My late grandmother, Oma Ida, who was born and raised on the tropical island of Java (Indonesia), often said that "hot tea is the ideal drink on a hot day." I agree. Hot tea has long been my year-round beverage of choice: I love to sip a "hot cuppa" first thing in the morning, last thing at night and usually once or twice during the day. When making tea for myself, I usually prefer a light-bodied green tea or freshly picked herbals, such as the sage, peppermint or olive leaves, available year round in our garden.
But when friends come over, and I want to serve something special, I often brew a pot of Spicy Ginger Lemon Tea. If it were possible, I'd love to have you come over to our house, sit down at the kitchen table and pour you a mug right now, because tea always tastes best when shared with friends. Since I can't, I'm doing the second best thing by sharing this recipe with you in hopes you'll consider making some for yourself sometime soon. It’s healthful, tasty and simple to make, once you have the ingredients on hand.
Making It
- 1 quart boiling water, poured over
- 1 cinnamon stick (or 2 tsp. cinnamon powder)
- 4 whole cloves (or ½ tsp. clove powder)
- 3 black pepper corns
- 1 inch of fresh ginger root, peeled, and sliced thin (Sorry. Dried or ground ginger won’t work in this situation. Only fresh ginger will do for this tea, in my opinion…)
- 1 tsp. of green tea leaves (skip this if you prefer to avoid caffeine)
Let the tea mixture steep for 5 to 7 minutes, preferably in a well-insulated teapot. If you don't have one, a regular ceramic teapot or large Mason jar wrapped in a kitchen towel will do just fine.
Stir briefly, then pour through a strainer into large mugs, each containing 1 to 2 tsp. lemon juice (to taste), and 1 to 2 tsp. of pure maple syrup (or honey). And... if you'd like to take it to the next level of taste, your tongue (and your tummy) will dance with joy if you add a pinch of cayenne powder to your mug, too!
Drinking It
This tea is guaranteed to warm your heart and soul from the inside out, whatever the temperature might be outside. In addition to being refreshing, energizing and mighty tasty, the ginger and spices are also excellent for stimulating your digestive system, while simultaneously calming your nervous system, too.
And should you find yourself rushing around, feeling way too busy to even consider doing anything as superfluous as brewing up a pot of tea… may I suggest that's all the more reason to gift yourself the time, space and resources to do so anyway?
Changing It
PS: If the idea of hot tea doesn't appeal to you, this same tea also makes a delicious, homemade Ginger Ale. Just let it cool, then pour over ice and mix with equal parts tea and chilled, sparkling mineral water or club soda. It's a tasty beverage guaranteed to quench even your thirstiest thirst. Enjoy!
