Compound
Let's look at the composition of black tea with lemon.
The drink contains the following main components:
- Black tea. It is a source of tannins (catechins, tannins, polyphenols) and alkaloids. It also contains proteins and about 17 amino acids. Its composition is characterized by the presence of essential oils and vitamins (A, C, P, PP, from group B).
- Lemon boasts organic acids (malic, citric), pectin, and sugars. Citrus fruits are a source of carotene and phytoncides (substances of plant origin that have an antimicrobial effect). Lemon is a storehouse of vitamins (B1 and B2, C, P), the smells of which are determined by the essential oil (lemon).
Black tea and lemon are needed on their own, and their combination not only gives the drink a pleasant taste and citrus smell, but also makes it truly unique, enriching it with components valuable for the human body.
Green tea is not inferior to black tea in its parameters. Adding a slice of lemon will enrich it with essential elements.
Beneficial properties of lemon tea
Initially, it was served in taverns - it helped travelers warm up and gave them fresh strength, and relieved nausea after shaking on Russian roads.
Today it has been proven that the benefits of a mug of such a citrus drink are not limited to this.
Lemon is a storehouse of vitamin C, essential minerals and other valuable components. It is an excellent antiseptic (fights colds), strengthens blood vessels and the nervous system, tones and activates the defenses of our body.
Tea is a source of antioxidants that prolong youth and health, it helps strengthen the heart and cleanse blood vessels, and is responsible for healthy digestion and general metabolism.
Have you tried African rooibos tea yet? Learn how to brew rooibos tea and what beneficial properties it has.
And also be sure to try the national Tibetan tea. Read this link for the method of preparation and composition of Tibetan tea.
In combination with each other, citrus and the world’s favorite drink only enhance these beneficial qualities, but under one condition - the tea must be of excellent quality and brewed correctly.
To preserve all the healing power of lemon, it is advised to place a slice in a slightly cooled drink - then vitamin C will not have time to be destroyed.
Those who appreciate the benefits of tea itself and like to try new varieties can be advised to change the black drink with lemon to green - the taste will be more subtle and unusual, and the amount of valuable antioxidants in the mug will increase significantly.
Adding lemon to ginger tea is also beneficial.
Use during pregnancy
Tea with lemon during pregnancy is a rather ambiguous issue; debates about its benefits continue for a long time.
Experts definitely recommend: in a delicate situation, it is better to drink black tea - green tea interferes with the normal absorption of folic acid, which is especially important for expectant mothers.
Useful qualities
Lemon drink benefits the entire body. Lemon tea, which is essential in summer, is refreshing, removes accumulated water from the body, and also eliminates thirst.
- Organic acids normalize the functioning of the digestive tract. Promote the absorption of food, prevent the accumulation of toxins and waste. They speed up the metabolic process in the body.
- The benefits of green tea with lemon are high in antioxidants. They remove harmful radicals that contribute to the development of various diseases. If you drink without adding sweeteners, its quality increases several times.
- Vitamin C prevents the formation of anemia. Ascorbic acid plays an important role in the absorption of iron. The microelement is necessary to provide oxygen to human tissues and organs.
- If you drink lemon tea often in the morning, you can noticeably improve your skin. Gives skin firmness and firmness and prevents age-related changes.
- Hot lemon tea is necessary for vitamin deficiency. During the cold season, it has a warming effect and strengthens the immune system.
- The drink is used to prevent hypertension and painful joints.
- Prevents the development of scurvy (acute vitamin C deficiency).
- Helps fight acute respiratory infections. With the rapid development of the disease, drug treatment is mandatory, and in addition this drink.
- The benefit of black tea with lemon is its higher content of pectins and alkaloids. They normalize the functioning of the nervous system. The drink reduces the risk of acquiring chronic diseases.
The benefits and harms of lemon tea do not depend on the period of its consumption. During the hot season, it eliminates thirst and replenishes vitamin deficiencies. It can be harmful if used in excess.
What diseases does it help with?
The aromatic drink is recommended for use in such diseases.
- acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections. Helps with immunity. It is a diuretic that helps eliminate infection from the body. When coughing, it helps relieve pain in the larynx. But lemon tea is not a cure. It only promotes a speedy recovery and elimination of the symptoms of the disease.
- Angina. In acute cases, it is not recommended to drink the drink so as not to irritate the mucous membrane. But at the initial stage and for the prevention of disease, such drinks help increase protective functions.
