Green Tea Cooler with Ginger, Papaya, and Lime

MAKES 8 CUPS

When it comes to improving your well-being, green tea is a slam dunk. It’s a phenomenal immune booster and can protect against tumor growth. But when it comes to taste, lets just say it needs a good point guard to help it set up the alley-oop. In this recipe, that would be papaya, which Columbus called “the fruit of the angels.” It’s a popular food in Nicoya, Costa Rica, one of the ‘blue zones’ renowned for longevity. Papaya’s sweetness balances the natural bitterness of straight green tea. The two dance nicely together in the lab as well; one study suggests that the combination of green tea and papaya may cut the risk of prostate cancer. I have to admit, I get a kick out of it when I choose ingredients based on taste and later find out that they’re also great for you.

6 green tea bags
3 ginger tea bags
6 cups boiling water
2 cups papaya nectar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 lime, sliced into rounds

Put the green tea bags in a large heatproof container. Pour in 4 cups of the boiling water and let steep for 5 minutes. Put the ginger tea bags in a separate heatproof container. Pour in the remaining 2 cups of boiling water and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and pour the ginger tea into the green tea. Stir in the papaya nectar and lime juice. Add the lime slices and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until well chilled.

Reprinted with permission from The Longevity Kitchen: Satisfying Big-Flavor Recipes Featuring the Top 16 Age-Busting Power Foods. Copyright © 2013 by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA.

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