Rinse ginger under running water. If required soak it in a bowl of water to loosen the mud deposits and scrub it well with a vegetable brush.
If you want you may peel the ginger with a table knife or a spoon. Do not peel the whole root, peel only an inch keeping the rest intact.
Bring water to a rolling boil. Meanwhile grate or chop the ginger.
Add to the boiling water. If you want to use spices and herbs add them too at this step.
Simmer covered for 3 to 4 mins. If using chopped or sliced ginger boil for 5 to 6 mins.
When the ginger tea is ready you will see it turns to a light yellow color. Turn offthe heat and strain to a serving cup. Press down with a spoon to extract most ofthe ginger flavor. Stir in lemon juice.
If you want to sweeten it add a tsp of honey when it cools down slightly. Do not stir in honey to very hot tea. If the tea is too spicy for your taste, simply dilute it with hot water.
