Tea steeped with spices such as cinnamon, cloves and star anise give these Chinese Tea Eggs a truly unique aroma and flavor. The dark color of the tea seeps into the very lightly cracked egg shell to create a really cool marble effect.
Place the eggs in a saucepan, then fill the saucepan with enough water to cover the eggs by about 1 inch.
Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda in to the water. The baking soda will make it easier to peel the egg shell.
Place the saucepan over high heat. When the water reaches a rolling boil, turn off the heat and immediately cover the saucepan. Let it sit for 15 minutes without opening the lid.
Drain the hot water, then run cold tap water over the eggs for about a minute to cool them down.
As soon as the eggs are cool, use the back of a tablespoon to gently tap all over the egg shell. Use enough force to break the outer shell slightly, but not too hard where it will tear the inner membrane. Set the eggs aside while you prepare the tea mixture.
Fill a saucepan with water, Chinese tea leaves, soy sauce and dark soy sauce.
Add 5-spice powder, star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves and orange peel.
Stir the mixture well, then carefully add the eggs.
Cover the saucepan, then let it simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
Turn off the heat but leave the cover on. Let the eggs continue to steep in the tea mixture for at least another 4 hours, up to overnight.