College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion

 

AYURVEDIC RECIPES

Apple Cider With Spices

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How to Make Apple Cider with Spices

SERVINGS: 4
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 15 MINUTES
SKILL LEVEL: EASY

MEAL: DRINK
STYLE: WESTERN
PREPARATION: BOILED

INGREDIENTS


SKILL LEVEL: EASY
4 c
1/4 tsp
1/4 tsp
1/4 tsp

PREPARATION OF THIS HEALTHY RECIPE

To make homemade cider:

1. Chop and peel 4 apples and add to large pot.

2. Cover with water plus two inches.

3. Boil for one hour and strain through a fine sieve.

Alternatively start with organic store bought apple cider.

4. Bring 1qt of apple cider to a boil.

5. Brew with above spices 3-5 minutes before serving in a warm mug.

How Does This Ayurvedic Recipe Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Spicy, sweet Apple Cider with Spices brings back nostalgic memories of easier times past. A few sips from a heavy mug invite tastes of spicy cinnamon, warm nutmeg, and exotic clove bring depth and complexity to sweetly sour apple juice. Traditionally sipped at fall and winter celebrations, mulling spices of home-brewed cider chase away the sharpest evening chill.

Perfectly matched to the beauty of colorful autumn leaves and the coat of the red fox that appears between trees in quiet forests, hot apple cider's inherent warmth chases away chilling temperatures. Spicy cinnamon, clove and nutmeg ignite your internal fire, even though the long arms of the sun no longer touch your face. Warm your hands around a full mug of Apple Cider with Spices and feel the warmth of your heart once again extend out to your fingers, toes, friends and foes.

Warm Your Fingers and Toes

With the cool winds of autumn beginning to blow through many regions, you may find your body feeling cold and congested, longing for warmth and comfort. Battling the cold may seem like a necessary evil as fall deepens into winter. Yet, a simple remedy for cold hands and feet may be as close as your everyday spice rack. Long relied upon for its stimulating effect on the circulation, cinnamon warms your blood and your body into coziness with its sweet taste and powerful punch. The warmth it brings to cold hands and feet has also been used for conditions like Raynaud's Syndrome.

The body conserves on heat during cold winter months by bringing more blood into the core and allowing the temperature in your arms and legs to drop. Cloves pushes heat out to the exterior warming the skin. They are a strong diaphoretic and vasodilator bringing blood and heat back to the exterior of the body for cleansing and 'sweating' out a fever. Sweating just a little makes you feel healthy and revitalized in when it's cold. Cinnamon also helps you sweat and feel warm through and through. It's no mystery why spiced cider has been a warming go-to recipe in colder parts of the world for generations on end.

Immunity Spice Blend

Cider's blend of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg strengthens your immunity. It's pungent spiciness warms up the lungs and liquefies mucus congestion. You may have noticed that when you make tea with cinnamon, a thick, gooey substance settles to the bottom of your cup. This gooey property is called demulcent among herbalists and helps you expecorate any thick, kapha like mucus adhered to the bronchial tubes. Clove is an herb that causes you to break a light sweat, thereby eliminating bugs that may be circulating in your blood.

Balance Your Blood

Spiced Cider is a safer choice for those battling high blood sugar. Cinnamon is a popular garnish atop many desserts- while many of us choose cinnamon in sweets for its unique taste, this choice also reflects the body's innate wisdom. Cinnamon regulates blood sugar and its stimulating pungency makes it the perfect spice to balance sweet apple juice.

The sour taste of apples cleans the liver, somatically experienced as a softening of the eyes. Malic acid, the constituent responsible for sour taste, has a particular affinity for liver cleansing and support. You will feel calm, balanced, warm, and relaxed after sipping a cup of this nourishing-yet-cleansing brew.

