Ingredients:

  • 500g pineapple skins and core (from 1 large ripe pineapple)
  • 8 cups filtered water
  • 45g fresh ginger, sliced into coins
  • 2 whole cinnamon sticks
  • 2 tablespoons raw honey
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

  1. Start by soaking your whole pineapple in a bowl of cool water with a splash of white vinegar for about 5 minutes. Use a vegetable brush to scrub the exterior vigorously. This is the part I used to skip, but it's vital because we are boiling the skin directly. Rinse it well and then peel it, keeping the core. You should have roughly 500g of scraps.
  2. Place the 500g of skins and core into your large pot. Add the 8 cups of filtered water, the 45g of sliced ginger, and the 2 cinnamon sticks.
  3. Turn the heat to medium high until you see the first bubbles. Immediately drop the heat to low. You want a very gentle simmer — just a few bubbles breaking the surface.
  4. Cook for 45 minutes until the liquid turns a deep golden yellow. Note: Hard boiling will make the tea cloudy and can cause the ginger to become bitter.
  5. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit for 10 minutes. This carryover steeping allows the flavors to settle. Stir in your 2 tablespoons of raw honey and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
  6. Use a large slotted spoon to remove the big chunks of skin and core, then pour the rest through your fine mesh strainer into a heat proof pitcher.