Take a wild guess. How many cups of coffee do you think I drink a day?
One? Two? Three? Four? a whole pot?
The answer is… Way too many! I am sure this holds true for many of us.
Coffee is a much-needed requirement for me. You really do not want to cross my path in the morning before I have had a least one cup, maybe two. My husband has nicknamed me the lovingly, the bear. He says I even growl…..ArrryyyHHH.
So everyone has to have their fix and doing this within reason actually has some health benefits. However when you start consuming greater than 2- 3 cups a day, it can have negative effects on your cardiac health and it makes you feel jittery.
Since moving to Asia, I have found a new love for tea and you know the saying, “when you’re in Rome….”. So here I am in the tea palace of the world, China. If you are a tea lover, come to Asia as there are so many types of teas, flavors, aromas, and some of very therapeutic ones as well. Cha (茶) is the word for tea in Mandarin Chinese.
In order to compensate for my need for the afternoon pick me up, instead of grabbing yet another cup of coffee, I have switched to non-caffeinated herbal tea. One of my favorite tranquil and heart warming teas is ginger lemon cha.
Ginger is an important herb for a healthy heart. Alternative medicine physicians suggest that eating a little bit of ginger every day will help to prevent heart attack. It reduces cholesterol. It also reduces blood pressure and prevents blood clots.
Ginger interferes with the long sequence of events necessary for blood clots to form. This helps to prevent clots that can lodge in narrowed coronary arteries and contribute to a heart attack.
Tranquility and Heart Warming Ginger lemon cha is a delightfully light and refreshing tea. In addition, ginger is very warming and helps with digestion and on these cool days it really helps warms me from the inside out. (As with any food or herb, it should be used in moderation. Just like eating too much chocolate can make you feel sick, so can drinking too much ginger tea as it is a warming herb)
The best news is that you do not have to travel all the way to China to enjoy this lovely tranquil and heart warming tea. It’s simple ingredients are most readily available in all parts of the world. Just sipping on a little ginger lemon cha rests my mind, warms my heart and nourishes my soul. Please follow along with me to learn how to make this simple nourishing tea….
Tranquil and Heart Warming Ginger Lemon Cha
- 3-4 peeled slices of fresh ginger root
- 1/2 fresh lemon cut in wedges
- honey to taste (I actually prefer mine without honey but if you happen to have a cold as well, honey is very therapeutic in this tea for cough)
- boiled water for tea
Step 1: Boil water for tea.
Step 2: Place ginger and lemon slices in tea-pot and cover with hot water and let steep for about 10 minutes.
Step 3: Pour the tranquil and heart warming ginger cha into tea cups and serve with a little drizzle of lemon if desired.
Step 4: You can keep adding more hot water to your ginger and lemon tea-pot and steep as desired. Depending on how fresh your ginger is, you may be able to steep up to 5-6 times and still have a lovely flavor and aroma.
Step 5: Relax and feel the heart warming effects of the ginger cha. Please visit my dear friend’s website from Filing Away Cupcakes for fantastic little Japanese tea cake that is a great companion to my ginger lemon cha. http://filingawaycupcakes.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/japanese-tea-cakes/
zestybeandog
February 23, 2012 at 8:14 am
Sounds so soothing! Mmmmm, I could use a cup right about now!
Bam's Kitchen
February 23, 2012 at 1:00 pm
I just poured myself and cup and I feel better already.
bitsandbreadcrumbs
February 23, 2012 at 10:08 am
Love this! We need some of this around our house….thanks for the tip and the recipe.
Bam's Kitchen
February 23, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Your welcome. Take care and have a good week. BAM
divaofdelicious
February 23, 2012 at 2:14 pm
This sounds so much better than coffee when suffering with a cold…My hubby calls me the java junkie though….but of course never before being infused…wisdom learned he he.
Bam's Kitchen
February 23, 2012 at 4:29 pm
A great cold buster! With the lemon, ginger and honey. It will make all your worries go away. Now I don’t even miss my afternoon java fix.
Choc Chip Uru
February 23, 2012 at 2:28 pm
This does sound very relaxing and the perfect change from green tea. I can definitely serve this to my mum and grandpa, perhaps even try it myself
Thank you for another wonderful post
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Bam's Kitchen
February 23, 2012 at 4:25 pm
Thanks Choc Chip Uru! It would be a great tea to go along with all of your sweet treats from your kitchen. BAM
Tandy
February 23, 2012 at 2:48 pm
I have something similar every afternoon! And I too am ‘nice’ before coffee number one in the morning. PS, I have a similar post in my draft folder – great minds think alike
Bam's Kitchen
February 23, 2012 at 4:23 pm
Great minds do think alike. I can’t wait to see your post! BAM
Kathleen Richardson
February 23, 2012 at 9:21 pm
I’m a big tea fan. One of my personal favorites is Chai; now I want to try Cha!
