One of my closest tea friends, Connie of Tea in Spoons, is celebrating a birthday this month. She wanted to create something fun for her tea blog and asked me to join her. After a few brainstorming sessions, we decided to make tea infused jam because Connie is a big lover of jam. By now, you probably know that I’m obsessed with scones and jam is one of its best accompaniments. We both enjoy our black teas in the morning so we decided to play around with a breakfast tea for this jam recipe. The recipe below is for a small-batch of Raspberry English Breakfast Tea Jam. Connie made a similar version with strawberries instead. So, be sure to visit her blog afterwards for that recipe, too!
We wanted to keep this tea infused jam recipe as easy as possible. Therefore, no pectin or canning is required. The small-batch will make approximately 7-8 ounces.
You can enjoy it within 1 week, but good luck trying to keep it for that long when it’s so delicious!
This raspberry and English breakfast black tea jam is tart and sweet with earthy notes from the freshly brewed black tea and a hint of astringency.
In addition to adding more depth and complexity, Connie and I both found that the malty breakfast tea actually helped balance the overall flavours, so the jam was never too sweet or too tart.
5 Ingredient Tea Jam
Here is what you will need:
– English Breakfast Tea
Originally, this recipe was going to call for a whole leaf black tea but Connie of Tea in Spoons did the initial testing and found that the tea flavours got lost in the jam. Tea bags or CTC (Cut Tear Curl) tea worked much better!
There are a few English Breakfast tea bag recommendations on this list that would be good for this recipe.
– Water
Freshly boiled water (100°C or 212°F) to steep the tea.
– Raspberries
I used fresh raspberries, but you can also try frozen if fresh isn’t available! For fresh, wash and halve the raspberries prior to using.
– Sugar
Connie and I used granulated sugar for this recipe. We have not tested it with other sugar alternatives.
– Lemon Juice
Adding lemon juice lowers the pH of the jam mixture and promotes gel formation.
7 Ways to Use the Raspberry English Breakfast Tea Jam
1) Spread it on freshly baked scones. Definitely try it with my Classic English Scones, but you can also find more scone recipes here.
2) Toast sliced bread or English muffins and enjoy it on them for breakfast.
3) Lather it on top of pancakes or waffles.
4) Serve it with cheese, crackers, meats and fruits. Jam is great for a charcuterie board!
5) Transform ice cream or yogurt by mixing in some tea jam.
6) Grilled jam and cheese sandwich
7) Use this tea jam in dessert recipes that call for jam like cookies, muffins, bars, cakes, etc.
How to Store Small-Batch Tea Jam
When you are done making the jam, pour it into a clean jar and let it cool. After it has cooled, seal the jar and store the tea jam in the refrigerator.
It will be good for at least 1 week. I had this jam for 1 and a half weeks and it was still nice!
How to Make Tea Jam
Steep English Breakfast black tea in freshly boiled water for 4-5 minutes or the recommended time depending on the exact brand you are using.
Make sure to cover while you’re steeping so the tea can retain heat and release its full flavours properly.
Remove tea bags or strain the tea leaves. Then, add the steeped English Breakfast tea to a small saucepan on medium-heat with raspberries and sugar.
Bring mixture to a boil for about 15-20 minutes. Stir continuously and mash raspberries as they cook so you are not left with too many large chunks of fruit in the jam. The jam will thicken in this stage.
Reduce heat to a simmer and add fresh lemon juice.
Remove from heat when it reaches the desired consistency. Add the Raspberry English Breakfast Tea Jam into a clean glass jar. Let cool before sealing.
Store the jam in the fridge. Use within 1 week or so.
Enjoy this tea infused jam on freshly baked scones, toast, muffins and more!
Seedless Tea Jam
If you prefer seedless jam, simply strain the raspberry mixture after boiling to remove as much of the seeds as possible before jarring. Otherwise, leave as is.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know when the jam is ready?
There are a few ways you can determine this:
- Candy Thermometer – Check the temperature of the jam while it’s in the boiling stage. It should reach 220F. Sugar forms a gel at this temperature.
- Freezer Test – If you don’t have a candy thermometer Connie of Tea in Spoons tried this method. Put a spoon or plate in the freezer and then put a dollop of the jam on the plate or back of the spoon to test how it would look once it sets.
- Watch It Closely – Occasionally mix with a spatula and watch how the jam may slide off. Thin and runny means it’s not ready yet. Look for thick droplets that run off slow.
I recommend option 1 or 2 though if this is your first time making homemade jam. After a few attempts, you’ll get better at seeing if the consistency is right on your own.
I don’t like sweet jam. Can I use less sugar?
We would not advise this as we have not tested this recipe with less sugar. The amount of sugar should not be altered as it will greatly affect the consistency of the jam.
However, we can say that using a strong English Breakfast black tea in this recipe does help cut the sweetness a bit.
I want this jam to last longer. Is canning possible?
Sure! Make sure you leave about a quarter of an inch headspace in the jar before sealing though. Find some helpful canning tips on this website.
I’m not a fan of raspberries. Can I try this tea jam recipe with a different fruit?
Head over to Tea in Spoons to give Strawberry English Breakfast Tea Jam a try!
It’s difficult to say if other fruits would work for this recipe without testing because the natural pectin and acidity levels vary and that will affect how the jam sets.
For instance, strawberries and raspberries are low in pectin so they need help to thicken. That’s why lemon juice is added as it is the easiest way to add both pectin and acidity.
Raspberry English Breakfast Tea Jam
Ingredients
- 4 English Breakfast tea bags or 2 tablespoons loose leaf CTC recommended
- 1/2 cup water freshly boiled
- 2 cups raspberries 1 pint, washed and halved
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Steep English Breakfast black tea in freshly boiled water for 4-5 minutes or based on the recommendations for the tea. Cover while steeping.
- In a saucepan on medium-heat, combine the raspberries, sugar and steeped English Breakfast tea.
- Bring mixture to a boil for about 15-20 minutes. Stir continuously and mash raspberries as they cook. The jam will thicken during this stage.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and add fresh lemon juice.
- Remove from heat when it reaches the desired consistency. If you need help knowing if the jam is ready use a thermometer to check the temperature. It should reach 220F. Alternatively, use the freezer test method.*
- Remove from heat and add the Raspberry English Breakfast Tea Jam into a clean glass jar**. Let cool before sealing.
- Store the jam in the refrigerator. Use within 1-2 weeks. Enjoy this tea infused jam on freshly baked scones, toast, muffins and more!
Notes
- *Put a spoon or plate in the freezer and then put a dollop of the jam on the plate or back of the spoon to test how it would look once it sets.
- **If you prefer seedless jam, simply strain the raspberry mixture after boiling to remove as much of the seeds as possible before jarring.
Like this Raspberry English Breakfast Tea Jam recipe? Pin it for later here → https://bit.ly/3LmpWlj
Don’t forget to visit Tea in Spoon’s for her Strawberry English Breakfast Tea Jam recipe! She also included some handy troubleshooting tips on her post.
Have you tried making tea infused jam? I’d love to hear more about the fruit and tea combinations you have tried! Let me know in the comments.
Thanks for making this with me! It was such a fun journey!
This sounds delicious! I will have to try this one out.