Outside of water, tea offers the highest consumption rate of any other beverage, and green tea is among one of the more prominent varieties. Outside of being delicious both iced and hot, green tea offers a plethora of health benefits ranging from digestive aid to antioxidant. Therefore, finding ways to incorporate this wonderful, healthy staple into our daily regimen should be something everyone should consider. Here are nine delicious green tea concoctions you can make at home anytime.
Classic Green Ice Tea
This is the simplest and quickest way to ensure a pitcher of iced green tea is always available to you. It involves adding your favorite green tea bags to boiling water and allowing it to steep for five minutes or so. Remove the tea bags, add cold water, and sweetener if desired. Chill in a pitcher and serve over ice with a lemon wedge.
Ingredients:
4 cups boiling water
8 green tea bags (flavor or brand is preferential) or 4 teaspoons of Matcha Powder
2 cups cold water
1/2 cup of sugar or sugar substitute
Iced Green Tea Lemonade
Like the classic iced tea version above, this concoction involves taking your favorite green tea, steeping in boiling water for five minutes. Remove the bags and add lemonade to the mixture and chill. You can add sugar if needed, or simply drink, as is, over ice, and, of course, don’t forget the lemon wedge.
Ingredients:
4 cups boiling water
8 green tea bags (flavor or brand is preferential) or 4 teaspoons of Matcha Powder
2 cups lemonade
1/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute (optional)
Iced Green Tea Latte
Matcha is a finely ground green tea powder known initially for its role in Japanese Tea Ceremonies. One can purchase bags of matcha just about anywhere these days. Add it to milk and shake. Pour over ice for your own green tea latte.
Ingredients:
1 cup milk (any milk, cream, or non-dairy substitute)
2 tsp Matcha Powder
Moroccan Mint Tea
This unique green tea concoction is made with green gunpowder tea. Gunpowder tea is a form of green tea in which each leaf is rolled individually therefore protecting and preserving the flavor. Gunpowder tea offers a richer, smokier flavor than traditional green tea. This tea is make by steeping Chinese gunpowder tea with mint leaves and sugar.
Ingredients:
4 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon loose Chinese Gunpowder Green Tea or 1 teaspoons of Matcha Powder
2 cups cold water
1 cup fresh mint leaves, washed
1/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute
Matcha, Matcha, Matcha
The green tea powder that is matcha is not reserved to lattes alone. One can add matcha powder to virtually any beverage; water, lemonade, ice tea of any variety, seltzer, milk or even various cocktails if one was so inclined.
Ingredients:
1 cup of favorite beverage of choice
2 tsp Matcha Powder
Iced Mint Tea
Like Matcha, steeped green tea alone can be a foundation for endless iced concoctions to make your mouth water. Try grounding fresh mint leaves into your tea as it is steeping. Later, add honey and chill for a fresh summer treat that can be had all year round.
Ingredients:
4 cups boiling water
8 green tea bags (flavor or brand is preferential) or 4 teaspoons of Matcha Powder
2 cups fresh mint leaves, washed
2 cups cold water
1/2 cup honey
Iced Green Ginger Tea
Infuse your plain green tea with slices of ginger. Add lemonade as well as mint, or sweetener to taste. Chill and serve over ice garnished with lemon wedge and fresh mint.
Ingredients:
4 cups boiling water
8 green tea bags (flavor or brand is preferential) or 4 teaspoons of Matcha Powder
2 cups lemonade
1 cup fresh mint leaves, washed
2 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled or unpeeled, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup of sugar or sugar substitute (optional)
Blueberry Green Tea Lemonade
Blueberries are a healthy antioxidant. Therefore adding them to the plethora of health benefits found in green tea, and you have a healthy delicious drink that is perfect for any time. Simply pour a steeped green tea of your choice over crushed blueberries and add lemonade. One can add sweetener as needed given the blueberries offer a tart addition. Let chill for several hours to infuse all flavors together and serve over ice.
Ingredients:
4 cups boiling water
8 green tea bags (flavor or brand is preferential) or 4 teaspoons of Matcha Powder
2 cups lemonade
1 package (16 oz) frozen blueberries
1/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute (optional)
Peach Ice Tea
If you would like to make your green ice tea sweet without adding any sweetener, a good solution is to sweeten it with ripe fruit. In this version, simply add fresh ripe peaches to your steepened green tea and allow to chill for several hours, so the fruit really permeates the tea.
Ingredients:
4 cups boiling water
8 green tea bags (flavor or brand is preferential) or 4 teaspoons of Matcha Powder
2 cups cold water
3 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced. (can also use canned peaches)
Green tea is the ultimate wonder drink. Studies have shown that the chemicals inherent in green tea offer countless health benefits including increased immunity. Preliminary testing has even gone so far as to show that green tea may decrease the aging process and prolong our lives. Use these nine delicious green tea ideas to get this amazing iced beverage into your daily diet, and keep healthy without sacrificing taste.
Have tried one of these recipes? Let us know in the comment section below.
