In my series “Have You Ever Tried These 5 Cups of Tea,” I had the pleasure of learning about a Jordanian drink called qirfeh bil jooz, or cinnamon tea. Now, chances are you have some unused cinnamon sticks sitting in your spice cabinet, so now’s the time to put them to good use! This soothing spiced tea is delicious, and it has an interesting history as well. 

This qirfeh bil jooz recipe comes from Aya, who is from Amman, Jordan. She loves this cinnamon tea because it warms you up perfectly during the winter. Although qirfeh biljooz is very popular throughout Jordan, Aya learned about it from her mother. When she was a child, she watched a certain Syrian TV show and noticed that a particular tea over in Syria was also served with walnuts; this was one of Aya’s first exposures to the fact that the world is connected by tea traditions. 

What I found particularly fascinating is that it was once widely believed that this tea helps ease post-partum symptoms for women who recently gave birth. Tea culture is not strong amongst people for flavor alone; for centuries, tea has been thought to help improve certain ailments and health conditions. Nowadays, tea is still a staple item in Jordan. Whenever people invite guests over, a teapot is boiling, ready to be shared.  

 My qirfeh bil jooz was simple to make! I allowed a handful of crushed cinnamon bark to boil for only about 10 minutes in a huge bowl of water before pouring it into my cup and adding sugar and cut-up walnuts. The drink tasted a little spicy from the cinnamon, but it was well-balanced overall, with the nuttiness from the walnuts and the sweetness from the sugar. I have to say that I’m not the biggest fan of walnuts, but I found the concept very interesting. Of course, if you really enjoy cinnamon, you can always boil your qirfehbil jooz for longer for a stronger cinnamon taste!  

Qirfeh bil jooz is a wonderfully vibrant type of tea, and I truly thought the cinnamon flavor was lovely. I hope you’ll try and enjoy this warm Jordanian tradition!