks or ground cinnamon powder. The cinnamon is usually steeped in hot water, much like how you would make any other tea. Sometimes, other ingredients like ginger or honey are added to give it an even richer flavor.

Cinnamon Tea Around the World

Cinnamon tea is enjoyed in many different countries, and each place often has its own special way of preparing it. Let's explore some of these unique traditions.

Cinnamon Tea in Chile

In Chile, people often make a drink called té con canela, which means "tea with cinnamon." To make it, they simply add a stick of cinnamon to the teapot when they are steeping black tea. This gives the black tea a lovely cinnamon flavor and a warm, inviting smell.

Korean Cinnamon Tea: Gyepi-cha

Cassia cinnamon barks are used to make gyepi-cha, a traditional Korean tea.

Gyepi-cha (Hangul: 계피차; Hanja: 桂皮茶) is a special traditional Korean tea that uses cassia cinnamon bark. For this tea, Koreans often choose thicker cinnamon sticks that have a purplish-red color inside and a very strong, pleasant smell.

To prepare gyepi-cha, the dried cinnamon sticks are gently simmered, either whole or sliced, with a small amount of ginger. Once it's ready, the tea is strained to remove the cinnamon and ginger pieces. People often sweeten it with sugar or honey. It's usually served with tiny pieces of jujube fruit on top, which adds a nice touch of color and sweetness.

Lebanese Anise and Cinnamon Tea

In Lebanon, there's a comforting tea called shaayi bil qirfah wa’l yansoon’', which means "anise and cinnamon tea." This tea is made by boiling aniseed and cinnamon (either powdered or in sticks) in water. Sometimes, black tea is also added to the mix. After boiling, the tea is strained and can be served with or without added sugar, depending on how sweet you like it.