I’m a big fan of tea, and as the cold season rolls around in New York, something nice and hot is perfect. However, there’s only so much caffeinated tea that I can drink in a day, and most herbal teas that you buy don’t taste all that flavorful (a bit too cardboard-like for my tastes). But this ginger basil tea made with fresh ginger and fresh basil is a great way to fend off the winter chill.
All you need is some ginger and basil and hot water!
Use a grater to grate about 1/2 teaspoon of ginger (or 10 thin slices) for every 2 cups of boiling water, and use around 4 basil leavesfor that much water. Of course, you can add less if you don’t want your tea to be so strong, or more if you want it stronger!
You can make this in a regular teapot – just remember to take the basil leaves out before pouring and to pour the tea through a sieve or strainer to get rid of the bits of ginger. Alternatively (and this is what I do), get one of these nifty teapots with a sieve built into the bottom (from Amazon). I actually have the one made by Adagio Tea from Amazon, but I leave that one at work. The one shown in this photo is from Teavana, which is pretty much identical to the one sold on Amazon except for the shape. Simply let the tea brew for 5 minutes in the pot.
When you’re ready to pour the tea out, sit it gently on top of your teacup, and liquid will flow out through the bottom of the pot (there’s a base that gets pressed when the pot is placed on top of the cup). Just be careful that you don’t put too much liquid into the cup so that it overflows (because you can’t see how full the cup is getting when you have the pot over it).
The ginger flavor is foremost in the tea, but there’s a pleasing basil aftertaste that lingers. Great for invigorating the body and clearing the mind! Cuppa tea anyone?
Category: Drinks
Cuisine: Chinese
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