Food on Friday: Ginger, lime and honey tea

I'm a sucker for a good cup of tea.  More so than coffee, tea is my comfort drink of choice.  I like coffee, but I like it in a very specific way (in a large mug, in my pajamas on a lazy Sunday) and find that just about any other time I drink it, it is more for the caffeine boost than for the enjoyment of it.

But tea...warm, soothing and versatile tea is comfort to my soul just about any time of any day.  In the morning, you can have it black and strong.  In the afternoon, you can get a little pick me up--one that won't keep you up until 2 am--with a little jasmine green.  Take the herbal route in the evening to put you to sleep and throw a nice fruit flavored tea in there from time to time.

My current favorite (read: obsession) is ginger, lime and honey tea.  I first tried this freshly made from a cafe here in Nuremberg.  While ginger and lemon is a very common (and a bit boring) combination, lime and ginger don't show up together quite so often.  The lime is a fantastic (and a bit sweeter, fresher) compliment to the ginger.  Adding just a bit of honey balances the two intense flavors.

------

Ingredients:

Water
Fresh ginger
Fresh lime
Honey

Method:

Fill a sauce pan with about 1/2 a liter of water.  Slice 1 1/2 inches of fresh ginger and put in pan.  Bring water to a boil then turn down to low.  Let simmer for 10-20 minutes (depending on how strong you like your ginger taste to be).  Taste it after 10 minutes, then every few minutes after until you reach your desired strength.

Add the juice of about a 1/4 of a lime.  I always add a little at a time and taste it along the way.  You want the lime to enhance the taste of the ginger, not cover it up.  Add honey a teaspoon at a time until you reach desired sweetness.

Enjoy!

TIP:  I think this would also made a delicious cold tea.  I plan on making it two ways over the summer.  First, I will serve it as is, but chilled.  Second, I will make a concentrate of it (using the same ingredients but less water), chill it and then top it off with sparkling water for a refreshing and healthy "soda."

------

I hope you have a fantastic weekend!  It will be cooooold here, so I will be needing a lot of this warming tea.  Have fun and I hope you stay a bit warmer than we are here!