Green Tea with Honey & Lemon | Evening Ritual Drink

Green Tea with Basil Leaves, Honey & Lemon

By Barnali Dutta | Published: 2014-06-04

At the end of my day, I always prefer green tea, honey and lemon with homemade snacks. I do not like the taste of green tea, so I always prefer to take tasty Indian snacks along with it, which can easily balance my taste buds, thinking in mind that my tea would balance my bad cholesterol level with the goodness of green tea.

The aroma of jasmine garland and burning aromatic sandalwood incense, the soft light of aromatic candle in my room, I am relaxing and meditating as Bengali people do during evening puja—Shondhhe prodip—while women light oil lamps under the tulsi tree and sound their conchs, offering basil leaves with sugar candy ‘tulsi-misri’, but in a non-ritualistic way.

Understanding Tea & Its Preparation

Beverages cover a wide range of hot and cold drinks. The nutritive value depends upon the beverage, what is added in serving, and the ingredients used in preparation.

Though tea or coffee are easy to prepare, certain approved practices should be followed to assure consistently excellent taste. The principle is to obtain maximum flavor, aroma and color with minimum astringency.

A perfectly made cup of tea is clear—black tea appears amber, green tea appears yellow—with no bitterness and a delicate aroma.

Basic Suggestions for Perfect Tea

• Use an earthenware or glass pot exclusively for tea.
• Never boil tea.
• Use accurate measures: 1 teaspoon tea or 1 tea bag per cup.
• Weaker tea should be made by diluting regular tea with hot water.
• Steeping time should not exceed 5 minutes.

Refreshing green tea served with honey, lemon & fresh basil leaves

Ingredients

• Green tea – 1 teaspoon or 1 tea bag per cup
• Honey – 2 teaspoons
• Fresh lemon juice – 1/2 teaspoon
• Fresh sweet basil leaves – 4 to 5

Directions

1. Bring fresh water to a boil.
2. Place tea in a freshly scalded pot.
3. Pour boiling water over tea and cover.
4. Steep for 3–5 minutes.
5. Strain into cup if using loose tea.
6. Add honey and lemon.
7. Serve immediately.
8. If not serving immediately, transfer to a preheated pot.

Substitutions & Variations

• Add milk and sugar for Indian dudh chai.
• For Nepali masala chai, add milk, sugar, peppercorn, cloves, cardamom & cinnamon.
• Try butter tea (Tibetan Po Cha) with a small amount of butter.
• Ginger tea for rainy days.
• Blooming tea such as hibiscus for floral flavor.
• Darjeeling tea for a classic aromatic experience.

Iced Tea

Prepare tea using 3 tablespoons or 9 tea bags for 2 cups boiling water. Steep for 3–5 minutes, strain into a pitcher, and add 2 cups cold water. Let stand, then pour over ice.

Alternative Cold Brew Method

Double the tea quantity and steep in cold water for about 8 hours in the refrigerator. Strain, pour over ice, and add chilled orange juice before serving.