Take a breather with an Iced Tea this long summer
As the warmer weather approaches, many tea drinkers will find themselves wanting to swap their cups of steaming hot tea for tall glasses of iced tea. Though the beverage market is swamped with a wide variety of ready-to-drink teas – mostly sugary and flavoured – making your own iced tea gives you the creativity to make your very own concoction, with a multitude of teas to choose from. It’s easy to make and the options to personalize it are endless.
Drinking tea has long been embraced for its great taste and its health benefits but it also has a unique ability to calm you down and relax your body. Today iced tea is growing in popularity as a healthy, refreshing and hydrating alternative to soft drinks. People of all backgrounds and age groups are catching on to the benefits of this fantastic beverage and there are many.
Iced tea to calm & relax
Although any tea you drink is great for relaxing the mind and body, certain ones have characteristics that help facilitate the process. For example, out of the major groups of tea used as a cold beverage, green or white tea is best for relaxation. The reason is because they contain very low amounts of caffeine, so don’t over stimulate the body. Herbal teas such as Chamomile, Peppermint, Spearmint, St. John’s Wort, Lemon Balm and Valerian are also great calmatives for relieving stress and tension.
If you wish to enhance the flavour of your tea, dried, fresh or frozen fruit can definitely jazz up any iced tea. If using a flavoured fruit tea base, try a different kind of fruit to make a blend. Think of fruits other than the usual lemon garnish – dried fruit peels or fresh ginger, apple, passionfruit, raspberries or peach added to a herbal brew, can add a fresh and fruity lift. If using frozen fruit, they can also act as cooling agents for your iced tea. Chop up fruit into smaller pieces and add to tea after pouring over ice.
Chill out iced tea blend
- ¼ cup loose green, white or herbal tea of choice
- 1.5 litres boiling water
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- Pulp of 4 Passionfruit
- 1/4 cup small fresh mint leaves
- 1 lemon, scrubbed, thinly sliced
- 1 orange, scrubbed, halved, thinly sliced
- Honey or Stevia to sweeten to taste
- ice cubes, to serve
Step 1
Place tea in a strainer in a large, heatproof jug. Add boiling water. Stand for 8-10 minutes. Remove strainer.
Step 2
Add sweetener & stir until dissolved. Add lemon juice, orange juice and passionfruit pulp. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Step 3
Add mint, lemon and orange slices. Serve over ice and enjoy.
Liliana Aitken-Jones is a Naturopath and Proprietor of Gnostic Healing Centre and Natural Apothecary
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