How to Make Iced Green Tea

When it is hot, all we reach for is a glass of something cold. It could be anything like a soft drink, an aerated drink, a milk shake, a smoothie or an iced tea. I'm sure everyone at least once in their lifetime, must have tasted the regular iced tea. Well... here's the twist!

Use green tea this time, instead of black tea. You will not only get refreshed, but also will experience a host of other benefits like reduced risk of cancer, an aid for weight loss and increased resistance to oxidants. Excited? Grab a pen and paper quickly, and start noting down the recipe to brew up a fantastic cup of good health.

Ingredients

• Tea Bags 6 bags
• Boiling Water 3 cups
• Honey or Sweetener 6 spoonfuls
• Lemon Juice 5 spoonfuls
• Cold Water 3 cups
• Mint Leaves and Lemon Wedges for garnishing

• In a teapot, pour boiling water and the tea bags. Boil it for some time.
• Turn off the heat and allow the tea to steep in the water for about 5 to 6 minutes.
• Remove the tea bags and let the tea cool.
• Once the tea has reached room temperature, add honey or any other sweetener in it.
• While stirring add lemon juice into the tea.

• Add cold water and refrigerate the tea for some time.
• Fill tall glasses with ice cubes, and put in the lemon wedges and mint leaves.
• Pour the cold tea and enjoy a refreshing drink.

Ingredients

• Water 6 cups
• Ground Ginger 2 tsp
• Sugar ¾ cup
• Green Tea Bags 5 bags
• Mint Leaves 1 cup
• Lemon Rind 1 tsp
• Lemon Juice 3 tbsp
• Honey 1 cup

• In a sauce pan, take water and add ginger as well as the sugar, and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Once the water reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit, lower the heat and continue to boil the water for about 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat and pour into a pot. Add the tea bags and the mint leaves. Add the rind of the lemon.

• Cover the tea and allow the tea bags and the flavors to steep into the water for about 15 minutes.
• Stir occasionally to allow the tea to steep better into the water.
• Remove the tea bags and store the tea into the fridge.
• Once the tea becomes cold, add some lemon juice and honey into it and stir till it all blends well.
• Chill and serve in tall glasses with ice.

• The calories in green tea are zero. Need I say anything more than that?
• It is rich in epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a flavonoid, which makes it a great antioxidant.

• Green tea is also rich in polyphenols. Polyphenols help in getting rid of the bad cholesterol, the low density lipoprotein, which get stored in the arteries of the heart. This helps to avoid heart blockages and heart attacks.

• It also has anticancer properties. Experts have researched and found that those who drank green tea regularly reduced the chances of cancer, and those who already were detected by cancer were benefited with the reduction of the cancerous cells.

• When applied topically to the skin, green tea extract is said to have helped in curing skin cancer.
• It helps in destroying the bacteria that causes tooth decay and other tooth problems.

• It promotes weight loss by boosting the metabolism.
• It helps in thinning the blood. Blood clots are prevented by drinking green tea regularly.
• Blood circulation improves by regular consumption of green tea.

As you can see, the health benefits are many and it also tastes yummy. With so many flavors available to choose from, isn't it wiser to opt for green tea rather than reaching for the bottle of soda?