Blueberry Turmeric Tea

Lately I’ve been experimenting with different drink recipes that have natural sweeteners and will sit better in my stomach. Since I love the taste of fresh blueberries, I had to make a recipe that incorporated them. I also wanted to make a drink that included turmeric because it contains curcumin, a compound that has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant health benefits.¹ In honor of self-care, I use turmeric as one of my remedies to relieve some symptoms. Not to mention, for me personally cooking in itself reduces my stress and anxiety.

One more thing, please be open-minded when you make this drink because, before the ingredients settle, the color can look a little off-putting. However when it’s all done, I guarantee it will be the best blueberry turmeric tea you’ve ever had!
Servings: 4-5

Ingredients for blueberry turmeric tea

• 1 cup of fresh blueberries
• 2-3 lemon slices
• 6 tea bags of your choice; preferably ones that have mint and lemon flavor. For this recipe I’m using two kinds of tea (3 bags of each) from Bigelow: Green tea with lemon and chamomile mint herbal tea.
• 1 whole cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp. of turmeric powder (or 2 pieces of fresh cut turmeric)
• Approximately 4 ½ cups of water
• About 5 cups of ice
• Honey to taste

Directions for blueberry turmeric tea

1. Add water to a pot over high heat and bring to a boil.
2. Once the water is brought to a boil, add the tea bags, turmeric powder, and cinnamon stick. Then immediately turn off the heat and let the tea bags steep for 3-4 minutes and remove them. Let the remaining ingredients steep for about 15 minutes.
3. While these ingredients are steeping, crush the blueberries in a pitcher (or container).
4. Add honey and squeezed lemon slices to the crushed blueberries and mix.
5. Once the tea is cooled to about room temperature, remove the cinnamon stick and pour the tea over the crushed blueberry mix and stir to combine ingredients. This mixture will need to settle in the pitcher before serving (see picture).
6. You can either decant the tea from the concentrate on the bottom into another container or simply pour the top layer over a cup of ice.
7. Feel free to add extra honey to taste (I personally like minimal sweetness).
8. Garnish with some mint leaves and whole blueberries.
9. Serve and enjoy!

References

1. Gunnars K. 10 Proven Health Benefits of Turmeric and Curcumin. Authority Nutrition website. https://authoritynutrition.com/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric/. Accessed May 10, 2017