- High blood pressure or hypotension. Lemon tea may increase or decrease blood pressure. Green tea with a huge amount of lemon is useful for hypertension. People with low blood pressure can benefit from black tea with a small piece of citrus fruit.
- Withdrawal syndrome. The tonic effect of the drink is especially noticeable the next morning after drinking alcohol. In this case, sugar is added to the drink. Glucose helps restore water balance.
- Kinetosis
- Quickly relieves nausea.
- Depression and stress. Drinking a cup of lemon green tea in the morning will help you get rid of bad feelings.
- Gastritis. Flavored water is contraindicated for people with high acidity. With low stomach acidity, on the contrary, the drink should be made mandatory.
- Poisoning. Eliminates the gag reflex, destroys microorganisms and prevents the accumulation of harmful toxins.
- Obesity. The qualities of lemons are the breakdown of fat in the body. Helps speed up the metabolic process. The calorie content in such a drink is minimal if there is no sweetener.
For men, the benefits of lemon tea are characterized by increased reproductive function. The drink prevents the development of diseases of the genitourinary system. But although such a drink should be drunk in moderation, otherwise the effect may be the opposite and cause harm to the digestive tract.
Helps fight excess weight
Tea with lemon and honey is needed not only for colds, but also in the fight against excess weight. This drink promotes digestion, relieves constipation and improves skin condition. But in order for the tea to be highly beneficial, you can add medicinal herbs: linden, chamomile, mint, thyme and others. Lemon green tea relieves thirst and tones.
Those who want to lose weight can drink tea with lemon and ginger. This drink helps not only in the fight against extra pounds, but also against colds, because it perfectly warms up and activates the immune system.
But this tea was beneficial not only for colds, but also in the cold season, you need to know how to drink it. In particular, the nutritional value of the drink allows you to fight extra pounds: calories are only 28 kcal, carbohydrates 6.8 g and protein 0.1 g. In particular, due to the fact that the value of the drink is low, it helps to lose excess weight, but costs Keep in mind that it can cause damage even when low in calories as it is high in acid and has a terrible effect on the digestive system.
Classic lemon tea recipes
Black tea with citrus
The main and favorite recipe for everyone since childhood is regular black tea with lemon .
To do this, pour a heaped spoonful of good tea leaves (for one cup) into a dry and warm kettle, pour boiling water over it and leave for a few minutes.
Pour into mugs and let cool slightly, then add 1-2 slices of citrus to taste. To enhance the aroma, you can slightly mash the lemon with a spoon in a glass.
To maximize the lemon flavor in the drink, prepare tea with lemon zest .
Carefully remove the peel from the fruit and dry it in the oven. Then grind the zest in a coffee grinder and mix with dry black tea in any proportion to taste.
We brew as usual; you can add a slice of peeled citrus to the finished infusion for more flavor.
Recipe with mint and honey
How to prepare tea with lemon to get the healthiest drink possible? Mint and honey will help.
Black tea with honey is an ideal drink in the off-season, when the risk of catching a cold increases rapidly.
It is also good for those who want to stop drinking tea with sugar, but are unable to give up the sweet infusion right away.
For honey tea, add 1-2 spoons of high-quality honey to a freshly brewed but slightly cooled drink, then add a lemon drop.
If you prepare a weak infusion in the evening, it will perfectly calm your nerves, help you relax and fall asleep quickly.
Soothing mint tea
Soothing mint tea is usually prepared as follows: add a mint leaf to a mug with hot, freshly brewed infusion, and when it cools down a little, add lemon.
If you don’t have fresh mint in the house, you can use dried mint – the leaves are placed in the teapot along with the tea leaves. You can also add lemon balm tea leaves or rose hips.
Do you like original varieties of tea? Hibiscus tea takes on a bright red color after brewing.
Chamomile teas can be used not only for illnesses. Find out at this address how to brew chamomile tea with honey for every day.
Traditional Kalmyk tea is prepared with milk from a special pressed variety of tea. Read on this page about Kalmyk tiled tea and how to brew it.
Useful for children
It is advisable to start introducing a lemon-flavored drink into your baby's diet starting at 10 months. First, it is better for the child to try a small piece of citrus fruit. If there are no allergic manifestations, lemon juice can be diluted with hot water and sugar.
It is not recommended for children to drink lemon tea every day, so as not to increase the level of acidity in the stomach.
