Friendship Tea

We probably don't have to explain friendship tea to you. For decades, this instant spiced tea mix has been blended and packaged, given as gifts at the holidays, baby showers, book clubs, and any time there was occasion to offer someone a little something as a token of love or appreciation. And if it has been a while since you had some of this, now's the time to revisit it.

Friendship tea, also called Russian tea and Tang tea, is a mixture of instant tea, orange-flavored fruit drink (Tang), lemonade drink mix, and spices. As a hot tea, it is all of these things at once: quite sweet, quite tart, and quite fragrant with spice.

Learn how to make friendship tea, and make a few jars for friends as gifts or just as a simple reminder of how sweet they are.

What Is Friendship Tea?

Friendship tea is a tea mix that's made with several instant drink products, including Tang, Country Time lemonade, and unsweetened instant tea. It was particularly popular in the 1970s and 80s, soon after Tang was added to grocery store shelves.

Versions of friendship have been a favorite with Southerners for more than a century. In 1907, the San Antonio Gazette shared a recipe that used orange, lemons, and spices along with rum. By 1966, however, those fresh juices and loose-leaf teas had been replaced with instant tea, Tang, and other handy ingredients.

Ingredients for Friendship Tea

This list is short, another reason it's such a favorite for the holidays when you already have so much going on.

• Orange-flavored drink mix: We mean Tang. This mix showed up in recipes for friendship tea in the late 1960s, after Tang was introduced.
• Unsweetened instant tea: You'll find this near the other tea bags.
• Lemonade drink mix: While you're looking for the orange drink mix, grab the lemonade, too. Country Time is a good example of this type of drink mix.
• Ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground cardamom: These ground spices add the warm, toasty notes you likely associate with this comforting drink. Cardamom isn't traditional, but we love the aroma and sweetness that a hint of this spice adds.

Many recipes for friendship or Russian tea use added sugar. We left that out because both Tang and Country Time have a good bit of sugar.

How To Make Friendship Tea

There are two parts of making friendship tea you need to know: First, how to make the mix, and second, how to make the tea itself.

Full instructions for both are further below, but here's a brief recap:

• Step 1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, and whisk until well combined.
• Step 2. Divide the tea mixture among Mason jars or other air-tight vessels you plan to use for gifting. Let them know this is safe to store in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.
• Step 3. When you're ready to make your own tea, boil water, and mix the water with the tea. For every 1 cup boiling water, stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons tea mix.

How To Gift Friendship Tea

Once you mix up the ingredients, you can pour the tea into mason jars, seal them, and hand them off. But of course, as a gift, perhaps you want to take things a step beyond that. Here are a few ideas:

• Don't mix: Instead of pre-mixing the ingredients, consider layering them in the jar for a beautiful presentation. Tell the recipient to make sure they combine them well before enjoying.
• Add decorations: Finish the jar off with a beautiful square of fabric, and tie it with coordinating ribbon. It's simple but charming.
• Give with mugs: Finish the moment, and give a jar of friendship tea with beautiful mugs. That way, every time your friend or loved one makes a cup, they'll think of you.