What's Your Cup of Tea?
Tea is a beverage that is consumed world-wide by many countries and cultures for pleasure and various medicinal purposes. This post will discuss the various types of teas, their supposed purpose, and their purported health benefits.
Tea has been grown for centuries, used as a home remedy to treat various aliments---for healing, stress-relief, pain, longevity, etc.
There are black teas, green teas, white teas, oolong teas, herbal teas, and yellow teas. But, what's the difference? Does each strain offer different health benefits?
Well, let's find out...
The history of tea
History records tea as having originated from China close to 5,000 years ago, and came into existence by chance.
It was discovered around 2700 B.C. and is one of the oldest beverages in the world according to FAO.
As its popularity increased, tea has been, and is consumed daily, throughout the world.
There's the British afternoon tea, aka high tea, where "the middle- and upper-class consumes tea to bridge the hunger-gap between lunch and supper."
Black Earl Grey tea is the most popular. It has bergamot oil added to it, which gives it a unique, minty taste. I know this, by having had it in my pantry---I just had to sample it.
Black tea is also the most common type consumed in the U.S. as well as North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.
South America's most popular tea is Yerba Maté tea, grown from the Yerba Maté plant, which is in a class by itself.
Chai tea is the most popular tea on the African continent---a blend of black tea with milk and spices. Green and black teas are most consumed in the Caribbean islands.
To sum it up, black tea is the most popular tea consumed around the world.
Different types of teas and purported medicinal properties
Black - Black tea helps maintain healthy blood pressure and sugar levels, and also improves gut health and aids in detoxing your body.
Green - Green tea has antioxidant properties improving general health.
White - White tea is packed with antioxidants that may help:
lower risk of heart disease and cancer
weight-loss
lower the risk of insulin resistance
offer protection against osteoporosis
slow skin aging process
protect against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases
protect teeth from bacteria
Yellow - promotion of digestive health and a healthy heart
Herbal - improves sleep, migraines, constipation, liver and kidney function, and osteoarthritis
Oolong - risk reduction of type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, lowers inflammation, reduces anxiety, increases alertness, and prevents cancer growth
My tea preference
As a teen, my mom use to serve me warm black tea for cramps during my monthly cycle. Not only did it soothe the pain, it relaxed me and allowed me to get a good night's sleep.
As of today, I enjoy a good warm cup of black tea with sugar, and sometimes I'll add milk, which I discovered the British do, as well on specific occasions.
When I drink iced tea, again it's black with real lemon added from fresh lemons, plenty of ice and sugar.
However, I have instant green tea in my pantry, as well as black tea. I prefer Twining's English Breakfast 100% black tea.
My herbal teas, such as hibiscus, chamomile, and lemon, I must replenish. They had been in my pantry for years, so I thought it would be safe to replace them. I only use them for medicinal purposes, as I've previously mentioned.
I must add, peppermint tea has relieved my headaches and my tense neck muscles on several occasions.
Peppermint tea is a must-have staple in my pantry. This one I did not throw-out; I ran out of it. I use to be a migraine-suffer, and peppermint tea was a lifesaver.
So, what's your cup of tea?
Join the conversation and share your tea preference.