Today’s a Good Day for Hot Ginger Lemon Tea

Ginger tea is available in bulk or tea bags: ginger flavored black tea, ginger flavored green tea, plain ginger tea (without tea leaves) honey-ginger crystals that you mix with hot water, and if you like, a little soy milk for an after dinner treat …

So many ginger teas — so little time!

Welp, my favorite way to drink ginger tea is to make it from fresh ginger root, brown rice green tea and lemon zest. The flavors of made-from-scratch ginger tea are incomparable to the store-bought kind. The only downside is that fresh ginger root tends to get moldy if you don’t use it within a couple of weeks. Keep fresh ginger root refrigerated. To keep ginger longer, wrap the root in plastic wrap or a zip baggies  (keeps it from dehydrating) or, put the ginger root in a mason jar covered with sherry (this will keep forever.) See notes below for storing ginger.

The toasted brown rice gives this ginger tea an amazing toasty-almost-like-popcorn-but-it’s-rice flavor.

Here’s how I make it:

• I like to make genmaicha with a tea bag (Choice brand because it’s organic) although I vary it up with bulk green tea mixed with genmai (just the toasted rice kernels) that I buy at an Asian grocery store in Seattle (Uwajimaya.) You can also toast your own brown rice kernels in a dry frying pan.
• Follow directions or just wing-it, when deciding how much bulk tea to use.
• Slice about 1/2 inch from your fresh ginger root and peel it. Or not. Put the ginger slices in the cup or teapot with the tea bags and a few twists of lemon zest. The lemon zest gives this tea extra pizzazz!
• Let it steep for about 3 minutes, then strain all the little bits from the tea.
• If you like lemony flavor, try adding just a teensy squeeze of lemon juice. Yummo.
• Enjoy with a handful of warm crunchy homemade granola. Or snack of your choice.

Links & Notes:

• Uwajimaya in Seattle is located at 600 5th Ave South, Seattle Washington. I buy my genmaicha here in bulk, when I am in the city.
• Or … look for genmaicha at your supermarket, any Asian market or at a tea shop. 
• Choice Genmaicha (organic brand in tea bags)
• Toast your own brown rice kernels to make genmai
• Instagram photos of genmaicha — just fun to see all the different variations and brands
• How to Make Ginger Tisane or Tea (with step by step photos)
• Store ginger one of these ways: 
  • peeled, sliced or grated and frozen in plastic baggies
  • unpeeled, refrigerated in plastic baggie
  • unpeeled or peeled, whole root, submerged in dry sherry or sake (the sherry/sake will change the flavor of the ginger but it’s still delicious!)