It’s getting chilly over here in the bay area, 63 degrees daytime highs! I’ve become such a cold weather wimp since my days growing up in Washington. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been making up a lot of batches of this homemade tea. My aunt introduced it to me last year. She had a slow-cooker of it that she kept on “warm,” and throughout the day she would ladle out mugs for herself and anyone else who wanted a warm drink. I loved it immediately. There’s sweetness from dried dates and spiciness from a cinnamon stick and fresh ginger. It reminds me a lot of Good Earth tea, except homemade.

I tend to run cold and the tea helps so much to warm up my body. Also as I’ve been sick, I’ve been adding generous spoonfuls of honey to my mug, and there’s been nothing else that’s been so comforting and soothing. The kids love it too! I also add honey to theirs as well as some milk, and an ice cube to cool it down for quite drinking.

Warm-You-Up Tea

3-4 dried red-dates (found in Asian-markets)
1 cinnamon stick
1-2 inch piece ginger, cut into pieces

Add the dates, cinnamon stick, and ginger to a medium pot. Fill up halfway with water, bring to boil and then lower to a simmer for as long as you’d like to drink it. You can continue to reuse it for a few more dates, just continue to add water and bring to a boil at the beginning of the day.