Cinnamon Tea: How to Make It and What It Does

Cinnamon tea is water infused with cinnamon, ready in about 2 hours and 10 minutes and yielding about 4 cups (1 liter).

For another way to customize a drink, try the ai detox recipe generator.

What is cinnamon tea?

Cinnamon tea is an infusion made by steeping cinnamon in water and straining out the spice. It can be served warm or cold, and its flavor depends on the type and amount of cinnamon used.

Unlike tea made from tea leaves, this simple infusion contains no caffeine. It is one option in the broader category of herbal detox tea, although its main established benefit is helping you take in water.

How do you make cinnamon tea?

This recipe uses a refrigerated steep for flavor, followed by a short warming step. The times are approximate, and you can serve the infusion cold instead.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Steep time: 2 hours
Warming time: About 5 minutes
Yield: About 4 cups (1 liter)

Ingredients

• 1,000 ml water (about 4¼ US cups)
• 1 teaspoon ground Ceylon cinnamon (about 2.6 g, or 1/48 US cup)

Steps

1. Measure the water into a clean, covered pitcher or other refrigerator-safe container.
2. Stir in the ground cinnamon. It may float or settle rather than dissolve completely.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. You can steep it for up to 4 hours in the refrigerator for a stronger flavor.
4. Strain through a fine strainer or a paper coffee filter to remove as much cinnamon sediment as you prefer.
5. Warm a serving in a saucepan until steaming, about 5 minutes, or serve it cold.
6. Refrigerate any remainder promptly. Drink it within 24 hours for the best flavor; discard it after 2–3 days or sooner if it develops unusual cloudiness, becomes slimy, or smells sour.

A coffee filter removes more fine particles than a standard strainer, though filtering can take a little longer. Keep the cinnamon tea covered in the refrigerator rather than leaving it at room temperature for more than a few hours.

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What does cinnamon tea do for detox?

Cinnamon tea provides water, which supports normal hydration. The liver and kidneys do most of the body’s detoxification; the lungs and gut also help eliminate waste, while sweat removes only trace amounts.

There is no good evidence that cinnamon tea flushes toxins or increases the body’s detoxification capacity. Cinnamon ingredients have been studied in other forms, including supplements, but results from those products cannot be assumed to apply to a strained drink. See the overview of cinnamon tea benefits for more context.

Straining also means you cannot calculate the drink’s nutrients or calories simply by adding up the nutrition in the ground cinnamon. The amount that remains in the finished cinnamon tea will vary with the steep and the filter.

How much cinnamon tea should you drink, and when?

There is no established daily dose of cinnamon tea for detox. If you enjoy it, a cup of this lightly infused recipe can be an occasional way to drink water; you do not need to drink it on a schedule or on an empty stomach.

Choose a time that suits you, such as with a meal or in the evening. If you make a batch, follow the refrigeration guidance above rather than keeping it out for repeated refills.

Ceylon cinnamon is a practical choice for regular use because it generally contains less coumarin than cassia cinnamon. Coumarin is a naturally occurring compound that can be harmful to the liver in large amounts, and its level varies among cinnamon products.

What are the side effects of cinnamon tea?

Cinnamon can irritate the mouth or cause an allergic reaction in sensitive people. Stop drinking cinnamon tea if it causes irritation; seek urgent medical help for trouble breathing or swelling of the face, lips, or throat.

People with liver disease, and people taking medicines that affect the liver, should ask a clinician before consuming cinnamon regularly or in large amounts. If you take blood thinners or diabetes medication, check with your clinician before using cinnamon tea regularly, particularly alongside cinnamon supplements. Do not stop prescribed medication because of a drink.

During pregnancy or breastfeeding, ask a clinician about regular medicinal amounts of cinnamon; ordinary food use is different from taking concentrated supplements. Read more about cinnamon tea side effects.

What else should you know about cinnamon tea?

Ground cinnamon does not dissolve completely, so a little sediment does not necessarily mean the recipe has gone wrong. Strain it again if you prefer a clearer drink.

Flavor is subjective: the recommended refrigerated steep gives the cinnamon time to infuse, but the result will still be milder than eating the ground spice itself.