Adding honey to your warm drinks 14 November 2012  |  OVC

Adding a little honey to a hot drink is useful at any time of year, but becomes more popular in the winter months.

For those who like to add some manuka honey to their drink, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

1. Don't add / mix it with boiling water. Just let the water come off the boil first, so allow it to cool for a minute or so, until will be under 70-75ºC. Otherwise the boiling water will destroy some of the beneficial properties of the honey.

2. Don't waste the good stuff! This is not a rule, and there is no harm in doing so, is just our recommendation - save the higher strength UMF manuka honey to take directly, and use lower strength manuka or other honey for in your drink.

3. If you are someone who likes sugar with your tea / coffee, then substitute it with honey (sometimes if not all the time)

4. If you making your own honey and lemon drink to help with a cough or cold, add some ginger should you have it as well. A little grated ginger not only compliments that taste, but also additionally helps to soothe a sore throat and with congestion.

For a 'ready made' option, consider our Comvita Manuka Honey & Olive Leaf Hot Drink Sachets.

Available in both lemon and ginger, or blackcurrant and menthol options, they also contain the olive leaf extract and zinc to support your immune system for winter wellness. There are no artificial flavours nor colours in them. 

Although the packet instructions suggest using an entire 15ml sachet at a time (useful in the middle of a bad cold), we've found often using half a sachet at a time is still very beneficial - and gives you a few more drinks.