Winter Warmer #6

By Olivia Wong

Ginger Pear tea

In Ancient China, the pear symbolised immortality. Well, eternal life might be a stretch too far (especially in these times) but nothing beats the cold nor encapsulates the hibernation mode it encourages more than a hot cup of ginger pear tea. In fact, it may literally help you to beat your cold; some even use ginger tea as medicine, owing to its anti-inflammatory properties and ability to improve one’s gut health, consuming it to treat practically all ailments that can beset mankind, from sore throats and upset stomachs to arthritis and nausea. Add in pears, which are rich in antioxidants, fibre and vitamin C, and we have ourselves a soothing remedy for Winter ills! The pears also give a sweet, mellow flavour to the drink while the ginger adds that zing which balances out the sweetness. Boiling fruit to make tea is common in China and Korea. However, despite there being ‘tea’ in its name, this beverage actually contains no caffeine but don’t let that stop you from having a go at making this superdrink! (Ok ok, you can add tea at the end if you want.)

How to make

Ingredients (serves 4)

100g sugar
900ml water
2 pears, peeled and coarsely grated (personally, I’d recommend cutting the pears into small chunks rather than grating them as that brings out the flavour more)
2.5-cm piece ginger, sliced into coins

Method (Preparation time: 8 minutes; Cooking time: ~30 minutes or less)

Bring the water, pears, ginger and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan, over medium heat.
Simmer and cook until the pears are very soft (about 30 minutes, depending on how ripe the pears are).
Remove from the heat and strain into a bowl (if you’d prefer not to eat the pulp).
Let the drink cool down a little and then serve. Voilà!

If you desire the caffeine, add a green tea bag once you have taken the pan off the heat and steep for 2-3 minutes before straining and serving.

A transparent mug of ginger pear tea (with chunks of pear inside) on a white breakfast table, with a picture of a scene showing buildings around a lake in the background, which can be seen just above the mug. — I used mint matcha green tea but it would go equally well with any other green tea or white tea.

N.B. The sugar can be replaced with honey if you prefer (but add it right before you’re ready to drink it as boiling honey will eliminate its health benefits). There is also a Korean version of this drink which uses Asian pears and dried dates.

P.S. Fancy a chance at winning a £10 Costa gift card?

Have a go yourself, take a picture and send us your Winter Warmer creations on Twitter @UoMHive or email me (jason.chu@manchester.ac.uk). We’ll be publishing a different hot drink recipe every day so try your hand at one you fancy!

The winning picture will be randomly selected from all entries received. Closing date for entries is 8th January.

(Feel free to make and submit as many different Winter Warmer drinks!)

Winter Warmer # 1: Minty Hot Chocolate Float

Winter Warmer # 2: Nutmeg and Orange Xmas Coffee

Winter Warmer # 3: Snowman Eggnog

Winter Warmer # 4: Terry’s Chocolate Orange hot chocolate

Winter Warmer # 5: Matcha Latte

Winter Warmer # 6: Ginger Pear tea

Winter Warmer # 7: After Eight Peppermint hot chocolate

Winter Warmer # 8: Mulled Apple Juice

*Bonus Winter Warmer* : Turmeric Milk with Honey and Ginger