How to Make Flavored and Spicy Ginger Tea

The spicy, aromatic ginger herb is used in cooking as well as alternative medicine, especially for digestion-related problems.

Most people use it in main dishes or dressings. It is also enjoyed by people worldwide as a rejuvenating, soothing and healthy tea.

Making basic ginger tea is easy, but you can add several spices to make it even more flavorful.

The combination of fresh ginger and spices will make your tea time a pleasure.

Steps to Make Spicy Ginger Tea

Things you’ll need:

• Ginger
• Lemon
• Cardamom
• Cinnamon sticks
• Bay Leaves
• Sugar Cubes or Honey

Step 1. Peel and cut a ginger

Take 1 inch of ginger (thoroughly washed) and peel off the skin using a peeler. If you do not have one, use a spoon to remove the outer skin.

Cut the peeled ginger into thick slices.

Step 2. Pound the ginger slices

Next, pound the ginger slices using a heavy object like a pestle. You just need to gently crush the slices. Do not grind them into a paste.

Step 3. Heat the water and add the ginger

Pour 1½ to 2 cups of water in a saucepan and turn the heat on high.

Add the pounded ginger to the water.

Step 4. Add other spices

Break open the outer skin of 2 whole cardamoms and put them in the water. Cardamom has a strong, resinous fragrance.

Also add 2 cinnamon sticks and 2 bay leaves. Cinnamon has a sweet yet slightly spicy flavor, and bay leaves have a similar but milder fragrance and taste. The fragrance of bay leaves is more noticeable than their taste.

Step 5. Boil the water

Bring the water to a rolling boil for 1 to 2 minutes. You can smell the aroma as the ginger and other spices release their juices and flavors into the water.

Step 6. Cover and simmer

Put the lid on the saucepan and reduce the heat to low. Allow the water to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

While simmering, the water will take on a light yellow color and the flavors of the different spices will get more infused in the water.

Step 7. Add lemon zest

Open the lid and add the zest of 1 lemon to the simmering water. Put the lid back on the pan and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Adding the lemon zest too early can make the tea taste bitter, so wait until now to add the zest and give your tea a lemony flavor. The nice lemon aroma will also balance out the spicy flavor of the tea.

Step 8. Strain the tea

Pour the mixture through a strainer to remove the spices and ginger pieces from the tea.

Step 9. Add sweetener and enjoy

Add sweetener, such as sugar cubes or honey, as desired for taste. Drink your tea while it is still warm to enjoy the mixed flavors of the different spices. The spicy flavors make this the perfect beverage for autumn and winter.

Additional Tips

• You can chill the tea in the refrigerator for a few hours if you like cold ginger tea. Simply add a few ice cubes to the tea before drinking and you’ll have a tasty summer iced tea.
• Use fresh ginger to enjoy strong flavored tea.
• Use whole spices as opposed to ground spices.

If you think these are too many spices for your taste, you can make a simple ginger tea too.

Summary of Homemade Spicy Ginger Tea:

Download this infographic.