Many tea lovers are lost on how to make ginger tea at home.
How do I grind the ginger root?
Should I peel the ginger root?
Tea lovers are always looking for answers to these and other questions.
Ginger tea has been in use for long. You will love not only its flavor but also the many health benefits that it offers.
Making ginger tea is an effortless and straightforward process. All you need is fresh ginger root and water. If you wish, you can also add your sweetener of choice.
Here is a simple step by step guide on how to make ginger tea at home.
Step by step guide on how to make ginger tea
What you need
- A zester or a grater
- A saucepan or kettle
- Teapot
- Strainer (if the teapot has no strainer)
Ingredients
- 1 ginger root
- 2 cups of filtered water
- Your sweetener of choice, e.g. sugar, honey, etc
Method
- Take the ginger root and clean it using running water. Use your fingers to remove any dirt on the ginger skin.
- Use a knife or peeler to peel the ginger. You can also use the side of a spoon to peel.
- The spoon will only remove the skin while the peeler or knife might remove part of the ginger.
- When you remove all the skin, proceed to grate the ginger using the grater or zester.
- If you do not have a grater, you can also use a sharp knife and slice the ginger into small pieces.
- If you are using a saucepan or kettle, put the water on the stove and heat it until it boils. After it boils, take your grated ginger and then add to the boiling water. Cover the mixture using a lid and let it steep for about 10 minutes.
- If you are using a teapot to brew your ginger, first add the grated ginger into the teapot. Then, add boiling water and allow it steep for about 10 minutes.
- Next, strain the tea. If you are using a saucepan, use a strainer to remove the small pieces of ginger. If your teapot does not have a strainer in it, you can also use your strainer to get rid of the small pieces of ginger.
- If you want to lift the taste of your ginger tea, you can put your sweetener of choice at this point. Stir the mixture and enjoy alone or with your loved ones.
If you love taking your tea cold, follow the same process to prepare your cup of tea. After that, let it cool down and then store it in the fridge.
You can then serve it with ice cubes to make it more thrilling.
Note, storing your tea in the fridge is convenient. It means whenever you want a cup of cold tea, you do not have to go through the whole process to brew a cup.
However, there is a limitation as to how long you can store your tea in the fridge. The CDC recommends that you should store tea in the refrigerator for 8 hours. But, having your tea in the fridge for a day or two is not harmful.
Also, having your tea in the fridge for a day gives the best flavor. Two or three days are also enough.
However, the moment you start noticing a wild taste in your tea, you should not drink it. The same applies if you start seeing straps or the tea becomes thick. That is an indication of bacteria formation which can be harmful to your health.
Tips on how to get the best ginger tea flavor
1. Water
The type of water you use in making ginger tea is crucial. For instance, if you use tap water, it may contaminate the flavor of the tea. Tap water contains chemicals meant to make the water safe for use. The chemicals may contaminate the taste of ginger tea.
To get the best results, you should use pure or spring water that has no chemicals or has not gone through any processing.
2. Fresh ginger
Ginger offers a unique spicy flavor that makes your tea irresistible. However, you will not get the same taste from an old ginger root as you would in fresh ginger root.
Therefore, you should look for a fresh and heavy ginger root when you go to the store for shopping. The skin of the ginger root should be smooth and have a fine texture. Do not go for the ginger root with wrinkles on the skin.
3. Strong flavor
The amount of ginger you use to make your tea should depend on how strong you want your flavor to be. Thus, if you want a strong flavor, you should use more grated ginger and vice versa.
4. Grated ginger
As mentioned earlier, when preparing your ginger, you can use a grater to grate it into fine pieces. If you do not have a grater, then you can use a sharp knife to cut the ginger into small pieces.
As much as both methods will work, grating your ginger will give better results. The fine pieces of ginger can release their flavor entirely to offer the best ginger flavor. The same cannot be said about the pieces cut using a knife.
5. Teapot
Also, to get the best flavor for your ginger tea, use a particular teapot for preparing ginger tea. Thus, you will prevent contamination of the taste by other flavors used on the pot.
6. Storage
If you love your cup of ginger tea cold, you can prepare a big batch and store the extra in the fridge. Keeping your tea in the fridge for a day or so gives the best results.
7. Sweeteners
If you do not like the spicy flavor of ginger tea, you can use your sweeteners of choice to lift the taste. You can use cinnamon, sugar, honey and so on.
Ginger is famous for its immense health benefits. As such, as you choose your sweetener, you can go for one that will complement the health benefits that ginger offers. For instance, honey is known to have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, it would be a good choice for a sweetener.
Additionally, some sweeteners, e.g. sugar, may enhance the fermentation of ginger tea and also cause the formation of bacteria. Therefore, you should avoid such sweeteners if possible.
Which additives can you add to ginger tea to make it taste better?
i. Honey
If you want to make your ginger tea taste better, ginger is a nice sweetener to consider. You can add honey to your ginger tea after straining and before serving.
Since it is a syrup, you can also use it conveniently in your cup of cold ginger tea.
Apart from lifting the taste of your ginger tea, honey comes with a ton of other health benefits. It comes with a ton of antioxidants that complement the health benefits that ginger offers.