Drinking in moderation is beneficial:
- normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract (relieves constipation and diarrhea);
- prevents the growth of bacteria in the mouth;
- lemon tea helps with a child's fever;
- promotes rapid recovery from colds;
- during hot periods it relieves thirst.
The citrus drink is especially necessary for children with a lack of vitamins in the body. Thanks to the properties of lemon, they will compensate for these losses.
Lemon tea during pregnancy
Is it possible to drink tea with lemon during pregnancy? This question is asked by many expectant mothers who do not want to give up their favorite drink, but are afraid of harming the child. Doctors have mixed opinions about black and green tea. Soothing green tea interferes with the absorption of folic acid, which is essential during pregnancy. Therefore, you can drink this tea from time to time, but not often.
Peppermint tea will help cope with toxicosis, and chamomile will help prevent swelling. But chamomile is good to drink in small quantities - no more than 0.5 liters per day. Black lemon tea, like linden tea, can be a complete non-hazardous replacement for cold medications, and raspberry tea will perfectly reduce the temperature.
White tea with lemon is also healthy - it contains a huge amount of essential substances, including vitamin C.
Lemon is essential during pregnancy, as it helps support the immune system, but does not cause allergies, unlike other citrus fruits. In addition, the calorie content of lemon tea is very low, since the expectant mother does not risk gaining extra pounds.
How to brew green tea
After purchasing the treasured tea bag, the question arises of how to brew it correctly. The Chinese prefer to use the pouring method, as opposed to the usual Russian infusion of leaves until bitter. The essence of this method is that tea is poured with hot water for no more than a minute, after which it is poured into mugs. Thanks to this, it releases all the beneficial properties, and does not have time to transfer tannins to the water, which negatively affect health. High-quality green tea can withstand from 5 to 10 pours without deteriorating in taste and aroma.
Secrets of delicious tea:
- water must be clean, spring, filtered or distilled;
- the optimal water temperature for brewing is 80-85 degrees;
- The kettle must be heated or rinsed with boiling water before adding leaves;
- the ideal ratio of dry product and water is a teaspoon per 200 ml;
- the first spill should be poured out, since it is preparatory;
- Each subsequent brew is held a few seconds longer than the previous one.
You can brew tea in spills up to 10 times
The sequence of actions for enjoying delicious tea is as follows: heat the water to a temperature of 80 degrees so that bubbles begin to appear on the walls, rinse the teapot with it, put the tea leaves in it, make the first pour, pour it out, make a second pour, pour it into a cup and drink. It seems to be nothing complicated, but over time, an understanding of the importance of each movement comes, and the tea reveals itself more and more to the craftsman, allowing him to feel all the facets of taste and aroma.
Cooking methods
The strong taste of tea goes well with the sour taste of aromatic fruits. It is worth considering the fact that black tea and green tea with lemon have different gastronomic characteristics and even special healing properties. Adding citrus fruits can transform the taste of drinks. According to gourmets, only hibiscus does not mix with it.
Regarding brewing tea, there may be some nuances, depending on the raw materials and the desired effect:
- The usual method . We take a portion of black, green or white tea and put it in a warm teapot. The brew should be taken in a larger volume than usual; the astringency of the finished drink will decrease, in any case, after adding lemon. Pour boiled water, cooled to 95 ° C, filling the container by a third. After 2 minutes, add water to the edge and leave on the table for at least 6 minutes. We already add lemon and sugar to the spilled drink; a circle of chopped citrus fruits or even half is enough.
Interesting fact: the tradition of adding lemon to tea originated in Russia, and not in India, China or England, as some believe. For some time, pieces of fruit were added to the samovar with water, but this habit did not take root, and pieces of lemon began to be dipped into the already prepared drink.
- Healing green tea with lemon . Pour green tea into a warm teapot, fill it with boiling water (90-95 ° C) and leave for 3 minutes. We add mint leaves and jasmine or white chrysanthemum. We wait another 3 minutes and pour the drink into cups, add lemon. No sugar is added, if you like it sweeter, honey is used. It is worth considering the fact that such a mass is no longer poured with boiling water, you need to drink this tea, and then repeat everything all over again.
- Toning tea with lemon and ginger. We put black or green tea in a thermos and ginger, cut into strips, and fill it with boiled water into the thermos. Leave for 40 minutes, pour into cups and add lemon. The drink is concentrated, so it is best to drink it in small quantities from coffee mugs.
