Ginger / The Basics
Ginger shot vs ginger tea vs fresh ginger
A shot, a mug of tea or the raw root. Three ways to get your ginger, each with its own strengths. Here's how they compare on convenience, taste and how much ginger you actually get.
Same root, three amounts of effort
Fresh ginger, ginger tea and a ginger shot are all the same thing at heart: ginger. What separates them is how much work you put in and how concentrated the result is. The raw root is the most versatile and the most faff, tea is the gentlest and most diluted, while a shot is the most concentrated with the least effort.
None of them is the "right" one. It depends on what you want on a given day, a quick hit, a warm drink to sit with, or an ingredient to cook with. Here's how each stacks up and where our cold-pressed shots fit.
Fresh ginger, the raw root
The root itself is the most flexible option. You can grate it into food, steep it, juice it or chew a sliver of it. It's cheap, it keeps for a while in the fridge and there's nothing added. If you cook a lot, a knob of ginger earns its place in the kitchen.
The trade-off is effort and consistency. You have to peel it, grate it and judge the amount by eye, so no two servings are quite the same. It's brilliant for cooking and less brilliant when you just want a quick, known dose of ginger without getting the chopping board out. If you want to know what a shot's worth of root actually looks like, our guide to how much ginger is in a shot puts numbers on it.
Ginger tea, warm and gentle
Ginger tea is the softest way in. Steeping ginger in hot water spreads it thin, so you get the warmth and the aromatic side without the sharp punch of a neat shot. It's a comforting thing to sit with, especially in the evening. Many people find a warm ginger and honey drink soothing.
You can make tea from the raw root, or take a shortcut and stir a shot into a mug of hot (not boiling) water with a drop of honey, the version some people call nature's Lemsip. It's warm and lemony and a nice ritual, though it's a hot drink rather than a remedy. Our guide on how to take a ginger shot walks through that and a few other ways to use one.
Ginger shot, concentrated and ready
A shot is the most concentrated of the three with none of the prep. It's cold-pressed rather than steeped or heated, so the ginger goes in raw and the amount is fixed, our Gentle Ginger at 10g through to Ginger Max at 30g. You know exactly what you're getting each time, which the raw root and a homemade tea can't promise.
The trade-offs are cost and the hit. A shot costs more than a piece of root. Taken neat it can be intense, but you can always dilute it or chase it with water. What you're paying for is convenience and consistency: a known amount of cold-pressed ginger, frozen fresh, ready the moment you want it with zero peeling or steeping.
The three compared
| Fresh ginger | Ginger tea | Ginger shot | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | You decide | Diluted, gentle | Concentrated, fixed |
| Prep | Peel, grate, chop | Steep or stir a shot in | None |
| Taste | Sharp, raw | Warm, mellow | Sharp, intense |
| Consistency | Varies by eye | Varies | Same every time |
| Best for | Cooking, versatility | A warm evening drink | A quick, known hit |
Which should you pick?
If you cook often and don't mind the prep, keep the raw root around, it's cheap and does everything. If you want something warm and gentle to wind down with, tea is your friend, whether you steep the root or stir a shot into hot water. And if you want ginger with no faff and a known strength every time, a shot is the easy answer.
Plenty of people keep more than one on hand: root for cooking, shots for busy mornings. They're not rivals so much as different tools for different moments. For the full picture of what goes into a pressed one, our post on what's actually in a ginger shot is a good next read.
The grab-and-go option
If the shot is the version that fits your day, here's the range (or browse all our ginger guides):
Frequently Asked
Is a ginger shot better than ginger tea?
Neither is better, they're different. A shot is concentrated, cold-pressed and fixed in strength with no prep. Tea is warm, gentle and diluted. Pick the shot for a quick known hit and the tea for a soothing drink to sit with. You can even make the tea from a shot.
Is a shot stronger than fresh ginger?
A shot has a fixed amount of ginger per bottle, from 10g in Gentle Ginger to 30g in Ginger Max. Fresh ginger is as strong as you make it, but a shot gives you the same measured amount every time without any chopping.
Can I make ginger tea from a ginger shot?
Yes, the quick way to do it. Stir a shot into a mug of hot (not boiling) water with a drop of honey. You get a warm, lemony ginger drink without steeping any root. It's a comforting hot drink, not a remedy, so make it because you enjoy it.
Is fresh ginger cheaper than shots?
Per gram of ginger, the raw root is cheaper. A shot costs more because you're paying for cold-pressing, a fixed strength and zero prep. If cost is the main thing and you don't mind the effort, the root wins. If convenience matters more, the shot earns its price.
Which is best for cooking?
Fresh root, most of the time, since you can grate it to taste. That said, a thawed shot works as a shortcut stirred into dressings, marinades or a smoothie, so it doubles up if you keep them in the freezer anyway.
Do cold-pressed shots keep more of the ginger than tea?
They're just different methods. A shot is cold-pressed so the ginger goes in raw and unheated, then frozen fresh. Tea steeps ginger in hot water, which is a gentler, more diluted result. We keep the comparison to taste and convenience rather than making wider claims either way.
The bottom line
Fresh ginger, tea and a shot are three routes to the same root. The root is cheapest and most versatile, tea is the gentlest, while a shot is the most concentrated with the least effort. Most people end up using more than one depending on the moment. If it's the no-faff, known-strength route you're after, our cold-pressed juice shots arrive frozen fresh and ready to thaw, no chopping board required.
Where to buy
Browse the full cold-pressed juice shots range, or go straight to a favourite: Gentle Ginger, Ginger Max, Ginger Beets, Ginger Greens or the Juice Shot Variety Box.
Related reading
- Cold-pressed ginger shots: the benefits
- What's actually in a ginger shot
- How much ginger is in a shot
- How to take a ginger shot
- Ginger and lemon: why they belong together
- Ginger Beets: why ginger pairs with beetroot
- Ginger shots for energy
- The best juices for nausea relief
Join the list for the latest from The Pulp, and pick a free 500ml bottle of ginger or turmeric shots on your first order over £50.