A sizzling cup of tea could make you are feeling heat and comfy on a chilly day. Even higher, tea is a wholesome, low-calorie drink that has a variety of vital advantages to your well-being. Ingesting tea could even make it easier to drop pounds.

Tea is the world’s second most consumed drink (after water), in response to the Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations. In lots of locations, tea is extra than simply refreshment. In nations resembling Japan and the UK, getting ready and consuming tea are a vital a part of ceremonies and every day rituals.

Tea looks as if the best of drinks, however not all tea is alike. There are a lot of several types of tea, every with a novel origin, taste and dietary profile. Determining which is finest for you might be complicated, so we put collectively this deep dive into the vast world of tea.

What’s Tea?

True tea, derived from the Camellia sinensis shrub native to Asia, has a wealthy historical past of cultivation in China, India and neighboring nations. In keeping with the tea specialists at ArtfulTea, there are two major varieties: Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, recognized for its mellow style and widespread in East Asia, and Camellia sinensis var. assamica, with a extra strong taste, generally present in India.

It’s vital to notice that natural teas, whereas also known as tea, are literally infusions. Mint, chamomile and hibiscus are among the many vegetation used to create natural teas, infusing their leaves and flowers with flavorful important oils. All through historical past, natural teas have been utilized in people drugs for his or her therapeutic advantages in treating varied illnesses.

Completely different Varieties of Tea

Tea producers make use of completely different processes to arrange camellia leaves and flowers after harvesting, which in the end results in the distinct flavors and colours of every tea variant. Right here’s a information that can assist you choose the right tea that fits your preferences. Uncover the artwork of tea preparation and discover quite a lot of flavors and sorts of tea!

Black

Black tea is probably the most generally discovered selection, typically related to well-known tea manufacturers. It undergoes a course of the place harvested leaves are allowed to wilt and oxidize within the presence of air for a day or extra, leading to a change from inexperienced to a wealthy brownish-black colour and a hearty style.

Notably, black tea boasts the very best caffeine content material amongst all teas, roughly half the quantity present in a cup of espresso. Its infusion yields a charming darkish, coppery hue, accompanied by a strong and full-bodied taste.

Oolong

Oolong tea is crafted by partially oxidizing the leaves, giving them a brown hue, although not as deep as black tea. Via rolling, the tea leaves are gently bruised, unlocking the enzymes and important oils that create pleasant flavors. When brewed, oolong tea displays a charming orange to amber colour, presenting a milder style in comparison with black tea.

White

White tea, beloved by tea connoisseurs, delights with its delicately nice taste. Crafted from the contemporary suggestions and buds of the camellia plant, it undergoes minimal oxidation earlier than being rigorously dried, able to be brewed. Notably, white tea yields solely hint quantities of caffeine and imparts a pale yellow hue when steeped.

Inexperienced

Inexperienced tea leaves are rigorously processed proper after harvest to protect their vibrant inexperienced colour and forestall oxidation. In Japan, the leaves are steamed, whereas in China, they’re pan-fired. The result’s a lightweight inexperienced or yellowish tea with a fragile floral taste. Some pan-fried inexperienced teas even supply a refined smoky observe. Moreover, inexperienced tea comprises roughly half the caffeine content material of black tea.

Matcha

Matcha, a preferred sort of inexperienced tea in Japan, is derived from vegetation which are shaded for at least three weeks earlier than harvesting. This shading course of enriches the vegetation with chlorophyll, leading to a vibrant inexperienced hue. Furthermore, it imparts a pleasant umami taste to the tea, setting it aside from different inexperienced tea varieties, whereas additionally offering a mild caffeine increase.

To create matcha, the tea leaves endure a meticulous grinding course of, remodeling them right into a nice powder. Aside from being brewed as a standard tea, this versatile powder might be included into smoothies and utilized in varied baked items. Indulge within the delectable flavors of our Matcha Cookies recipe and savor the refreshing mixture of this Orange Ginger and Matcha Protein Shake.

Pu-erh

Pu-erh tea, pronounced “poo-air,” is gaining reputation amongst tea lovers in america. Much like black tea, it undergoes oxidation after which fermentation, very similar to sauerkraut or wine, adopted by growing older for a number of months and even as much as 20 years.

Through the fermentation course of, the tea develops a clean and subtly candy taste. Simply as with wine, growing older enriches and deepens the flavors. The ensuing tea is a darkish brown or black hue, with some noting hints of plum in its style.

Purple

Purple tea has been making headlines and showing on retailer cabinets these days. Whereas it comes from the identical plant species, its leaves have a definite purple hue. This lovely colour is attributed to anthocyanin, a strong antioxidant present in different meals like blueberries, pink onions and wine.

Much like oolong tea, purple tea leaves endure partial oxidation. Relating to taste, purple tea has been described as a pleasant mix of inexperienced and black tea. Its distinctive style is really a deal with for the senses.

