Study after study shows tea has numerous health benefits. But you won’t get them if you aren’t drinking it correctly!
As with most things concerning food, correctly translates to doing it yourself.
No, you don’t have to have a fancy, formal tea ceremony to get your antioxidants and other health benefits from tea (which green, black, and herbal all have, though with different amounts of different things). You just need to make it fresh yourself!
Some of the good things you get from tea, like polyphenols, will break down in water over time—so popping the top of a pre-made tea beverage might be instant gratification for flavor and caffeine, it won’t offer the health benefits of making a pot of tea yourself.
Make The Perfect Cup Of Tea:
Timing is everything, both for flavor and maximizing the benefits by getting all the good things tea has to offer.
Start by getting the temperature just right—if you don’t have a fancy electric tea pot with a thermometer built in—neither do I! You just have to figure out the timing—not all teas take boiling water, so you want to pull the teapot off a few minutes before it hits a boil, or else wait a few minutes while it cools down after. Altitude absolutely impacts the boiling temperature of water, so you have to figure it out for your location.
Next, figure out where you’ll put the tea bag or loose tea. A small cup, special tea rest, or small plate are perfect—just make sure you get it out of there. Many teas will become bitter if you overbrew, and that’s a common complaint for people new to tea.
How long you brew depends on the tea type—from 4-5 minutes for herbal to 1-2 for white tea.
For Cold Tea:
Brew hot then ice it to maximize health benefits (although for taste I like to cold brew the tea overnight. Can’t have everything I guess!).
Maximize The Health Benefits:
All teas have some health benefits, but get the most by getting one known for it’s numerous benefits. Try Jiaogulan tea which supports cardiovascular health and overall wellness!
How do you drink tea?