The classic approach is not the best method for making lemon tea. The benefits and harms of the drink change if you brew tea leaves separately, and then simply dilute them with boiling water and add pieces of fruit. Using already chilled tea leaves is generally considered to degrade the quality of the product. This composition has neither usefulness nor pleasant taste.
How to choose green tea
Green tea is sold in two forms: loose leaf, loose or packaged in a sealed bag, and bagged. And if the first one can be examined, smelled and understood what it is made of, then figuring out what the manufacturer poured into a translucent bag is beyond the power of even the most seasoned tea professional.
Choosing quality tea is not an easy task
Without detracting from all the advantages of bagged teas, especially their convenience in the frantic pace of life in the 21st century, green tea lovers will never take it for real, thoughtful tea drinking. Therefore, all further recommendations on the choice, method of brewing and drinking the drink will relate exclusively to loose leaf tea.
Criteria for choosing green tea:
- Appearance.
Good green tea should be the appropriate color, not too dark, without spots. It is believed that the best varieties have a pleasant pistachio hue. The leaves can be of any shape, the main thing is that they are not broken, and that when poured over, no debris is formed. - Humidity.
Like any dry bulk product, tea leaves require suitable storage conditions. If the room is damp, they swell and begin to mold, losing their beneficial properties and becoming dangerous for consumption. Therefore, if the tea wrinkles when touched, then it is better to refuse the purchase. - Smell.
High-quality tea exudes a pleasant, not very pronounced tea aroma. Strong sweet smells indicate that it is flavored and low-grade. Extraneous notes that are not typical for tea indicate that it was transported or stored in unsealed packaging and the resulting drink will contain undesirable impurities. - Collection time.
This criterion directly affects the taste of the finished drink. For example, leaves from a summer harvest will give a slight bitterness, while leaves from a spring harvest will add sweetness. In this case, you need to take into account how long ago the tea was packaged. The fresher it is, the better, and after a year you can safely throw it away. - Price.
An important aspect that should also be paid attention to. Alas, high-quality tea cannot be cheap. Options cheaper than 500 rubles per 100 grams are unlikely to give an understanding of real Chinese green tea. In specialized stores, good tea will cost from one to two thousand rubles per 100 grams, and up to infinity.
How many cups can you drink per day
If there are no problems with high acidity and heartburn, then you can drink tea with lemon 5-6 times a day.
“Can I drink green tea with lemon?” - many people ask.
This is not only possible, but also necessary. Green tea itself is a powerful antioxidant that removes toxins and waste from the body that promote disease. In combination with lemon, it not only strengthens the immune system, but also cleanses the body of toxins.
Maybe you are interested in the question, why does lemon tea lighten? The answer to this question is very simple, the pH level changes after adding citric acid.
With ginger
It's very easy to prepare:
- Grate the ginger root, then grind this mixture with a slice of lemon. Add sugar to taste and pour boiling water. Allow to infuse for 15-20 minutes.
This spicy drink will give you strength and warmth on long winter evenings. Tea with lemon and ginger is a tasty and necessary drink that has a tonic effect.
Mint tea with ginger and lemon
Preparation method:
Pour boiling water over 1 teaspoon of ginger, 2 mint leaves and thyme. After the drink has infused, add lemon and honey to taste. Peppermint tea with ginger and lemon has a relaxing effect and helps relieve headaches.
Green tea with strawberry and lime
During the strawberry season, you can prepare not only aromatic pastries and desserts, but also delicious drinks.
Ingredients:
- water - 1 l
- green tea - 4 tsp.
- strawberries - 150 g
- lime - 1 pc.
- sugar - 1.5 tbsp. l.
- mint - 2 sprigs
Cooking method:
- Boil water and pour green tea into it. Let it brew a little. Strain.
- Add sugar and cool the drink.
- Cut the washed strawberries in half and cut the lime into thin slices. Add mint to tea.
- Mix well and refrigerate for several hours.
- Serve in a pitcher or pretty cups!
How to drink correctly
Many people do not understand that lemon should not be put into hot tea, because high temperature destroys the structure of ascorbic acid. Naturally, the taste properties of the drink are preserved, but in fact, the beneficial qualities are completely lost. Tea lovers add a slice of lemon to their tea only after it has cooled slightly.
Are you used to drinking hot tea? In this version, you can eat the lemon as a bite, after cutting it into small pieces.