How to Flavor Your Own Homemade Green Tea

Green tea is a healthy traditional Asian beverage made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. For centuries, it has been used to treat stomach and digestive ailments, as a stimulant and, more recently, as a general antioxidant. Though somewhat bland in flavor, green tea can easily be enhanced with additive ingredients to make a healthy energizing drink that tastes good cold or hot.

Things You'll Need

• Green tea bags or loose mix
• Boiling water
• Cooking pot or teapot
• Honey
• Mint leaves
• Ginger root
• Knife
• Lemon or lime
• Fruit or fruit juice

Instructions

1. Brew the tea in a cooking pot with your favorite bagged or loose green tea and water. Use about one bag or teaspoon of loose tea to 4 cups or 5 cups of water, or refer to the directions that come with your tea brand. Bring the concoction to a boil. Create a flavor infusion by adding peeled and smashed ginger root. Let the tea steep after boiling for five minutes to 15 minutes.

2. Let tea cool slightly and strain through a fine mesh strainer. If drinking it hot, pour it into a mug or teapot with a few thin slices of lemon or lime. Add honey to taste. Leftover tea may be cooled, stored in the refrigerator and used as a base for further green tea drinks.

3. A variation on the ginger infusion involves fresh mint leaves. This is another classic and refreshing green tea combination. Before adding boiling water to the mug or pot, place some mint sprigs in it along with the tea. Leave them in as a garnish, and they will continue to strengthen the mint flavour as you drink the tea. Remove them after a few minutes for a more subtle minty taste.

4. Green tea also mixes well with fruit and fruit juice. Pour hot tea over sliced fruit, such as pineapple, peach and citrus fruits. Let the flavors infuse for several minutes, then remove the fruit and sweeten with honey. For a refreshing cold drink, add peeled and sliced fruit to brewed green tea with honey and let chill. You'll find that some flavor combinations work well together, such as ginger and lemon or lime, or peach and honey.

Tips & Warnings

• Show off pretty green tea garnishes such as mint sprigs or lemon slices by serving your drink in a clear mug or pitcher.

• The FDA advises that drinking more than five cups of green tea daily may be unsafe. Be careful also if you suffer from anemia, anxiety or bleeding disorders, as green tea may make symptoms worse.

References

• National Library of Medicine profile of green tea