If you are looking for a quick and easy Jamaican ginger tea recipe, stop your search now. We have the best recipe to help you on those hot summer days (when you ice it) or on those chilly winter months (if you drink it warm). This recipe is so great that you will like it both ways.
I love this recipe because it doesn’t have a tea bag (I hate sitting them around while I’m drinking my tea and I think they look gross in my trash can). It uses ginger, some lemon, and honey, making it the best for those days when you just don’t feel good. Even better, it helps to soothe your vocal cords.
Jamaican Ginger Tea Recipe
To make your own tea from scratch might sound pretty intimidating, but it is actually once of the easiest “from scratch” drink recipes you will find. It takes about 5 minutes to make it and once you know how to do it, it will take even less.
The secret is using freshly grated ginger. You can get fresh ginger root online or at most supermarkets. If you want the freshest, it is best to go to a local independent market or farmer’s market.
Ingredients:
- 1 Inch Fresh Ginger Root
- ½ Lemon
- Honey, as desired
- 2 Cups Of Filtered Water
Tools
- Grater
- Teapot
- Strainer
Instructions
- Stay by boiling two cups of water. Use filtered water to get the best quality tea and to help it taste better. If you are using an electric kettle, aim for 208 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are using a tea kettle, just boil until it whistles.
- While your water boils, peel an inch long piece of ginger root and grate it into a teapot with a strainer. (Note that you can use different lengths of ginger root, this will make a stronger tea.)
- Take your half of a lemon and thinly slice it. You do not need to take out the seeds if your teapot has a strainer. Just make sure that you do not get any seeds if you aren’t going to strain out your ginger pulp. You can also just juice the lemon or use lemon juice. If you are going to put your lemon slices into the tea, make sure that you wash the lemon well.
- Add as much honey as you want to the teapot.
- Pour boiling water into the teapot, cover, and allow it to steep for about 5 minutes. You can allow it to steep longer if you want a stronger flavor. Just make sure that you keep the teapot covered, especially if you want to drink hot tea.
- Strain the ginger tea solids and pour the hot tea into your teacup. You do not have to strain out the pulp if you do not want to – but most people prefer it without the pulp.
There you have it, one of the easiest possible recipes for Jamaican ginger tea. You can make this in a few other ways, but I have found that this is the best option. Some people will make it using a ginger tea bag, and that is a pretty good option as well. Others will use a powder, which is honestly my least favorite way to make Jamaican ginger tea. I really do think that using pure, whole ingredients in the best way to do it.
You can add anything else that you want to it as well. Some people would like it to be a bit sweeter so they will add sugar, more honey, or even berries. Sometimes people will even add a splash of cream.
Common Questions About Jamaican Ginger Tea
Here are some of the most common questions I get about ginger tea whenever I talk to someone about it:
Is It Really From Jamaica?
I got my recipe from someone from Trinidad, but I am sure there are many forms of this floating around. Most people say Jamaica because there is an abundance of fresh ginger there.
Does this drink have any caffeine?
No – there isn’t any caffeine in ginger tea, which is why I tend to drink it at night. You can still get a natural burst of energy, but it won’t be enough to keep you from sleeping.
Can I prep any ingredients ahead of time?
While I like to keep all of my ingredients as fresh as possible, you can grate the ginger ahead of time. If you are going to wait any more than a few hours, it is best to put your ginger in a sealable plastic bag, flatten it to get as much of the air out as possible, and then freeze it. When you need some of it, you can break off a piece and use it.
I still think the best results come from fresh, however.
Do I need to strain out the ginger pulp?
If you want to get the pulp (which has some additional vitamins and nutrients that you need in your diet), you can just eat the ginger pulp.
Can I make any substitutions?
As with any recipe, this is your own drink so you can do whatever you want with it. If you aren’t a fan of sliced lemons, for example, you can just use the juice to help cut back on the pulp. You can also peel around the lemon so that you don’t get the rind in it.
When I am making this tea for someone who doesn’t like sour stuff, I tend to use Meyer lemons because they are sweeter and less acidic. That’s also a good tip for someone who is worried about the enamel on their teeth.
Can I make Jamaican iced ginger tea?
While this recipe did start out as a hot tea, I’ve found that I love it as an iced tea as well. I tend to add a bit of sparkling water for an extra kick.
Can I make a bunch of this for iced tea?
If you want to make a pitcher of iced ginger tea, you absolutely can. I’d just suggest not making it too far in advance and only making as much as you think you will need for the immediate future.
