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Fresh ginger lorem ipsum dolor

 

No nose is too stuffed for this spicy ginger tea

 
 
 
If you aren’t tearing up, it’s not spicy enough. If you aren’t tearing up, it’s not spicy enough.
 
 
by
Bridget Rae
Kaczmarek, AP
 

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 No nose is too stuffed for this spicy ginger tea

If you aren’t tearing up, it’s not spicy enough. If you aren’t tearing up, it’s not spicy enough.

Bridget Rae Kaczmarek, AP

 
 
 
 

Aurae

 
 
 

So I spent four years sniffling, sneezing, and blowing my nose, trying every cold remedy I could find for any morsel of relief. I downed bowl after bowl of chicken noodle soup, slathered myself in VapoRub, and burned out not one but two essential oil diffusers perfuming my dorm room with a constant flow of eucalyptus. But of all the remedies I tried during that time, the one I’ve stuck with is my homemade spicy ginger tea.

 

Spicy ginger tea is an amalgam of a few of my favorite cold remedies. There’s honey and lemon to soothe. scratchy throats, fresh ginger and turmeric for their anti-inflammatory properties, and most importantly, a hot chile pepper. The capsaicin from the chile, along with the acidity from the lemon and the steam of the hot beverage, works its way through the sinuses as you sip. Drink a full mug and your nose will run; you’ll feel the heat behind your eyes; and shortly after, you’ll feel your airways start to clear.

 
 

Fig. A
Fresh Ginger

Fresh ginger lorem ipsum dolor
 
 

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Here’s how to make my spicy ginger tea:

 

Spicy Ginger Tea

Ingrediants

1 2–3" piece of ginger
1 fresh hot pepper
 (jalapeño, Fresno, Thai chile, etc.)
1 lemon
1 teaspoon of honey
¼ teaspoon of turmeric
 

Preparation

STEP 1

After preparing a pot of boiling water, add ginger and chile to a French press along with ½ lemon, thinly sliced, a dash of ground turmeric, and 1 tsp. honey.
 STEP 2 Fill the French press with the boiling water, stir the ingredients to combine, then place the filter on top and press to submerge ingredients one-half inch under water (otherwise everything will float to the top).
 STEP 3 Once the tea is deeply colorful, press the filter all the way down and pour into mugs.
 SERVING Drink while the spicy ginger tea is still hot and steamy for maximum relief.
 

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Fresh ginger lorem ipsum dolor
 
 

Everyone’s heat tolerance is different, so pick a pepper that’s spicy to you, whether that’s a jalapeño or a ghost chile, and remove the veins and seeds for even less heat. As for me, I like to use red Thai chiles, which pack a nice punch and pair incredibly well with the bright ginger flavor.

 

Since graduating I’ve stopped getting so many colds. Part of that’s personal—no more frat parties—but it’s also due to the ramifications of COVID. Still, even though I’m nowhere near as sniffly as I was in the before times, I’m still making spicy ginger tea as often. The ginger makes for a relaxing sip at the end of a long day, and the heat from the chiles is like a caffeine-free pick-me-up when the sun sets before 5 o’clock. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since college, it’s that you shouldn’t wait until things are bad to take care of yourself. Also, that essay won’t get better after 2 a.m. Just get some rest, bud.

 

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