Can You Put Honey in Your Green Tea? A Must-Read Guide

If you’re a green tea enthusiast, you’ve likely pondered the age-old question – can I add honey to my beloved brew? This natural sweetener seems like it would be the perfect accompaniment to green tea’s grassy, lightly bitter notes. But does honey actually pair well, or could it diminish green tea’s impressive health benefits?

The relationship between honey and green tea is a nuanced one that deserves exploration. While many cultures have long embraced this flavor combination, others warn it could counteract the very properties that make green tea so darn good for you.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive into the pros and cons of adding honey to your green tea. We’ll explore which types of honey make the best matches, tips for properly combining the two ingredients, and whether it’s okay to indulge in a honey-sweetened cuppa if you’re fasting.

Let’s sweeten this topic, shall we?

The Case For Drizzling on the Honey

From a taste perspective, a light drizzle of honey can beautifully complement green tea’s delicate aromas and flavors. Honey has long been embraced across Asia for lending a touch of floral sweetness and smoothing out green tea’s grassy edges.

“Honey has historically been used to accentuate green tea’s aromatics and add nuanced layers of flavor,” explains Shunan Teng, founder of Tea Drunk in New York City. “While the Japanese tend to prefer less sweetness, the Chinese have heartily embraced honey as the perfect accompaniment.”

Teng suggests lighter, more delicate honeys like acacia pair exceptionally well with green teas that have vegetal notes, while richer varieties like buckwheat nicely offset tea’s grassiness.

Beyond flavor, there’s also an antioxidant argument for adding honey to your green tea.

“Honey contains phenolic compounds and other antioxidants that could potentially enhance the overall antioxidant value when combined with the catechins and other compounds in green tea,” explains Dr. Brian Tanzer, a nutritionist at The Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine.

Some research indicates that the combined antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties of honey and green tea could make this flavor pairing more therapeutic than green tea alone.

The Potential Pitfalls of Going Sweet

On the flip side, some experts urge caution when sweetening green tea, as this could potentially diminish some of its unique health benefits.

“Green tea is a powerhouse of polyphenols and other anti-aging, anti-inflammatory compounds,” notes Dr. Luiza Petre, a cardiologist and weight management expert. “Adding too much honey could overpower some of those therapeutic effects with its high sugar content.”

While honey is preferable to refined white sugar for sweetening, Petre explains that green tea drinkers need to be aware of their total sugar intake for the day when adding sweeteners like honey.

Also Read: Which Green Tea is Best for Weight Loss?

Furthermore, the temperature you brew your green tea at is also a factor. Adding honey to piping hot green tea over 175°F could potentially diminish some of the polyphenols’ potency.

So in summary – a bit of honey is likely okay, even potentially beneficial. But use a heavy hand and you risk diminishing green tea’s therapeutic edge.

Fasting and Honey in Your Green Tea

If you’re an intermittent fastener, you might be wondering – can I have honey in my green tea during fasting periods?

The short answer is…it depends on how strictly you follow your fasting guidelines.

“For most intermittent fasting protocols like 16/8 windows, a teaspoon or two of honey added to green tea would be just fine,” advises Will Cole, leading functional medicine expert and co-host of the Goopfellas podcast. “That small amount of liquid calories and sugar impact is negligible.”

Related: Can You Drink Green Tea While Fasting?

However, Cole notes that for more hardcore routines like alternate day fasting, any amount of calories could potentially diminish some of the benefits of prolonged fasting. So whether it’s technically “allowed” often comes down to personal interpretation.

At the end of the day, green tea itself is widely accepted for enjoying during a fast. Adding just a dash of honey is unlikely to derail the physiological processes happening when fasting. But if you’re really striving for a true “zero calorie” fast, you’d want to skip the golden sweetener.

How to Take Your Green Tea With Honey

Ready to curl up with a honey-sweetened cup of green tea bliss? Here are some tips for doing it right:

Choose High-Quality Honey. Don’t settle for the pasteurized stuff from the grocery store. Instead, look for minimally processed, raw and unfiltered honey varietals from trusted sources. The higher quality and richer in antioxidants, the better.

Also Read: Is Matcha Good for Your Skin?

Teng of Tea Drunk recommends richly pigmented monofloral varieties like buckwheat, avocado or raspberry honey for sweetening green tea. Their complex flavors add incredible nuance.

Consider Green Tea Type Not all green teas pair equally well with honey. Those with delicate, floral notes like jasmine or white silver needle may do better with a lighter hand. Peng suggests richer, grassier varieties like sencha, matcha or gunpowder can better handle honey’s boldness.

Add When Hot Mix honey into the green tea while it’s piping hot and freshly brewed. This helps the sweetener properly dissolve and marry its flavors. Avoid adding to lukewarm or cold green tea as it may not fully integrate.

Take it Easy Honey is potent stuff, so a little goes a long way! Start with just 1 tsp of honey per 8 oz cup of green tea, then add more to taste if needed. It’s easier to add sweetness than to try to mellow it.

Consider Adding Citrus A squeeze of zingy lemon or lime can add the perfect bright pop to green tea once it’s been sweetened with honey. The citrus helps balance the honey’s floral intensity.

Get Creative In addition to citrus, try adding complementary flavors like vanilla bean, ginger, turmeric or mint to your honey-sweetened green tea for an extra flavor dimension.

So in conclusion – can you put honey in your green tea? The answer is a resounding “yes!”

With mindful sourcing, smart flavor pairings, and a reasonable drizzle, honey is one of nature’s most perfect sweeteners for amplifying green tea’s delicate aromas and nuances.

Just be cautious about honey intake, especially if you’re fasting or watching your sugar levels. Moderation is key to allowing green tea and honey to exist in sweet harmony!

FAQs on Adding Honey to Green Tea

Does putting honey in green tea negate its health benefits?

In moderation, a small amount of high-quality honey is unlikely to diminish green tea’s therapeutic compounds and antioxidants. However, using too much honey could potentially override green tea’s effects with excessive sugar content.

What’s the best type of honey for green tea? 

Opt for minimally processed, raw unfiltered honey from a trusted source. Deeply pigmented monofloral varieties like buckwheat, avocado, raspberry or orange blossom add incredible complexity.

How much honey should you put in green tea? 

Start with just 1 teaspoon of honey per 8 oz cup of freshly brewed hot green tea. Taste and add more if needed, up to around 1 tbsp max per cup.

Can you put honey in bottled or canned green tea?

It’s best to add honey only to freshly brewed hot or iced green tea you make yourself. Most commercial bottled or canned varieties already contain sweeteners or artificial flavors that won’t pair as well with honey.

Is it okay to put honey in green tea while intermittent fasting? 

For most intermittent fasting routines with flexible eating windows, adding just 1-2 tsp of honey to green tea would be acceptable, as the minimal calories/sugar impact is negligible. But for stricter prolonged fasts, zero calorie intake is recommended.

Will adding honey to green tea increase its caffeine content?

No, adding honey will not affect the caffeine content of your green tea, which is determined by the specific variety of Camellia sinensis plant and how the leaves were processed.