Is ginger tea spicy? Or does it have a herbal flavor?
What does ginger tea taste like?
Some people say that ginger tea has a grassy flavor. For others, they love it because of the spicy flavor that makes it unique.
Ginger has been lauded all over because of its generous offer of health benefits. From ancient times, it has been used for medicinal purposes such as treating blood pressure, and so on.
But, there is not so much hype about its taste. Why? Does it taste horrible?
What ginger tea tastes like
Ginger tea does not fit into the category of sweet beverages.
If you take a cup of ginger tea, you get a herbal taste. There is a kind of grassy flavor in the cup that is neither sweet nor bitter.
When you want to make ginger tea, you can either use a ginger root from the farm or market or use the packaged ginger tea.
For packaged ginger teas, they have a mild taste. They are not the best to use if you want the original and intense taste of ginger.
You can blend ginger with other additives like fruits to lift the earthy flavor.
The most prevalent flavor of ginger is its spiciness. As such, ginger makes a spicy tea beverage for you to enjoy on a hot afternoon.
What affects ginger’s spiciness?
1. Freshness
If you use dried up ginger to make your cup of ginger tea, you will get a mild and gentle spiciness. Dried ginger does not release its full spicy flavor when you steep it.
For the old ginger, with some wrinkles on the skin, you also do not get the best flavor. You should avoid the not so fresh ginger when making your tea. You will not get the taste you want from ginger.
Lastly, we have fresh ginger which is the real deal. Fresh ginger is heavy, has an attractive color, and smooth skin. Fresh ginger gives you the spicy flavor that you are looking for in ginger tea.
Additionally, fresh ginger produces an attractive and sweet aroma. The aroma soothes your nostrils and makes your tea drinking experience fun.
2. Amount of ginger used
The flavor in your cup of ginger tea will also depend on the amount of ginger used.
As such, if you want a strong flavor of ginger tea, you should use more ginger while brewing. Consequently, you should use less ginger if you do not want a strong flavor.
3. Type of ginger used
The type of ginger used, whether grated or otherwise also affects the flavor that you get. If you use grated ginger, it releases its full flavor to give you the best spicy drink.
On the other hand, you can decide to cut your ginger into pieces with a knife instead of grating. As much as the cut pieces also release flavor, it is not as good as the one for grated ginger.
4. Storage
Some ginger tea lovers like their drink cold. As such, you can store your tea in the fridge for convenient sipping.
If you store your tea in the fridge, you should use an airtight container. This will prevent your tea flavor from being contaminated by flavors of other items in the refrigerator.
5. Peeled or unpeeled ginger
The taste of your cup of ginger tea will also depend on whether you use a peeled or unpeeled ginger root. To get the best flavor, you should peel the skin of the ginger root using the side of a spoon. Using the side of the spoon ensures that you only remove the skin.
Additionally, the type of water you use in brewing your ginger tea will also affect the taste. You should use pure or spring water to get the best flavor. Tap or processed water may contain chemicals that may interfere with the original spicy flavor of ginger tea.
Lastly, your teapot can also affect the flavor of your ginger tea. If you use a teapot that you use to brew other flavors, then the flavors may contaminate your ginger tea.
How can I lift the flavor of ginger tea?
Plain ginger tea is one of the most pleasant beverages that you can get. Even with its generous offer of health benefits, you may need to sweeten it up to drink it.
Luckily, there is no shortage of additives that you can blend with your tea to make it taste better.
What’s more? Some of the additives come with health benefits that complement those of ginger tea.
These include:
1. Mint
Using ginger and mint in one drink is killing two birds with one stone. Each of them comes with its own health benefits, and they infuse to become one.
Additionally, mint helps to lift the taste of your ginger tea.
Mint helps in relieving constipation by relaxing the gastrointestinal tract. On the other hand, ginger helps to deal with stomach upsets and digestion issues.
2. Fruits
If you have not tried a mix of ginger tea and fruits, then you are missing a lot.
Ginger fruit tea does not only lift the taste of your ginger tea, but it is also pleasing to look at.
You can use a variety of fruits to make your tea, including apple, mangoes, and so on.
3. Honey
Honey has been in use as a sweetener in tea for a long time. It is best because it is a syrup and it infuses effortlessly with the tea.
Additionally, honey is known to contain a lot of medicinal value. It has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, it is a worthy additive to use in making your ginger tea drinkable.
4. Lemon
Lemon is a nice additive to blend with ginger tea to make it pleasant to drink. Apart from lifting the taste, you can also use lemon to enhance presentation while serving. You can use a slice of lemon on top of the glass to make it presentable.
Lemon also comes in handy in dealing with digestive issues. Thus, it complements the health benefit of ginger in dealing with stomach upsets.
5. Garlic
Do you have a disturbing cold that you want to get rid of?
Worry no more. A mixture of ginger and garlic will work effectively to eliminate the cold. The two come with properties that decongest the respiratory system and also soothe the throat.
Apart from the health benefits, garlic will add some kick of flavor to your spicy ginger tea.
Should you take ginger tea every day?
Nothing should stop you from having a cup of ginger tea every day. A cup of ginger tea in the morning will give you energy and alertness to face the day.
However, you should take it in moderation. A cup or two per day should be enough to give you all the health benefits you are looking for, potentially even losing some of your belly fat.
If you are allergic, pregnant, or have any underlying health issue, you should consult your doctor before taking ginger tea.
Final thoughts
So, what does ginger tea taste like?
Ginger tea has a unique spicy flavor that is exciting to many ginger lovers. The taste can, however, vary depending on a variety of factors.
The factors include the type of ginger you use, type of water, amount of ginger, and so on.
If the spicy flavor of ginger tea doesn’t tick for you, you can go for any additive of your choice to lift the flavor.