Keep Your Digestion Strong

Have you noticed it's harder to relax when the weather is cold? The same thing happens in your digestive tract, which is lined with smooth muscle. When the weather is cold, your muscles contract. Even the smooth muscles of your digestive tract become tight, and digestion and elimination become difficult. Nutmeg is aromatic, astringent, and a sedative. It's aromatic quality makes it ideal for improving digestion, while astringent quality helps bind the stool. Cloves soften the stools, which is helpful in cold weather when your muscles to contract, causing constipation. They are a carminative increasing hydrochloric acid in the stomach and encouraging peristalsis (peristalsis is the wave of smooth muscle in the colon that creates a bowel movement). It's sedative qualities make nutmeg ideal in tonics (rasayanas), where nervines are necessary to encourage absorption of heavy foods.

Cloves are hot and pungent- their inherent warmth grounds Vata and keeps their delicate digestion strong. They are a carminitive increasing hydrochloric acid in the stomach and persistalsis. Sour cooked apples promote secretions in the digestion tract. Cinnamon rounds out this cider recipe by warming your digestive fire.

Calm Comfort of Tradition

Traditional mulling spices are the very essence of comfort on blustery nights. Nutmeg is aromatic, astringent, and a sedative and nutmeg grounds agitated Vata. It's sedative qualities make nutmeg bring about a calm state of mind. Cinnamon "warms the heart," making this the perfect formula for lonely winter nights.

AYURVEDA'S GUIDE TO VITALITY & WHOLESOME NOURISHMENT

Your Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body and your specific imbalances. With an Ayurvedic diet you feel joy and satisfaction because what you are eating truly nourishes and balances you. Disease results from diets and lifestyles that are incompatible with your nature. By eating a personalized diet matched to your body, you experience optimal health. See How it Works.

Is Apple Cider with Spices Good for My Ayurvedic Diet?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether 'Apple Cider with Spices' is a good fit. Complete the basic quiz in 1 minute, or go deeper with additional quizzes at your own leisure to learn more about your body.
See a complete list of all biocharacteristics.
INCREASES
Guna Help

Increases These Biocharacteristics (Gunas)

Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which characteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every characteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite characteristic.

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HOT

ABOUT HOT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Hot is identified by increased body temperature, metabolism, or inflammation.

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EASY

ABOUT EASY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Easy refers to anything easy to digest, or digests quickly.

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CLEAR

ABOUT CLEAR BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Clear refers to anything that cleanses or flushes out wastes, or that digests ama.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CLEAR

DRY

ABOUT DRY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Dry is identified by lack of moisture, lack of fat, or anything that causes diuresis.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DRY

LIGHT

ABOUT LIGHT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Lightness is identified by reduced weight.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LIGHT

DOSHAS
Dosha Help

The Three Doshas / Body Types

According to the biocharacteristic theory of medicine, people tend to get sick, over and over again, due to habitual causes and imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history.

The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. They are easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. They tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. If they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Anabolic people tend to be stable and grounded.

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PACIFIES
Kapha pacifying Vata pacifying
AGGRAVATES
Pitta aggravating
HAS THE FOLLOWING
Subtaste:
Aromatic

AROMATIC

Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues.

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Acrid

ACRID

Acrid taste is a combination of bitter and pungent tastes. Example include radish, turnip, and coffee.

SEE ALL 'ACRID' FOODS / HERBS


Moves Energy:
Outward

OUTWARD

Outward-moving substances stimulate circulation, push heat towards the skin, or are stimulating.

SEE ALL 'OUTWARD' FOODS / HERBS


Tissue (dhatu):
Blood Plasma Lymph

BLOOD-PLASMA-LYMPH

Plasma (Rasa Dhatu) includes plasma, white blood cells, and lymph.

SEE ALL 'BLOOD-PLASMA-LYMPH' FOODS / HERBS

HERBAL ACTIONS
(see all)

Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Apple Cider with Spices
Help
Experiences are Personal
Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

Warms Abdomen

WARMS-ABDOMEN

Warms the muscles and organs of the abdomen, stimulating digestion and metabolism.

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,
Quenches Thirst

QUENCHES-THIRST

An herb or substance that relieves thirst.

