Orange Green Tea: Benefits and How to Make It

Green tea and orange go well together, and that’s the main reason to mix them. Orange adds a bright citrus flavor and a little vitamin C. It doesn’t turn green tea into a health product, and we found no trial of orange green tea as a drink.

What are the benefits of orange green tea?

What we can say is small. You get some vitamin C if you add fresh juice. We found no evidence of anything more.

Green tea’s own evidence is limited as well. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says definite conclusions can’t yet be reached for most of its uses. Its cholesterol effects came mostly from studies of extract supplements, not brewed tea.

How much vitamin C does orange add?

Not much. MedlinePlus lists 90 mg a day for adult men and 75 mg for adult women.

Addition	Vitamin C	Share of daily need
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice	About 15.5 mg	About 17% to 21%
1 tablespoon raw orange peel, if eaten	About 8 mg	About 9% to 11%

These are our calculations from USDA data. We found no figure for how much vitamin C moves from peel into hot water, so don’t count on the second row if you only steep the peel. MedlinePlus also says cooking can reduce vitamin C in foods, so add juice after steeping, not during.

Does vitamin C help you absorb green tea catechins?

You may have read that citrus makes green tea’s catechins easier to absorb. The research is real, but it’s early, and we found no human study of orange doing this.

• A 2007 lab study: researchers put green tea through a simulated digestion, with no people involved. Less than 20% of the total catechins remained in plain tea. Adding 30 mg of vitamin C to 250 mL of tea raised recovery to 74% for EGC and 54% for EGCG, two of the main catechins. Citrus juices, including orange, gave the highest recovery of any formula tested.
• A 2010 rat and cell study: rats received green tea extract, not brewed tea. Absorption of EGC and EGCG was significantly higher when the extract was mixed with both vitamin C and sugar. The authors noted that gut absorption and metabolism can differ between rodents and people.
• A 2016 human study: healthy people took green tea formulated with vitamin C and xylitol, or plain green tea. Total flavanol levels in the blood over time were significantly higher with the formula.

Keep a few limits in mind. The 2007 study measured how much survived digestion, not how much entered the blood. The 2016 study tested a formula with xylitol, not orange. And even if more catechins got into your blood, that wouldn’t prove a health benefit. We found no trial showing that orange raises catechin levels in people who drink green tea.

For scale, 2 tablespoons of fresh juice has about half the vitamin C used in the 2007 test. If catechins are your interest, see which green teas have the most EGCG.

How to make orange green tea

This makes one mug of about 8 oz. Use the peel, the juice or both.

1. Rinse the orange under running water, rubbing it gently, then dry it. The FDA says you don’t need soap or a produce wash.
2. Heat 8 oz of water to 170°F to 180°F. No thermometer? Boil it and let it sit for a few minutes.
3. Use a vegetable peeler to cut 2 thin strips of peel. Put them in a mug with one green tea bag or 1 teaspoon of loose green tea.
4. Pour in the water and steep for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Remove the tea and peel.
6. If you’d like, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice.

For iced tea, chill the tea, then add the juice and pour over ice. Like a spiced version better? Add a few slices of ginger, as in our ginger and honey green tea.

What about boxed or bottled orange green tea?

Check the ingredient list to see whether the orange comes from peel, juice or flavoring. If the label doesn’t list vitamin C, don’t assume the tea has any.

On bottled drinks, read the Added Sugars line. The FDA sets the Daily Value at 50 g a day, and it counts sugars from syrups and concentrated fruit juices as added sugars.

Who should be careful?

• Heartburn or GERD: the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases lists citrus fruits and sources of caffeine among foods and drinks commonly linked to GERD symptoms. This drink has both. If it bothers you, try less orange or skip it.
• Pregnancy: green tea has caffeine, so keep your intake moderate and ask your healthcare provider about your limit.
• Medication: green tea at high doses can lower levels of the blood pressure drug nadolol. Ask your pharmacist if you drink it often.