History of Red Date Tea
During Chinese tea ceremonies, a Chinese wedding tradition in which the soon-to-be-married couple serves tea to their elders, there is a customary saying called, “早生贵子,” in which the elders gives well wishes for the couple to, “soon give birth to precious children.” Red date tea 红枣水 symbolizes two things: (1) red dates are sweet and Chinese people believe that sweetness symbolizes a happy life and (2) dates 枣, in Chinese sounds the same as 早. This is why you might often find red date tea at Chinese tea ceremonies as well as a pre and post-natal remedy for mothers.
Health Benefits of Red Date Tea
When I was pregnant with my son Connor, I loved drinking this red date tea; it’s easy to make, nourishing, hydrating, and really delicious! But perhaps the best part about red date tea is that every aspect is designed to help the body recover after birth; the red dates detoxify the body, cleans the liver, and increases blood flow in the body while the ginger packs loads of nutrients that help to fight infection and help the body retain heat. In Chinese culture, it is believed that the body needs warmth in order to conceive and that the heat leaves the body after the mother gives birth which is why most new mothers are advised to drink hot beverages and eat a lot of dishes with ginger in them.
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do, enjoy!
NOTES
Red dates – dried red dates can be purchased at asian supermarkets in the aisles where they store dried and herbal ingredients.
Thermos – I recommend buying a Zojirushi thermal pot. It is vacuum insulated and great at retaining heat for at least two hours
Ingredients
- 6 dried red dates
- 3 cups of water
- 3 slices of ginger
- 1 thermos
Optional: 1 tablespoon of dried goji berry
Directions
- Cut skin off ginger
- Slice ginger, then smack the ginger to get the flavor out
3. Cut red date in half and take out seed
4. Boil 3 cups of water on high
5. Rinse red date off with water
6. Put ginger and dates in zojirushi pot
7. After water boils pour water in zojirushi pot and close lid
8. Wait two hours to let red date tea steep and flavor to come out
9. After this pot is done serving, refill pot with 3 cups of hot water and let it steep again for 2 hours
10. The flavor in the second pot won’t be as strong, but it’s still good for one more serving
Red Date Tea
Red date tea is easy to make, nourishing, hydrating, and really delicious! But perhaps the best part about red date tea is that every aspect is designed to help the body recover after birth; the red dates detoxify the body, cleans the liver, and increases blood flow in the body while the ginger packs loads of nutrients that help to fight infection and help the body retain heat.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 cups
Ingredients
-
6 dried red dates
-
3 cups of water
-
3 slices of ginger
-
1 thermos
Optional: 1 tablespoon of dried goji berry
Instructions
1.Peel ginger, and slice. Smash with the flat side of a chef’s knife until slightly broken to get flavor and juice out.
2. Cut the red date in half, and take out the seed. Rinse with water
3. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil
4. Put ginger and dates in thermos
5. Once water boils, put boiling water in thermos, cover, and steep for 2 hours.
Notes
Red dates – dried red dates can be purchased at asian supermarkets in the aisles where they store dried and herbal ingredients.
Thermos – I recommend buying a Zojirushi thermal pot. It is vacuum insulated and great at retaining heat for at least two hours
this tea sounds really lovely. A few questions. The dates I have are large, do you still think 6 is good to use or should I use less? Do you know how large your carafe is? Is it the small or large size zojirushi? Thank you <3
Hi! I have ones that are also kinda big, I think 5-6 should work. I have a 1.5L Zojirushi thermos for this recipe. You can make a small adjustment for a smaller carafe. I hope this helps, please let me know!