Orange Mint Iced Green Tea - A Refreshing and Healthy Summer Drink
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*Mint Warning!*
If you decide to plant any mint variety you will have no problem growing it! However you will have a problem containing it! So grow in a contained area or even better a container!
The sun is out, the temperature is rising and you’re looking for a refreshing but healthy drink for the summer. Yeah there’s the usual iced tea made from powder out of a box or the delicious lemonade bought at the grocery store but you feel like something different, something with a lot less sugar! Why not make your own homemade iced tea with a little extra added to it! Why not try Orange Mint Iced Green Tea! A simple mixture of fresh orange mint and Iced Green Tea brewed at home!
I've been brewing up my own Iced Green Tea for over a year now. Although green tea can be an acquired taste, adding something extra can make it great, and putting it over ice makes it the perfect summer refreshment. For years the health benefits of green tea have been circulating the watercooler, from reducing swelling to possibly protecting skin cells from ultraviolet rays, Iced Green Tea is truly a summer drink. Add some fresh mint, which has a refreshing cooling effect, hence its use in Mojitos and Mint Juleps as signature alcoholic drinks of the summer, and the cooling effects double!
Cheap Drink?
The ingredients to make a pitcher of Orange Mint Iced Green Tea are fairly inexpensive. The box of green tea was $3.99 at Whole Foods for a box of 70 tea bags, which means each tea bag is about 6 cents! The mint plant cost around $3.29 but is not only a perennial that comes back every year but also the more leaves you pick the more the plant grows! So the price per leaf or sprig is basically nothing over time! Finally if you would like to add any optional ingredients like lime, lemon, or orange the price per fruit can be fairly cheap! This means that the pitcher of Orange Mint Iced Green Tea can be made for under $5! Which means each glass is even cheaper! A refreshing and healthy summer drink on a budget!
Why Orange Mint?
I recently started a small mint garden in my backyard, in a whiskey barrel to contain the ever growing mint plants! I have three varieties: Peppermint, Chocolate Mint, and Orange Mint. Although a number of mints including spearmint would taste great in the Iced Green Tea, I thought the slight citrus flavor of the Orange Mint would be the best partner for the Iced Tea.
Making Orange Mint Iced Green Tea is fairly simple, has very few calories, is refreshing and cheap! Although to brew the tea you need to heat up water on a stove or in an electric kettle so Adult Supervision is Needed! When your Iced Tea is made find a nice spot in the shade fill your glass up and enjoy those beautiful summer days!
Cook Time
Ingredients
- Two tea bags Green Tea, Organic, fair trade Green Tea is the best!
- 4-6 sprigs Orange Mint, best if used fresh
- 1.5-2 liters Water
- 2-2.5 cups ice cubes
- 1 orange (sliced), (OPTIONAL to add flavor)
- 1 Lemon (sliced), (OPTIONAL to add flavor)
- 1 Lime (sliced), (OPTIONAL to add flavor)
- Pick 4-6 healthy looking sprigs (small branches of Orange Mint. Make sure the leaves are healthy and have no bugs on them. Also be careful not to damage your plant. When handling the leaves be gently, bruising will cause the oils to leak leaving you with less flavor!
- Wash the mint leaves under cool water, once again be careful not to bruise them or crush them. Lay out and gently pat dry.
- Find a small sprig of mint to set aside as a garnish.
- Take out two organic, fair trade (at least that's what I prefer!) green tea bags.
- Fill an electric kettle or tea pot with water. Add tea bags and bring to a simmer (you don't want to bring to a boil or the tea won't taste right!)
- As the tea is steeping for a few minutes, add mint leaves to the bottom of your Ice Tea Pitcher. Then using a muddle tool (usually found at your bar) or a round handle of a kitchen utensil (like a whisk) gently muddles the mint. Muddling is simply putting pressure on the leaves and turning the tool, it is meant to bruise the leaves, allowing the oils and flavor to diffuse into the drink.
- Once tea is ready, let cool for a min, and then pour a small amount into pitcher. (BE CAREFUL! if your pitcher is GLASS), let the leaves soak in the tea.
- Next add the cups of ice to the pitcher and pour the remaining tea in. (OPTIONAL: at this point add in any other ingredients like orange slices, lemon slices, or limes slices for added citrus flavor). Let cool for an hour or two in the refrigerator or serve over iced filled cups!
- Now you're ready to enjoy, fill a cup up with ice, pour in desire amount of tea and add Orange mint sprig to top as garnish (will make every sip not only pleasant for your taste buds but also your sense of smell!)
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Serving size: 1 cup | |
Calories | 5 |
Calories from Fat | 0 |
% Daily Value * | |
Fat 0 g | |
Saturated fat 0 g | |
Unsaturated fat 0 g | |
Carbohydrates 0 g | |
Sugar 0 g | |
Fiber 0 g | |
Protein 0 g | |
Cholesterol 0 mg | |
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. |