Ingredients :

• Whole cloves — Buy them whole, not ground. Clove powder gives a cloudy result and is far too heavy on flavor. Whole cloves infuse slowly, and you can see them — small dark brown, almost black buds with that characteristic round head. Between 3 and 5 per cup, depending on the intensity you want. 3 cloves is delicate. 5 cloves is fuller-bodied. Beyond that, it becomes really powerful. Choose them from a grocery store that renews its stock often — old cloves that have been sitting around for 3 years have almost no fragrance left.
• Water — If your tap water has a strong lime taste, use filtered or light mineral water. Clove is discreet on this point, but very hard water can dull the aroma. No need to overcomplicate things, just don’t use water that already smells like something.
• Honey or fresh ginger (optional) — This isn’t in the basic recipe, but a slice of fresh ginger added to the pot at the same time as the cloves completely changes the profile of the tea — sharper, more tonic. Honey, on the other hand, rounds out the bitterness if you find the clove too direct. A teaspoon, no more, added to the cup after filtering.