This red longan date tea is a soothing hot beverage made with Chinese “dragon eye” fruit, jujubes and fresh ginger. It is a caffeine-free tea that helps you relieve stress, digest and feel warm.
Making tea with longans and jujubes is a traditional Chinese medicine remedy for insomnia, fatigue and anxiety.
The recipe is simple: Boil dried longans and red dates in water until rehydrated, then sweeten the tea to taste and serve in cups with some cooked fruit.
In our recipe, we show you how to prepare longan tea in the classic way. But we also give you the option of using fresh longans for a more delicate, sweeter tea and faster recipe.
If you’re unfamiliar with this fruit, longans are sweet and juicy grape-like fruits with a slightly earthy, musky flavor. They are quite similar to lychees but a little less sweet.
They have white flesh and a black, hard seed that looks like the pupil of an eye – hence the name “dragon eye” fruit.
Fresh longans are usually only available in Asian or Chinese grocery stores, while dried longans are easy to find online.
Dried longans look like a golden raisin; They are yellowish, sweet and have more depth of flavor. Dried longans make the tea darker and slightly tart, but still delicious.
If you can get hold of fresh longans, we recommend them for making this drink. The tea will have a nice fruity and floral aroma, subtle yet tasty.
They’re so good you can even omit the jujubes and make the tea with just fresh longans – we tried it and it was great!
The second ingredient in this tea is dried jujubes, also known as Chinese red dates.
Dried jujubes are chewy like a date but not as sweet and caramel-like. They are slightly tart and taste a bit like dried apples.
Just like dried longans, you can find dried red dates online or at your local Asian grocery store.
Thinly slice the jujubes before adding them to the boiling water so they cook faster and release more flavor and color.
Chinese red dates are packed with vitamin C, an antioxidant that fights free radicals, boosts your immune system and keeps your skin healthy.
Imagine a 28g serving of jujubes covering your daily vitamin C needs!
And finally the ginger. This ingredient is optional but adds a fresh and peppery finish to the tea, balancing the sweetness of the longans and red dates.
Now it’s time to put on the kettle and brew this longan jujube tea together!