Not In the Mood for Water? Drink Tea Instead!

I’m a big tea drinker. I love tea. I love the smell of tea and many of the flavors of tea that are on the market.  And I love it both hot and iced.  I rarely use tea bag tea, but instead opt for loose leaf tea.  I like whole, loose tea leaves because they still contain their essential oils.  The tea "dust" that is packaged in tea bags just doesn’t compare for me, albeit very convenient.  Tea leaf is invariably of higher quality.  And since you get more of the essential oils, you also get more superior flavor.  One taste of fresh tea made from loose leaves will be all of the incentive you need to ditch tea bags forever. Maybe, anyway! Luckily it isn’t all that much more complicated to brew tea from tea leaves than it is to make it using tea bags. And, the few extra steps are definitely worth it!

I love different teas, but since there are thousands of different varieties and I have definitely not tried them all, I will stick with what I know and recommend a few of my favorites to you.  I’ve always thought it was funny that there is just one tea plant but there are so many different teas – just like there are different grapes that are used to make different wines.   But you should always experiment with tea and don’t be afraid to try ones that you haven’t sampled before.

The four main types of tea are black tea, green tea, white tea, and oolong tea (which some people believe aids in weight loss).  Black teas have about ½ the caffeine as coffee, and oolong teas have around 1/4th the caffeine that is found in coffee.  Green tea has about 1/3rd the caffeine.  If you’re looking to reduce the caffeine that you take in, go for white tea or green tea, both of which, by the way, have tons of health benefits, too.  Green tea has a grass-like taste (no, I’ve never tasted grass but that’s the best way to describe it).  I also enjoy a cup or English tea with a spot of almond milk from time to time.

My favorite teas are black teas that are infused with fruit or flower blossoms.  I love black tea with lemon, ginger, or jasmine.  You may remember that I mentioned my love of Good Earth’s Sweet and Spicy Herbal Tea before, and I think it is worth mentioning again to those who might have missed that post.  Like I told you then, this tea is among the yummiest and sweetest unsweetened teas that I’ve ever had, and I love its cinnamon taste.

If you don’t prefer hot tea, you can always brew your own tea and then serve it on ice.  We do this in our house all the time during the warmer months and sometimes just for a cool beverage to have over dinner, year round. 

Enjoy!
Juliet

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