Different Tea Choices

Many individuals all over the world brew drinks from different vegetation moreover camellia. These are a number of of the alternatives.

Natural Tea

Ginger and lemon balm are beautiful examples of fragrant herbs that yield pleasant teas. These herbs are sometimes unoxidized, minimally processed, and may even be cultivated at residence. Whenever you’re able to take pleasure in a cup of tea, merely pluck a number of leaves. It’s price noting that natural teas are usually low in caffeine or utterly caffeine-free, making them an ideal alternative for a soothing beverage.

Rooibos Tea

Rooibos (pronounced “roy boss”) is an more and more widespread sort of tea derived from a shrub indigenous to South Africa. The plant’s inexperienced leaves and yellow flowers endure oxidation and fermentation, leading to a definite reddish hue and a gently candy taste harking back to vanilla. Notably, rooibos tea is of course caffeine-free, making it a pleasant alternative for these searching for a soothing and refreshing beverage.

Chai

Ever come throughout “chai” on a espresso store menu and questioned what it really is? Opposite to widespread perception, it’s not simply one other sort of tea. Chai is a pleasant mix of sturdy Indian black tea, wealthy milk, and a medley of fragrant spices like cardamom, ginger and cloves. Give it a try to let your style buds embark on a flavorful journey!

Well being Advantages of Tea

You might say that tea is simply flavored water. And that’s a very good factor. Plain tea has no energy, sugar or fats. It retains you hydrated whereas additionally perking up your style buds.

Ingesting tea, nonetheless, provides you useful well being advantages which you can’t get from water. For example, customary and natural teas could offer you small however useful quantities of potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, copper and zinc. Past vitamin, consuming tea can provide your well being a lift in quite a lot of methods.

Most cancers

Teas comprised of the camellia plant include compounds known as catechins and theaflavins that “could scale back the chance of assorted sorts of cancers in people,” in response to a report from the journal Present Pharmaceutical Designs.

Strokes

In the identical report, the researchers observe that people who drink three or extra cups of tea a day have a 21 % decrease threat of stroke than those that drink lower than one cup per day on common.

Ldl cholesterol and Blood Stress

Consuming the catechins in inexperienced tea led to a discount in physique fats, systolic blood stress and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) ldl cholesterol in a research, printed within the journal Weight problems.

Irritation

Black tea comprises flavonoids that may assist scale back irritation, in response to a research printed in Vital Care Medication.

Enamel

White tea is wealthy in fluoride, catechins and tannins that may strengthen your enamel, safeguard towards plaque, and improve resistance to acid and sugar-induced put on, says a report from the College of Pennsylvania Well being System.

Stress

An amino acid considerable in inexperienced tea generally known as L-theanine, together with the low dose of caffeine, was related to enhancements in “temper, cognition and a discount of stress and anxiety-like signs,” in response to a research printed within the journal Phytomedicine.

Mind

A College of Pennsylvania Well being System report highlights that l-theanine could assist stop the onset and progress of cognitive ailments resembling Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s ailments.

Physique Fats

Individuals who consumed purple tea for 4 weeks had a big discount of their “weight, physique fats mass, stomach fats, physique fats ratio, waist dimension, hip dimension, and stomach and proper higher arm fats thickness,” in response to a research within the Worldwide Journal of Biomedical Science. The researchers theorize that the dietary compounds within the tea inhibited the absorption of fats from meals.

Selecting and Brewing

Free Tea vs. Tea Baggage

Tea baggage are handy to retailer and to make use of. For those who purchase baggage, examine the expiration date. Stale tea has a flat style. For the perfect taste from a tea bag, search for manufacturers that use muslin material or silk quite than paper, which might seep into the flavour of the tea. Premium manufacturers use entire tea leaves, quite than crushed leaves.

With entire leaves, you get the total flavors and aromas. For that motive, tea lovers typically desire brewing with unfastened leaf tea. All you want is an infuser to your pot or cup to make use of unfastened leaves. When looking for unfastened leaf tea, give it a sniff earlier than shopping for. It ought to odor brilliant and contemporary, not light or funky.

Heating and Steeping

Similar to there are several types of tea, there are other ways to arrange them. Whenever you’re prepared to arrange your tea, you need the recent water to launch the tea’s flavorful and fragrant oils, however not scald the leaves. For black, Pu-ehr, rooibos and most natural teas, the water must be simply in need of boiling. Oolong tastes finest brewed at 195 levels F. Warmth the water to about 180 levels F for inexperienced, white or purple tea.

The method of soaking within the sizzling water, or steeping, extracts the flavors, aromas and vitamins from tea leaves. Black tea and herbals teas usually attain their peak of taste after steeping for about 4 minutes. Inexperienced and white tea are finest after three minutes.

For those who like a stronger style, you possibly can let each go for an additional minute or so, however any longer dangers the tea growing a bitter taste. A superbly brewed cup of tea is a straightforward pleasure that may make any day a bit cozier.