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,
Carminative

CARMINATIVE

Stimulates the release of gas. Helpful for bloating or cramping abdominal pain. Propels food downward. Carminatives typically expel gas by relaxing the muscles of the intestines.

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,
Digestive

DIGESTIVE

Herbs that encourage healthy digestion.

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,
Appetizer

APPETIZER

Herbs that cleanse the palate & stimulate hunger or desire to eat.

SEE ALL 'APPETIZER' FOODS / HERBS

General Laxative

GENERAL-LAXATIVE

Promotes a bowel movement. General laxative is an umbrella term that refers to several different types of laxatives.

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,
Stool Softener

STOOL-SOFTENER

Softens hard and difficult to eliminate stool. Stool softeners are the safest and most gentle type of laxative. Examples include warm milk with ghee.

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Burns Toxins

BURNS-TOXINS

An herb that detoxifies by helping your body metabolize toxins, as opposed to eliminating them.

SEE ALL 'BURNS-TOXINS' FOODS / HERBS

Nerve Relaxant Grounding

NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING

Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth. Reduces agitation, irritation, stress and racing thoughts.

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,
Relaxes Eyes

RELAXES-EYES

Eases tension in eye muscles, so the eyes feel less strained, often by supporting the liver.

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,
Numbs Anasthetic

NUMBS-ANASTHETIC

Inhibits sensation in a particular area.

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,
Makes You Tired

MAKES-YOU-TIRED

Induces drowsiness and promotes sound sleep.

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,
Sedative

SEDATIVE

Sedative herbs create a sense of calm in the mind and body by specifically calming or quieting the nervous system. Excellent for anxiety, stress and chronic pain.

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,
Nervine

NERVINE

Balances the nervous system. They can help with stress, memory, early alzheimer's, and even chronic pain. Often they are aromatic in nature.

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Diaphoretic

DIAPHORETIC

An herb that induces sweating, often by dilating blood vessels close to the skin.

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Warms Chest

WARMS-CHEST

Warms the chest and lungs, clearing mucus and allowing for clear breathing. Often these herbs are hot, aromatic, and pungent.

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,
Expectorant

EXPECTORANT

Expectorants help you eliminate mucus from the lungs. These herbs often work by increasing the quantity of mucus, or thinning the mucus. Expectorants are indicated when phlegm congests the lower respiratory tract.

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Cardiac Stimulant

CARDIAC-STIMULANT

Herbs that increase the heart rate. Useful in cardiovascular health, blood stagnation, and subjective feeling of heaviness in the chest area.

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,
Warms Head

WARMS-HEAD

An herb that increases sensations of heat and warmth in the head.

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,
Warms Ears

WARMS-EARS

Stimulates peripheral circulation to warm extremities, including the ears.

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,
Styptic

STYPTIC

A herb that contracts tissue or blood vessels. Generally styptics are astringent. They are often used topically as a hemostatic to stop bleeding, or to reduce secretions.

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,
Vasodilator

VASODILATOR

A vasodilator is an herb that widens the blood vessels by the relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, thereby increasing circulation systemically or to a local area.

SEE ALL 'VASODILATOR' FOODS / HERBS

Cholagogue

CHOLAGOGUE

Cholagogues stimulate the production & release of bile from the liver & gallbladder. This refreshes and cleanses these organs, as well as increases bile in the small intestines.

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,
Livotonic

LIVOTONIC

An herb that strengthens the liver. It is helpful for people with a history of substance abuse, chronic liver issues from hepatitis and hemolytic anemias. Generally, liver tonics are oily, cool, sweet, mildly sour, or contain beta-carotene.

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Emmenagogue

EMMENAGOGUE

Herbs which stimulate menstruation. Emmenagogues are used for scanty menstruation, to relieve menstrual pain, and improve blood flow in the pelvic area and uterus.

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,
Galactagogue

GALACTAGOGUE

Increases production of breast milk, often by raising prolactin and diaphoresis.

SEE ALL 'GALACTAGOGUE' FOODS / HERBS

Relieves Tension

RELIEVES-TENSION

An herb that releases tightness, constriction, and rigidity in a muscle.

