Tea, the most widely enjoyed beverage around the globe after water. It has been used by people around the world due to its characteristic flavor and perk of benefits it offers to the body.
Teas, sometimes taste tedious and too much herbal, you can get bored of it. At this point you need a kick or flavour to add in tea to make it more exciting and flavourful. So, be ready to find a thrilling and exciting world of unique flavours.
Here is a list of top 27 things to add to tea that enable you to drink once apparently exhausting tea the entire day.
These additives go well with all green tea, black tea and some of the flavours like spices and juices goes well with all types of teas. You can customize the recipe according to your taste and preferences.
What Goes Well With Tea?
There is a huge list of flavors like fresh fruits, juices, milk, sugar, chocolate, herbs and spices which give the tea a distinctive flavor.
1. Citrus
Citrus fruits like grapefruit, orange and lemon can be added in any type of tea including green tea, black, oolong or herbal teas which give a citrus tang. The fruits may also work as natural sweeteners to some extent. The question is how you can add citrus in your tea?
Well, you can add juices of these citrus fruits or can add thin slices. In case you don’t like pulp just squeeze the juice and add after straining it. The type of citrus fruit depends on your tea type and your preferences. Grapefruit and lemon give stronger flavor to the tea among all these three. If you want something fascinating, try passion fruit or yuzu.
Ice green tea with added citrus goes well with mint, honey or peach and gives a refreshing flavor. Earl gray tea combined with bergamot is the most famous citrus tea known for its iconic pleasantly bitter taste.
2. Cinnamon
Cinnamon, an aromatic herb, gives a warm taste when added in black or green tea. Cinnamon flavored tea enables you to think about a comfortable cozy winter day. It can be used in powder form and stick form, however it is suggested to use cinnamon sticks which give tea a distinctive flavor without leaving any granules in the tea.
3. Maple Syrup
Maple syrup gives a unique sweet taste to the tea and it is suggested to try out maple syrup instead of artificial sugars. One of the unique qualities of maple syrup is that it easily gets dissolved in both hot and cold tea.
4. Cardamom
Cardamom, which is stronger and more powerful than cinnamon, it is one of the favorite spices used in tea. Green cardamom provides a strong and slight taste while black cardamom offers smokier flavor. Cardamom tea is brewed hot and can also be used cold or iced and goes well with green, black and herbal teas.
5. Ginger
Ginger, the aromatic spice is most commonly added in the tea which gives the tea a slightly bitter and spicy flavor. Ginger flavored tea is highly effective for colds, flu and to relieve nausea. It can be added as ground powder, fresh ginger root slices or as juice form.
6. Honey
Honey is a classic and standard ingredient you can add in your tea to fade the bitterness. Honey is an additive that goes well with almost all types of teas which give a sweeter taste to any drink. You can add some lemon juice along with honey to make the tea more exciting.
7. Almond Milk Or Coconut Milk
Almond or coconut milk is the best plant milk for tea which gives it a creamy appearance. Almond milk is lighter than whole milk and goes well with green tea, chocolate or cinnamon tea.
8. Peppermint
Peppermint or mint, an aromatic herb rich in menthol, oil having potential to boost digestion, freshen breath, fight against infections and relieve clogged sinuses. Mint leaves are added in tea to reap the perk of benefits it possesses.
9. Vanilla Ice-Cream
Vanilla Ice cream is one of most people’s favorite flavors to add in tea. It somehow looks strange, but this yummy and creamy look insists you take an extra cup of tea. Mint goes well with all types of teas to add flavor and have beneficial effects.
10. Lemon Basil, Lemon Thyme or Lemon Verbena
Lemon basil, lemon thyme or lemon verbena when combined to tea, give the refreshingly lemony and slightly sour taste. You can add these lemony herbs in green, black tea, chamomile or ginger tea.
11. Berries
It looks something odd to add berries in your cup of tea but believe me they give a refreshing and flavorful taste to the tea. Berries like strawberries, raspberries and blueberries give a fresh and blissful taste to the tea. The amazing thing is that if you don’t have fresh berries you can add dried ones and enjoy the refreshing cup of berries flavored tea even if the season is out.
12. Milk
Milk is considered one of the most common supplements used by most tea drinkers. Most people use sugar along with milk to add sweetness to the tea.
13. Flowers
Addition of flower buds and petals offer amazingly aromatic and tempting flavors to tea. Most commonly used flowers are jasmine, hibiscus and rosehip that give an appealing taste to green and black tea.
14. Lavender
Lavender is an aromatic herb used in aromatherapy to treat a variety of diseases like headache, nervous problems and fungal infections. Lavender buds are added in tea and give an earthy flavor, with floral sweet taste to green tea.
15. Lemongrass
Lemongrass is the most commonly used herb to add citrus to tea and combined well with lighter herbal teas. Besides citrusy flavor, lemongrass possesses vitamin C and anti-inflammatory properties which promote cardiovascular health.
16. Tulsi Basil
A common Chinese herb rich in bioactive compounds gives an astringent and bitter flavor to tea and offers a perk of benefits to overall health of the body.
17. Rosemary
Rosemary is aromatic and when added gives a refreshing flavor which is a mix of woody, peppery and piney taste.
18. Echinacea
Echinacea herb is added to the tea which offers strong flavor to tea and has potential to boost the immune system.
19. Nuts
Walnuts like almond and pecans add a nutty flavor to the tea. Nuts are crushed and packed in a small baggie and placed in a cup of tea to steep which will extract its taste and medicinal constituents.
20. Fennel
Fennel seeds are usually added to various types of teas which add a relaxing scent with licorice-like taste. Fennel tea possesses antioxidant and antispasmodic activities.
21. Fresh Or Dried Fruits
A huge list of fresh and dried fruits can be added to lighter teas which give them a unique taste and flavor. Some fruits that go well with teas include strawberries, cherries, apricots, mango, pineapples, plums, pears, passion fruits and mulberries.
22. Peach pulp
Peach syrup or peach pulp is stirred into the iced teas to enjoy the refreshing and appealing taste of tea. It is a powerful antioxidant and delays the process of aging.
23. Pomegranate seeds
Pomegranate seeds can be added in lighter teas like green tea, herbal teas which give a sweet, refreshing and citrus taste to tea.
25. Alcohol
Alcohol is usually added by people to relax the mind and it works well with iced teas.
26. Chocolate
Dark chocolate, cocoa powder, cocoa nibs are the common ingredients put into the tea. Chocolate flavor usually goes well with milk teas and doesn’t suit the lighter teas like herbal teas.
27. Vanilla Extract
Vanilla is a favorite flavor by most people and they like to add in teas. You can add scraped vanilla beans or vanilla extract to tea.
Bottom Line
Sometimes, we get bored of the same cup of tea and need an exciting and appealing taste. For this purpose, we put on an additive that goes well with black, green and all types of tea. Type of additive depends on your preferences and type of tea.