Organic Reishi Pomegranate Iced Tea

8.20.10

I believe this is the second beverage I have on my blog. I need to post more! With a generous offer from Marx Foods, a top-quality gourmet ingredients provider online, I've received an organic dried reishi mushroom sample to create tea -any kind of tea for the reishi tea challenge. At the end of August, they will make each recipe and pick a winner. I'm excited to be on the challenge. What makes me more excited is that the reishi they sent is organic! After reading about reishi tea on Marxfoods blog, I was intrigued by its health properties: anti-viral, anti-microbial, immune boosting, blood pressure lowering, and a laundry list of other properties. As a traditional Chinese medical veggie, it's healthy but the taste is yikes. It's really bitter but it's really good for you.

Organic Dried Rieshi Mushrooms

The recipe guide they provided is simple. It's a combination between reishi mushroom and hot water. It's just like when you make tea but let it simmer for 30 mins. Once I tried it, I knew I needed something or a couple things to cut down the bitterness and make the tea more interesting. It's summer. A good tasty iced tea would be nice, don't you think? Iced tea is usually a combination of tea, ice, and lemon. Sugar or cream is your choice and preference. That was the original idea. However, it's too bitter for me to enjoy it with boiled water. I opted to use pomegranate juice instead. In this recipe I used a product from Pom Wonderful.

I finally got a good-tasting recipe from IJLMP's lab kitchen (smile) after a few trials and errors. A star anise makes the tea sweeter and the ginger paired well with pomegranate juice. It also helps for flavor. How is it going to be an iced tea without lemon? Of course, lemon is one of the key components. Hope you like it, Justin!

Organic Reishi Pomegranate Iced Tea
Yield: 1 (I make it for 1 as it's easier to double up the recipe as you wish to the number you prefer)

Ingredients:
2 tbs or about 10 pieces organic dried reishi mushrooms
1 cup 100% pomegranate juice
1 dried star anise
1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced (about 6 slices)
1 lemon, halved
4 tsp agave nectar
10 iced cubes (depending on a size of your glass)
Mint for garnish

Directions:

• Add reishi, ginger, star anise, and pomegranate juice in a small saucepan.
• Bring it to boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer it for about 20 mins or until reishi sinks at the bottom of a saucepan.
• Remove from the heat. Pour in a glass by using a strainer to discard solid ingredients. Squeeze juice from a half of lemon to a liquid mixture. Add agave nectar.
• Slice the other half of a lemon. Add 2 slices in a glass. Mix well. Adjust to taste.
• Add ice to make it full glass. Let it refrigerate for 5 mins. Garnish with mint.
• Enjoy!

Bring it to boil

Let it simmer

It's refreshing and good for you!