5 Surprising Things You Can Do or Make With Instant Tea Powder

Make your daily life a little easier by using instant tea powder instead of tea bags. You will be surprised what you can do with it!

Instant tea solves all your tea related problems! With instant tea you don’t have to fight with the string from the tea bag, or worry about where to put the tea bag once you are done using it. Just scoop up an ⅛ of a teaspoon of tea powder to achieve the same great taste that comes with tea bags, minus the hassle of making it! 

WHAT TO DO WITH TEA POWDER

Quality tea powder can be used for so many delicious drinks, but it also has other uses than drinking. Here are some of the things make or do with our quality instant tea powder!

1. Iced Tea

Iced tea is one of the most delicious drinks to cool off with. It’s a suitable drink for both adults or children and everyone who drinks it instantly feels refreshed and happy, right? Iced tea can be made into many different variations by customizing what you are adding to alter the taste. You can add mint, lemon. organic sweetener and even pieces of watermelon. The most common way to drink iced tea is with fresh lemon slices inside the cup accompanied by medium size ice cubes. The lemons add a twist to the overall taste of the tea, giving it a more energizing flavor.

Best iced tea recipe:

Ingredients

• Tall 8 oz glass
• 1 cup of cold water
• Instant tea powder 
• 6 medium size ice cubes
• 2-3 fresh lemon slices (the more slices the stronger the taste)
• 2 tablespoons of lemonade
• Sugar or other organic sweetener (optional)

Instructions

1. Pour 1/8th of a teaspoon (a pinch) of instant tea powder into a tall glass and include sugar or other organic sweetener if desired.
2. Mix tea powder with 6-7 fl oz of cold water and stir.
3. Add ice cubes and pour in the lemonade. Stir slowly.
4. Drop in the lemon slices, stir for a second and enjoy!

2. Color Your Hair

You would think tea or tea powder be only used to make beverages -- think again! Tea can be used for many other purposes as well, one of which being to color your hair. Yes, we said color your hair! Tea powder is also a good solution to a DIY hair color. Hair dyeing can be done easily in the comfort of your own home, without spending too much money. Just a little tea powder will alter the color of your hair to be either lighter or darker. The longer the tea sits in a person’s hair, the darker (or lighter) the hair will become.

Depending on the desired color of hair, there are different teas to use for different hair colors. To darken hair or to cover up gray hairs, black tea is recommended. The darkness of the tea will elicit a more dark natural color. 

The more concentrated the tea is, the stronger the change will be. Tea can be combined with conditioner or applied alone, both will give you the same effects. If your goal is solely to cover up your gray hairs, then combine the tea mixture with fresh or dried herbs such as sage. The fresh or dry sage will open up the hair follicles of your gray hairs, giving the natural color a chance to regrow. 

Instructions for tea hair coloring:

Using 2 tablespoons of instant tea powder, make a cup of tea and let it cool (it is very concentrated so do not drink it). Once cooled, carefully apply the tea mix over your hair to dye it to a darker color. Rinse the hair with the tea 10 to 15 times and leave the last rinse on the hair for 15 to 20 minutes. Shampoo as usual. Consult your professional hair stylist to make sure it is the right thing for you before trying.

Watch this video on YouTube for more info!

3. Blend in a Smoothie

Smoothies are great sources of vitamins and nutrients depending on the fruits and vegetables you are using. Smoothies are also great for a quick snack when you are running late or after workout when you don’t have time to make a full meal. Just throw in whatever fruits and vegetables you desire for a quick and easy meal! Consider incorporating oat milk, chia seeds, or flax seeds for an extra boost. 

Incorporating tea in your smoothie can enrich it with antioxidant and nutrients for a multitude of health and wellness benefits. If you want to get more protein in your smoothie, consider adding your favorite protein powder as well. We recommend keeping it as natural as possible without any added sugars, but you can always add in other sweetening agents, such as maple syrup, stevia, silan, honey or agave nectar.

Best tea powder smoothie recipe (using instant black tea): 

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Waka Coffee’s Black Instant Tea, brewed
• 1 cup of frozen mixed berries
• 1 frozen banana, chopped up
• ½ squeezed lemon
• 1 cup of frozen pineapple, chopped up
• 3 mint leaves, more if desired
• Milk (optional)
• Sugar (optional)
• Honey (optional)

Instructions

1. Make 1 cup of black instant tea by adding1/8 of powder (a pinch) to 8 fl oz of cold water.
2. Chop up frozen banana and pineapple.
3. Combine all ingredients with the tea in a blender.
4. Blend till smooth.
5. Pour smoothie into a tall glass or tumbler. Add ice cubes if desired.
6. Enjoy!

4. Tea Soap and Oils

Instant tea or tea leaves can be used to make soap as well! Did you know that both liquid and bar soap can be made by including tea in them? Yes! Tea can even be used to make fragrance oils by using different types of tea. Like a cup of tea where the flavors seep into the water, giving you a flavorful sip, when the tea is dropped in soap it emits different flavors that will change the scent of the soap. Once the flavors begin to emit, a “halo” effect will form. A “halo” effect is when the tea bleeds into the rest of the soap and is essentially the result that you are looking for! 

How to make soap out of tea powder:

It is up to you how strong you make and tea. If you want a dark color and slightly stronger tea scent, brew it using more powder. For less of a color and scent impact, brew it with less tea mix. A couple teaspoons of tea powder will help you make the newest scent of soap you were longing for. After the tea is cooled (or brewed using cold water), add the brewed tea to melted soap or liquid and stir the contents together until they are very well blended. The soap should reach 125-130 °F as you mix it together. Once the tea and soap are completely blended, pour into molds to form the desired soap shape you are looking for. 

5. Tea Cupcakes

Going back to more edible things you can make, and what is a better food than cupcakes?? After all you get the full taste of your favorite cake in a miniature version. Now with the addition of instant tea, you can treat both your sweet tooth and your caffeine tooth. Adding tea powder to cupcakes not only gives the cupcake a unique flavor, but also can make it even more pretty!

Best black tea cupcakes recipe: 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons of Waka Coffee black tea powder
• 1 cup flour
• ¾ sugar
• ⅛ cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit
2. Heat milk and tea powder until boiling, let it cool
3. Mix butter and sugar in a mixing bowl
4. Slowly add in eggs, each egg should be combined fully
5. Add in vegetable oil and vanilla extract and mix
6. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients
7. Pour in tea powder and milk, stir evenly
8. Line muffin tray with baking cups
9. Fill a muffin tray ¾ of the way for each cupcake
10. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until they pass a toothpick test
11. Cool and enjoy 

Our quality instant tea powder gives you everything you are looking for in your tea (or didn't know you are looking for), made more easily!

Try Waka Coffee's quality instant tea now.