For instance, honey comes with antioxidants that help to deal with digestive issues. As such, it complements ginger’s benefit of dealing with an upset stomach.
It is also an excellent anti-bacterial.
Note, honey can cause ginger tea to ferment when kept for long. Therefore, it would be best if you use it in your cup when drinking rather than storing it.
ii. Lemon
Lemon is universal, and it combines well with many other drinks and types of foods. Whenever you use it, lemon makes a statement by offering a pleasant flavor and smell. The same applies to ginger tea.
The spicy flavor of ginger can be overwhelming to some people. Adding lemon, therefore, lifts the taste and makes the ginger tea more pleasing.
Plus, lemon also comes with a lot of health benefits. For instance, it complements ginger tea in fighting a cold or flu. Therefore, if you have a cold or flu, a hot cup of ginger tea combined with some lemon could be all that you need.
Lemon also helps in improving digestive health. You can also combine ginger tea with lemon in your weight loss journey.
Note that lemon is acidic. If you suffer from acid reflux or you have stomach ulcers, you should be careful when using lemon. Consult your doctor on safe uses of lemon.
iii. Cinnamon
If you want to experiment some more with your tea, you can use cinnamon as an additive.
To get the best results, you should infuse cinnamon with your grated ginger before adding it into the boiling water.
Why do I need to add cinnamon in my cup of ginger tea?
Apart from lifting the taste of ginger tea, cinnamon also comes with a bouquet of health benefits. It comes with antioxidants that help in dealing with digestive issues, among others.
Cinnamon also helps in lowering blood pressure and dealing with cholesterol issues, among other benefits.
iv. Garlic
Have you ever tried a mixture of ginger tea and garlic?
If you have not, then you should try it out.
If not for the taste, you will love the mixture because of the health benefits that come with it.
The combination helps in dealing with digestive issues that are giving you stomach upsets. It also has properties that prevent blood clotting. The mixture will also make the blood vessels to increase, thereby decreasing blood pressure.
If you are suffering low sexual activity, you should try out a combination of ginger and garlic. Ginger allows for blood circulation, which is essential in sexual activities.
It is also a known aphrodisiac that enhances stimulation in men. Garlic has been used in centuries in improving libido and stamina.
Benefits of taking ginger tea
Apart from its spicy flavor, ginger tea is loved globally because of its health benefits. It can help in dealing with the following health issues:
1. Diarrhea
Diarrhea is a frustrating condition to have. However, ginger has been known to deal with the symptoms of diarrhea and helps in overcoming them.
Also, ginger tea is a diuretic. As such, it makes you drink a lot of water which is good for hydrating your body while having diarrhea.
2. Digestion
Have you tried out a new meal at the local joint and now you have a stomach upset?
You may be having digestion problems.
Taking a cup of ginger tea can help you in dealing with that problem. Ginger stimulates the production of digestive juices such as bile which facilitates digestion and absorption of nutrients, and potentially reduce your belly fat.
3. Respiratory issues
Ginger contains antibacterial properties that help in dealing with congestion in the throat. When you take it hot, it also helps in soothing a sore throat.
You can combine ginger with other additives such as lemon and garlic to assist in dealing with cold and flu.
4. Sexual problems
Sexual problems are sometimes a result of improper blood circulation.
When you take ginger tea, it dilates the blood vessels and enhances blood circulation. Thus, it helps to deal with low sexual drive.
Additionally, ginger has been used for a long time as an aphrodisiac. It is known to stimulate sexual drive and enhance stamina and libido.
5. Relieving arthritis
Ginger is known to have anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, it has been used extensively in traditional medicine in reducing inflammation.
It is said to contain qualities similar to pharmaceutical drugs that are used in treating inflammations. Thus, you can use ginger in dealing with arthritis symptoms and also relieve pain.
6. Cancer
The tumors of most types of cancers, including colon cancer, breast cancer, and so on, have been seen to decrease when you use ginger.
Ginger also contains vitamin B6, which is vital in the treatment and prevention of cancer.
Precautions when taking ginger tea
Although ginger tea comes with a lot of health benefits, it should be taken in moderation. A cup or two per day is enough to give you the benefits you need.
Though ginger aids in dealing with digestion issues, avoid taking too much of it. It can cause stomach upset in some individuals.
You should also avoid taking tea at night as it will keep you alert and unable to sleep. Ginger tea also prevents blood clotting. You should, therefore, avoid ginger tea a few weeks before or after surgery.
If you have persistent stomach pain and diarrhea, you should visit your doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment. Do not depend on ginger tea alone.
If you are pregnant, you should also consult your doctor before taking the tea. The same applies to breastfeeding mothers, people who have blood pressure, acid reflux, and so on.
Final thoughts
If you were lost on how to make ginger tea, worry no more. We have provided you with a step by step guide on how to prepare the tea properly. Also, you have a variety of additives that you can add to your ginger tea to lift the taste. The additives also complement the health benefits that ginger tea offers.
All that is left for you is to brew a cup of ginger tea and have it hot or cold. You will enjoy the pleasant spicy flavor as well as the several health benefits.
