When you’re in need of a refreshing drink, nothing is as immediately satisfying as a tall glass of iced tea.  Although Black tea is currently the most common choice for iced tea in the United States, there is an increasing demand for green teas and white teas.  We think this is a good start.  Why stop there?  Why not iced Oolong or how about something herbal like a Yerba Mate?

Today we will explore one of our favorite teas as a choice for iced tea, a tea we drink daily, the Herbal tea Gynostemma otherwise known as Jiaogulan.   If you aren’t familiar with Gynostemma here is a brief except from Acupuncture.com:

“Gynostemma is one of the most popular herbs in Asia. It consists of a short, thin green stem and green leaves, which are serrated and tear-shaped. The plant rarely grows beyond a foot in height. Both the leaves and stem are used medicinally.

Gynostemma contains many amino acids, vitamins and minerals that have a positive influence on the body, including calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. It also contains more than 80 compounds known as gypenosides, which are similar to those found in Astragalus and Ginseng.

It is difficult to account for all the conditions Gynostemma is used to treat. In traditional Chinese medicine, Gynostemma has a slightly cool property and is regarded as a tonic herb with incredible healing properties. It works on the Spleen, Lung, Kidney, Liver and Heart meridians. In China, Gynostemma is used to treat inflammation and chronic bronchitis; stop coughs; and remove sputum. It is also being used increasingly as a form of weight control, and may also enhance the immune system. Some studies have found that Gynostemma may fight certain types of cancer.”

As noted above, Gynostemma is truly a blessing from Nature!  The taste is slightly sweet and vegetal with a tendency to become bitter when brewed too long.  It makes a nice iced tea choice.   The process for making iced Gynostemma tea is similar to how it is made when using black loose leaf tea. The process is as follows:

1.     Use twice the amount loose tea that you normally use to make hot tea.  Typically for hot tea, 1 teaspoon is used per 8 ounces of water. For iced tea, double the amount, resulting in 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces of water. If you prefer stronger tea, use more tea leaves, don’t brew it longer. Mistakenly, people brew the tea longer thinking it will be stronger however, the tea will taste bitter.  Steep for 2-3 minutes or according to your preference.

2.     Gynostemma is already slightly sweet.  If you like your Gynostemma sweeter, add your sweetener during the steeping phase.   There are great low glycemic options available today like stevia products (a plant sweeter than sugar with zero calories) and Agave Nectar, which is less sweet than sugar, low on the glycemic index, and has a slightly caramel like flavor.

3.     Fill a pitcher with ice, allow the tea cool a bit and pour over.

4.     You can enhance your tea by adding mint leaves and or a slice of lime/lemon.  You can even create limeade by adding a few ounces of lime juice.

5.     Lastly, feel free to experiment!