Bam's Kitchen
February 23, 2012 at 11:22 pm
Chai is cha …It sounds like some cool dance. Give it a whirl and if you like chai tea you probably like sweet ginger tea and will want some honey in yours.
gardenfreshtomatoes
February 23, 2012 at 10:31 pm
That sounds lovely…and warm. I make one with fennel seeds that also warms me right up!
Bam's Kitchen
February 23, 2012 at 11:19 pm
Ohh fennel that sound nice. I think lemongrass, ginger and lemon would be lovely as well. Have a relaxing day. BAM
Rock Salt
February 24, 2012 at 2:36 am
Do you think I can start taking a teapot into work, so I can have a supply of this on hand all day? It’s a pretty relaxed office…
Bam's Kitchen
February 24, 2012 at 2:33 pm
There are some really smart teapots that have the top as a filter/brewing area and the bottom as a reservoir. All you have to do is obtain hot water and you are in business. Work can be a happier place for you. Thanks for stopping by. BAM
jolyn
February 24, 2012 at 9:03 am
Oh yum! Your photo’s are lovely! =)
Bam's Kitchen
February 24, 2012 at 2:36 pm
Thanks Jolyn.
jothetartqueen
February 24, 2012 at 11:01 am
I really do enjoy my coffee but I also do like a warm ginger tea with lemon =)
Bam's Kitchen
February 24, 2012 at 2:39 pm
I am with you on that. I still need my jump start in the morning. However, later in the day, this is a lovely decaffeinated choice. Take Care, BAM
Purely.. Kay
February 24, 2012 at 11:45 am
I LOVE lemon in my tea.. especially in my chamomile tea. I will definitely be trying this tea out. I love it
Bam's Kitchen
February 24, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Thanks Kay. Have a lovely weekend and I will dream about your warm get aways. BAM
filingawaycupcakes
February 25, 2012 at 1:23 am
This post and my latest post should be married!
Bam's Kitchen
February 25, 2012 at 9:04 am
I agree! Let me know if you want to hook them? BAM
Bam's Kitchen
February 25, 2012 at 5:15 pm
We are all linked up! Great idea! I am on my way to make your little Japanese tea cakes!! Take care, BAM
Baker Bettie
February 25, 2012 at 10:00 am
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I have recently found a love for tea too and this sounds so warming and yummy.
Bam's Kitchen
February 25, 2012 at 10:51 am
Looking forward to keeping in touch. Take Care, BAM
{Main St. Cuisine}
February 25, 2012 at 12:23 pm
Oh, this sounds like the perfect cup of tea for the afternoon. I love ginger so I’ll be trying this over the weekend. Thank you for sharing!
Bam's Kitchen
February 25, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Thanks for stopping by my website so I could find yours. Looking forward to keeping in touch. BAM
filingawaycupcakes
February 25, 2012 at 3:23 pm
Linked you! Check it out:]
Bam's Kitchen
February 29, 2012 at 8:02 am
I linked you as well. Great Idea. Take Care, BAM
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide
February 26, 2012 at 12:41 am
That does look delicious! I drink way too few… oh wait, we always have unsweet iced tea on hand.
Bam's Kitchen
February 29, 2012 at 8:05 am
Greg, have you every tried this Ginger spirit from Germany called Ratzeputz? It is a ginger based spirituous that will knock your socks off. Very spicy!
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide
February 29, 2012 at 8:41 am
Um, no. Thanks for the recommendation!
Wholesome Cook
February 28, 2012 at 7:19 am
So fresh and wonderful – great for colds and digestion I hear! I have lemon in my black tea, it’s wonderful! And you can never have too many cups!
Bam's Kitchen
February 29, 2012 at 12:18 pm
It is really a wonderful tea for colds and helps with digestion. It also helps calm my spirits after a stressful day. I better make a double batch as the start of my day has been a little tough! Take Care, BAM
spree
March 1, 2012 at 7:56 am
ahhh, ginger and honey! love them apart and love them together! this sounds like a soothing winter cupful!
startupbabies
March 1, 2012 at 11:22 am
looks refreshing!!!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
March 3, 2012 at 5:10 am
i love the lemon and ginger combination, it is so comforting
Bam's Kitchen
March 4, 2012 at 9:23 am
Thanks, there are some days that we need all the comforting we can get. This tea is sure to make anyone feel better soon.