Hibiscus Green Tea Soda

From the recipe archives, first posted September 2010. Updated with a new photo. -Jen

Soda can be a hard habit to break. If you’re looking for a tasty alternative try making your own tea soda. It’s easy to make, and can be customized to your tastes. Simply brew double strength tea (I like the combination of green tea with a fruity herbal tea like hibiscus) and serve with plenty of ice and some sparkling water. Here’s a simple hibiscus green tea soda recipe to get you started.

Hibiscus Green Tea Soda
1 green tea bag
1 hibiscus herbal tea bag
1 cup water, heated just to boiling
1 to 2 teaspoons honey, agave nectar or desired sweetener (optional)
Ice cubes
Sparkling water, seltzer or club soda, chilled

In a heatproof container, steep green and herbal tea bags in heated water for 4 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags. Add honey or desired sweetener to tea; stir to dissolve. Chill tea mixture for at least 1 hour. To serve, fill 2 glasses with ice. Divide tea mixture between glasses. Top with sparkling water.

Makes 2 servings

Tip: The best part of making your own tea soda is that you can control the sweetness. If you enjoy drinking unsweetened iced tea, don’t add any sweetener. For a flavor boost add a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice.

Recipe Link:
Cherry Lemonade

Product Links:
Sodastream Fountain Jet Soda Maker Starter Kit

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Berry Tea Smoothies

Tea does double duty in these slushy berry smoothies. To make berry tea smoothies, start with brewed green or white tea and blend it up with fresh or frozen berries.

Then, blend in more tea flavor by adding hibiscus tea ice cubes. It’s a great trick to freeze brewed tea (or even coconut water) in ice cube trays for making smoothies. Simply freeze brewed hibiscus tea in standard ice cube trays to make the tea ice. Using the frozen tea in place of regular ice is a great way to ice up a smoothie without watering it down.

Berry Tea Smoothies
1 cup brewed green or white tea, chilled
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
8 hibiscus tea ice cubes
Natural sweetener, if needed

Add green or white tea, strawberries and blueberries to blender container. Cover and blend until smooth. Add ice cubes; cover and blend until slushy. Sweeten to taste. Pour into glasses.

Makes 2 to 3 servings (about 3 1/4 cups)

Tip: If you opt to use frozen fruit you’ll need a powerful blender. (I use a VitaMix.) If you don’t have a powerful blender, you may want to thaw the fruit a bit or add some additional brewed green tea for easier blending.

Recipe Link:
Mango Coconut Water Smoothies

Product Links:
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