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,
Antispasmodic

ANTISPASMODIC

Herbs that reduce or inhibit muscle spasms or cramping, such as in asthma, menstruation, hear palpitations, migraine, or IBS.

SEE ALL 'ANTISPASMODIC' FOODS / HERBS

Constituents:
Polysaccharides,
Coumarin

COUMARIN

Moderately toxic, vascular tonic, hypotensive, and anti-inflammatory.

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Foods with a Similar Nature to Apple Cider with Spices

Cloves

Cloves has these Actions in Common

Cardiac-stimulant, Digestive, Nervine, Warms-abdomen, Warms-head, Antispasmodic, Carminative, Expectorant, Numbs-anasthetic, Warms-chest, Burns-toxins, Diaphoretic, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Vasodilator, Warms-ears

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Mustard

Mustard has these Actions in Common

Relieves-tension, Warms-chest, Antispasmodic, Carminative, Emmenagogue, Vasodilator, Warms-ears, Burns-toxins, Diaphoretic, Expectorant, Warms-abdomen, Warms-head, Cardiac-stimulant, Digestive

LEARN MORE

Mustard Powder

Mustard Powder has these Actions in Common

Warms-abdomen, Warms-head, Cardiac-stimulant, Digestive, Relieves-tension, Warms-chest, Antispasmodic, Carminative, Emmenagogue, Vasodilator, Warms-ears, Burns-toxins, Diaphoretic, Expectorant

LEARN MORE

Mustard Seed

Mustard Seed has these Actions in Common

Digestive, Relieves-tension, Warms-chest, Antispasmodic, Carminative, Emmenagogue, Vasodilator, Warms-ears, Burns-toxins, Diaphoretic, Expectorant, Warms-abdomen, Warms-head, Cardiac-stimulant

LEARN MORE

Basil

Basil has these Actions in Common

Appetizer, Carminative, Galactagogue, Warms-ears, Burns-toxins, Diaphoretic, Nervine, Warms-head, Antispasmodic, Cardiac-stimulant, Digestive, Vasodilator

LEARN MORE

Allspice

Allspice has these Actions in Common

Burns-toxins, Digestive, Stool-softener, Warms-head, Antispasmodic, Cardiac-stimulant, Nervine, Vasodilator, Appetizer, Carminative, Numbs-anasthetic, Warms-chest

LEARN MORE

Cinnamon

Cinnamon has these Actions in Common

Appetizer, Carminative, Emmenagogue, Styptic, Burns-toxins, Diaphoretic, Expectorant, Warms-chest, Cardiac-stimulant, Digestive, Galactagogue

LEARN MORE

Dill

Dill has these Actions in Common

Carminative, Expectorant, Vasodilator, Appetizer, Diaphoretic, Galactagogue, Burns-toxins, Digestive, Nervine, Antispasmodic

LEARN MORE

Chamomile

Chamomile has these Actions in Common

Digestive, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Vasodilator, Carminative, Emmenagogue, Nervine, Diaphoretic, Makes-you-tired, Sedative, Antispasmodic

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Lemon

Lemon has these Actions in Common

Cholagogue, Expectorant, Relaxes-eyes, Appetizer, Diaphoretic, General-laxative, Stool-softener, Carminative, Digestive, Quenches-thirst

LEARN MORE

Saffron

Saffron has these Actions in Common

Carminative, Emmenagogue, Nervine, Diaphoretic, Galactagogue, Sedative, Burns-toxins, Digestive, Livotonic, Styptic

LEARN MORE

Herb Supplements with a Similar Nature to Apple Cider with Spices

Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi)

Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) has these Actions in Common

Antispasmodic, Nervine, Appetizer, Sedative, Burns-toxins, Vasodilator, Cardiac-stimulant, Warms-chest, Diaphoretic, Warms-ears, Emmenagogue, Warms-head, Expectorant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding

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Pennyroyal

Pennyroyal has these Actions in Common

Cardiac-stimulant, Numbs-anasthetic, Carminative, Relieves-tension, Cholagogue, Vasodilator, Diaphoretic, Digestive, Emmenagogue, Antispasmodic, Expectorant, Appetizer, Nervine

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Wild Ginger

Wild Ginger has these Actions in Common

Emmenagogue, Antispasmodic, Expectorant, Appetizer, Vasodilator, Burns-toxins, Warms-chest, Cardiac-stimulant, Warms-ears, Carminative, Diaphoretic, Digestive

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Deodar (Himalayan Cedar, Devadaru)

Deodar (Himalayan Cedar, Devadaru) has these Actions in Common

Digestive, Nervine, Vasodilator, Warms-chest, Warms-ears, Antispasmodic, Warms-head, Cardiac-stimulant, Carminative

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Haritaki

Haritaki has these Actions in Common

Stool-softener, Antispasmodic, Styptic, Appetizer, Carminative, Digestive, Expectorant, General-laxative, Nervine

LEARN MORE

Dong Quai

Dong Quai has these Actions in Common

Nervine, Relieves-tension, Antispasmodic, Vasodilator, Cardiac-stimulant, Carminative, Digestive, Emmenagogue, Expectorant

LEARN MORE

Trikatu

Trikatu has these Actions in Common

Appetizer, Burns-toxins, Cardiac-stimulant, Carminative, Diaphoretic, Digestive, Vasodilator, Warms-abdomen

LEARN MORE

Osha

Osha has these Actions in Common

Digestive, Emmenagogue, Expectorant, Warms-chest, Burns-toxins, Cardiac-stimulant, Carminative, Diaphoretic

LEARN MORE

Hot Shower

Hot Shower has these Actions in Common

Relieves-tension, Vasodilator, Warms-chest, Warms-head, Antispasmodic, Cardiac-stimulant, Diaphoretic, Expectorant

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Hot Bath

Hot Bath has these Actions in Common

Warms-chest, Warms-head, Antispasmodic, Cardiac-stimulant, Diaphoretic, Expectorant, Relieves-tension, Vasodilator

LEARN MORE

Epsom Salt Bath

Epsom Salt Bath has these Actions in Common

Diaphoretic, Expectorant, Relieves-tension, Vasodilator, Warms-chest, Warms-head, Antispasmodic, Cardiac-stimulant

LEARN MORE


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About John Joseph Immel

About the Author

John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda biocharacteristics. His approach to Ayurveda is clinical, yet exudes an ease which many find enjoyable and insightful. John also directs Joyful Belly's School of Ayurveda, offering professional clinical training in Ayurveda for over 15 years.

John's interest in Ayurveda and specialization in digestive tract pathology was inspired by a complex digestive disorder acquired from years of international travel, as well as public service work in South Asia. John's commitment to the detailed study of digestive disorders reflects his zeal to get down to the roots of the problem. His hope and belief in the capacity of each & every client to improve their quality of life is nothing short of a personal passion. John's creativity in the kitchen and delight in cooking for others comes from his family oriented upbringing. In addition to his certification in Ayurveda, John holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University.

John enjoys sharing Ayurveda within the context of his Catholic roots, and finds Ayurveda gives him an opportunity to participate in the healing mission of the Church. Jesus expressed God's love by feeding and healing the sick. That kindness is the fundamental ministry of Ayurveda as well. Outside of work, John enjoys spending time with his wife and 7 kids, and pursuing his love of theology, philosophy, and language.

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Comments & Impressions of 'Apple Cider With Spices'

Do you like 'apple cider with spices'? Why or why not? What makes it unique? Is there something else you'd like to know about 'apple cider with spices'?

479 likes
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If I were to have this with a snack, should I drink it before or after? I was thinking with some toast and nut butter.
- Jess, Allen park, MI , 12-16-12 (Reply)
"Boil 1qt of apple cider and brew with above spices 3-5 minutes before serving in a warm mug." Enjoy!
- David McKaig, Swannanoa, NC , 10-05-13 (Reply)

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