How to Make the Perfect Cup of Tea With Honey

When you're feeling particularly stressed or just need a break from caffeine, tea is a great go-to beverage to sip on. It even comes in handy when that dreaded cold comes along by clearing up congestion in the chest and sinuses with its hot temperature. Do you really want a cold-fighting superpower on your hands? Add honey to the mix.

Tastewise, it sweetens the tea without all the calories of sugar, and it contains a lot of the same benefits tea has to help you get over that cold that much faster. A study even found that honey was just as effective as a common cough suppressant as other over-the-counter cold medicines.

So, if you come down with a cold or just want a soothing, sweet cup of tea, learn how to make the perfect cup of tea with honey, stat.

When making hot tea with honey, you can either pair the honey with a tea bag or skip it altogether (honey and hot water is just fine on its own). If you do decide to go the tea bag route, aim to use one that is known for helping colds if that happens to be why you're using it.

This would mean using teas like chamomile and peppermint as well as echinacea tea. It's a herb that is very effective at boosting the immune system and thus helping the body fight colds faster.

Start by boiling a kettle of hot water. Once boiled, pour it into a tea cup or mug. If you're adding in a tea bag, only add 2 teaspoons of honey. If you're not, go for a full 2 tablespoons. Stir and let your honey tea steep for two to five minutes, making sure to remove the tea bag afterward if using one. If not, simply wait for the honey tea to cool down a bit before enjoying.

In addition to honey, you can also add a squeeze of fresh lemon. It's high in vitamin C, which will help boost the immune system as well as loosen congestion in the chest, sinuses and throat.

Ginger is another smart addition to tea, especially when combined with honey and lemon. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, it will help soothe a bad cough. Ginger can also relieve nausea and dizziness. Since the taste of ginger is strong, aim to add in around 20 to 40 grams of fresh ginger.

Whether you're adding honey in tea for a sweet taste or drinking tea for a sore throat remedy, you want to ensure that you're adding in just enough for it to be effective. This guide should help.

• For a subtle taste: 1 teaspoon of honey
  
  
• For a cough: 2 teaspoons of honey added to herbal tea or 2 tablespoons on its own
  
  
• For a sore throat: 2 teaspoons of honey added to herbal tea or 2 tablespoons on its own 

If you're looking for detoxifying benefits in a tea, then palo azul tea is a great option. If you're unfamiliar with it, it comes from the bark of the palo azul plant, and when brewed, it has an earthy taste.

As for the detoxifying benefits, this assists in a lot of things to do with the body, such as aiding in weight loss, inflammation and chronic diseases. It is also especially known for improving the health of the kidneys. It does so by flushing out toxins from this part of the body and prevents kidney issues such as kidney stones and swelling from infection.