You’ve heard the rumors about green tea. It’s healthy, you get it. But what if you don’t like the taste? Green tea has a decidedly bitter aftertaste that many people simply can’t stand. This creates something of a dilemma — you want all the amazing health benefits of green tea, but can’t bring yourself to slurp it down first thing in the morning.
Luckily, your green tea dilemma is easily solved. There’s plenty of healthy, natural ingredients you can add to your green tea to make it taste a whole lot better. The beauty of adding in these ingredients is that they often amplify the healing powers of green tea, making it an elixir of health, rather than a hot cup of no thank you!
Here are seven ingredients you can add to your green tea to not only make it taste a whole lot better, but make it a lot healthier in the process.
1. Ginger
Ginger and green tea go together like bread and butter. It’s a match made in heaven, and adding in a few slices of fresh ginger is bound to improve the taste of green tea. Ginger is a superfood in its own right, helping to improve cardiovascular health, assist upset stomachs, diabetes and arthritis, and even treat peptic ulcers. A healthy dose of fresh ginger added to your green tea will significantly increase its antioxidant content and help fight off any colds or seasonal maladies that are lurking in the shadows.
2. Basil
Believe it or not, the leaves of this fragrant herb can actually pair quite nicely with a steaming cup of green tea. Simply snip a few basil leaves off and leave them to steep alongside the green teabag. Basil is another great health addition to your tea, and has been used for years as a natural anti-inflammatory, antibiotic and diuretic by Asian cultures. Basil also contains plenty of vitamin A, an essential component of cardiovascular health.
3. Mint
Mint is another tried and true pairing with green tea. It is certain to make your green tea taste better. Use the same process for adding mint to your green tea as you did with basil, simply allowing the fresh mint leaves to steep alongside the tea bag. If you don’t have fresh mint, you could always just combine green tea and mint tea to make a match made in heaven! Mint and peppermint leaves have been shown to have strong antimicrobial and antiviral properties, powerful antioxidant properties, and even significant anti-allergenic powers.
4. Honey
This is probably the moment you’ve been waiting for: something truly delicious to add to your green tea! For those who have an insufferable sweet tooth, honey provides a great compromise due to its active enzymes. These aid digestion and dampen the glycemic effect which is so profound with other refined sugars.
Not only will adding honey to your green tea make it taste sweeter and richer, it’s also loaded with health benefits. These include anti-allergenic properties and respiratory soothing qualities, making it an excellent go-to during those cold winter months. If possible, stick to raw honey, and don’t add in your honey until your tea has cooled for a few minutes.
5. Lemon
Fresh lemon juice makes a great addition to green tea, not only helping it to taste better, but also adding plenty of its own beneficial properties into the mix. If you often find green tea too bitter, the sharpness of lemon should offset that bitterness and add in a hint of citrus that’ll have you coming back for more. Lemons contain plenty of immune-supporting vitamin C, along with helping to flush toxins from the body and provide significant concentrations of calcium and potassium. A teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice added to the green tea should be enough to get your tastebuds singing out their praises.
6. Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a personal favorite of mine. It provides the sensation of sweetness without any of the health-harming glucose and fructose that you’ll find in conventional sugars and sweeteners. Not only that, cinnamon tastes great in tandem with green tea. So, either sprinkle a small amount in with your green tea and mix well, or allow a cinnamon stick to steep alongside the teabag to impart its wonderful earthy flavors.
Cinnamon is another amazingly therapeutic natural ingredient, helping to regulate blood sugar, impart a host of antioxidants and fight pathogens in the body. Use cinnamon sparingly, however, as too much can quickly become harmful.
7. Coconut oil
Adding coconut oil to green tea might not be for the faint of heart, but it will sure increase the health-giving potential of your tea. The healthy saturated fats in coconut oil mean it’ll have you feeling fuller for longer, and those fats will also help you utilize more fat-soluble vitamins from your morning cup of green. Not only that, coconut oil is mildly antibacterial. It is also great for your skin, hair and nails. Plus, it helps to lower blood pressure. All this, but only if you can handle the layer of fat that forms on top of your green tea when you add in a dollop of coconut oil.
— Liivi Hess
