Marbled Chinese Tea Eggs

To Hard Boil The Eggs

1. Gently place the eggs in a medium pot (just large enough for all the eggs to fit in one layer) and cover the eggs with 1 inch of water. Add 1 tsp salt.
2. Bring the covered pot to a full rolling boil over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and let the eggs stand in the hot water for 3 minutes.
3. Drain the eggs and fill the pot with cool water. Continue changing the cool water until the eggs have cooled. Drain the water.

To make the Tea Eggs

1. Hit the hard boiled eggs with the back of a spoon to make some fairly deep cracks all over the eggshell.
2. Return the eggs to the same pot you boiled them in. Add enough warm water to just barely cover the eggs and add the remaining ingredients.
3. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil over medium high heat. (It will take roughly 10-15 min to come to a boil.) Then, turn off the heat.
4. Let the eggs cool in the tea mixture for 4 hours or overnight (in the refrigerator) before serving.