Tea eggs

Eggs were on sale this week so I decided to make some Chinese tea eggs. Mr. Fix-it likes hard-boiled eggs so I thought he would like this variation. He doesn't remember, but I used to make them oh, so many years ago. I couldn't remember how I made them before so thank goodness for the internet. A search turned up several recipes and I modified it to match the ingredients I had on hand.

Ingredients
8 eggs
3 tablespoons soy sauce (I think that 5 would have been better)
2 tablespoons black tea
3 star anise (whole stars, or the equivalent in pieces)
1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns

Directions
1. Place unshelled eggs in saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer for two minutes.
2. Remove the eggs. Crack the egg shells in a few places, but not so hard that the shells fall off.
3. Add the other ingredients (and water to cover if you tossed the water) in the previous step. Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours, adding water as necessary.

If you simmer for a longer period of time, the eggs will have more color and a stronger flavor. Note that flavor is subtle so "stronger" is a relative term. Most recipes said to store the eggs in the cooking liquid, so I did. But I don't think it really matters. It is a little messy to store the eggs in liquid.

Serve the eggs warm or cold, as desired.