It took me a while to love green tea, but now I can't get enough of it. It's got antioxidants, properties that help you lose weight, and also contains caffeine (YES!). With a little bit of diligence, I've found ways to work green tea into my sugar and caffeine addicted body. If you're not a regular tea drinker yet, here's how to make green tea taste better. Before you know it, you'll be hooked.
1. Buy better green tea
The sad and sorry truth is that buying higher quality tea makes a HELLAVUH difference. Here's my thought on it: if you have crappy tea, you won't want to drink it, so it's a waste anyway. Do yourself a favor, and find a green tea worth investing in. Do you like caffeine or no? Do you like added fruit flavors? Invest in a favorite, and hide it from your friends and coworkers. It's worth it.
2. Take it out before it's "done"
Green tea has a short "sitting" time in water. Make sure to take it out a little before you think is necessary (unless you're super anal about it and time the tea exactly). I only leave in some cheap green teas for one minute so they don't turn bitter. Adjust your timing, and see what it does for you taste buds.
3. Use a little sweetener
Honest Tea is a popular iced tea brand that gives a little sweetness. A normal bottle usually has 48g, and these bottles have about 18g. Green tea is a little bitter, so adding a hint of sweetener can be the perfect balance. You can use a little squeeze of honey or a favorite juice so it blends well.
4. Add some ginger
Fresh ginger goes incredibly well with green tea. As a natural anti-inflammatory, ginger goes well in green tea after a workout or a stressful day.
5. Add fresh spices and herbs
Adding other fresh herbs is great for green tea. I would stay away from powdered stuff (unless that's all you have), and try fresh mint or a whole cinnamon stick. For hot tea, just add the cinnamon stick while you are boiling the water. For cold tea, pinch the mint leaves and stir them in your cup. It brings a whole other dimension to your tea!
6. Share a teapot with friends
Green tea is generally caffeinated, and I find that green tea tastes better when everyone is sharing from the same teapot. I used to study with friends and bring an electric kettle to share hot water with friends. You'll see how they prepare their own cup so you can prepare your tea in new ways in the future.
7. Mix with fruit teas
I used to live in a house that had about 8 billion different tea bags, so when I was feeling adventurous I would add a bag of the fruit or herbal teas to my green tea. My favorite combination was white tea with peach and the green tea. That way, I wasn't stuck with 50 of the same "flavored" green tea bags.
8. Make your own iced tea
Chilled green teas are popular in refrigerator section at the grocery store, but you can make your own version at home. Triple or quadruple a batch of green tea and let it cool overnight to take in the morning, or make more green tea bags in less water, then add ice. Put it in a large cup, and you've got yourself a homemade venti green tea.
9. Enjoy in the afternoon
Now that I'm a grad student, coffee in the afternoon is a common occurrence. Since green tea is naturally caffeinated, I try to switch out my afternoon coffee with this stuff, and it tends to make me feel calmer and more focused. Coupled with my "Deep Focus" playlist on my Spotify, my afternoon study/work times aren't quite so terrible.
10. Add a squeeze of lemon juice
Supposedly lemon helps green tea work better in your body. I don't know if I can actually feel the benefits of lemon, but I sure can taste it. I generally keep it fresh and just add a slice and let it float at the top of my cup (makes me feel fancy!).
11. Mix with lemon and whiskey
Many people believe that lemon, whiskey, and honey are actually beneficial to curing colds. Hallelujah! But seriously, you can add whiskey to your green tea. I wouldn't go party with a hot green tea and whiskey, but I definitely would end a three-hour statistics exam with one (aka me last week).
So what? Now that you know how to make green tea taste better, your tea doesn't have to take like dirt water anymore. If you love the taste of green tea on its own, that's okay too. And if you find yourself getting sick, try drinking one of these five teas to help you feel better.