Marbled Tea Eggs

I've made these hard boiled tea eggs several times,
the secret to success is to crack them really good
and let them steep a long time.
For Chinese Marbled Tea Eggs,
you’ll need to hard boil the eggs first,
and after they cool off, use a back of a teaspoon
or smack on the kitchen counter to gently crack
the eggshell all over.
Keep the eggshell intact, but the more you crack,
the more intricate the design of the marble will be.
Make those cracks pretty deep,
as that is how the tea/soy mixture
will seep into the egg.
Tea Eggs (cha ye dan):
A cheap snack food, found all over China.
In spite of the name, tea is not the dominant flavour.

6 eggs
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon black tea leaves or 2 tea bag
3 piece star anise
1 small stick cinnamon
1 teaspoon cracked peppercorns

Method

Place unshelled eggs in saucepan with enough cold water to cover.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 minutes
Remove the eggs. With a knife, tap each egg to slightly crack the shells
in two or three places. (or roll them in a towel!)
Return to saucepan.
Add other ingredients and stir.
Cover and simmer for 3 hours, adding water as necessary.
Drain, serve hot or cold.