For the donuts

1. Snip open the tea bag and pour the contents into a small microwave-safe bowl (or a small pot if you’d prefer to use the stovetop). Add the butter and warm on medium heat until melted. Set aside to let the tea steep in the butter for five minutes. (You’ll strain out the tea solids later.)
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Into the center of the bowl, crack the eggs and pour the buttermilk. Strain the butter into the bowl through a tea strainer or small fine-mesh sieve. Using a fork, beat the eggs a bit and then gently incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet to form a rough dough. Don’t overmix or donuts will be tough.
3. Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface. (I sometimes like to roll out dough on a nice big piece of parchment — flour the parchment if you go that route.) Place the dough on the work surface and knead just a few times to bring it all together. Lightly flour the top of the dough and a rolling pin, and roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 3 1/2-inch donut cutter with a 1-inch hole (or similarly sized cookie cutters, biscuit cutters or even an overturned water glass and shot glass) cut out as many donuts and holes as you can. Gather and re-roll the dough one time to make more donuts.
4. In a Dutch oven or similar heavy pot with high sides, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F. During cooking, adjust the heat as necessary to maintain the temperature as best as possible. Fry donuts in batches, about three at a time depending on the size of your pot. It should take about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side until donuts are golden brown and cooked through. Some cracking on the top before you flip each donut is a good indication that the inside is nicely cooked. Cool donuts on a wire rack lined with paper towels.

For the glaze

1. In a wide, shallow bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour in the tea and vanilla and stir until a nice smooth glaze forms. Dip the top of each donut into the glaze and return to rack. The glaze should dry within a few minutes. Serve donuts on the day you make them.