A sizzling cup of tea could make you are feeling heat and comfortable on a chilly day. Even higher, tea is a wholesome, low-calorie drink that has a variety of necessary advantages on your well-being. Ingesting tea could even enable you to drop some weight.

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

Tea looks as if the only of drinks, however not all tea is alike. There are a lot of various kinds of tea, every with a singular origin, taste and dietary profile. Determining which is finest for you will be complicated, so we put collectively this deep dive into the extensive 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 response to the tea specialists at ArtfulTea, there are two major varieties: Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, identified for its mellow style and well-liked in East Asia, and Camellia sinensis var. assamica, with a extra sturdy taste, generally present in India.

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

Totally different Varieties of Tea

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

Black

Black tea is essentially the most generally discovered selection, usually 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 coloration 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 sturdy 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. By means of 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 coloration, 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 ideas 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 coloration and stop 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 provide a delicate smoky notice. Moreover, inexperienced tea accommodates roughly half the caffeine content material of black tea.

Matcha

Matcha, a well-liked kind of inexperienced tea in Japan, is derived from crops which might be shaded for at least three weeks earlier than harvesting. This shading course of enriches the crops with chlorophyll, leading to a vibrant inexperienced hue. Furthermore, it imparts a pleasant umami taste to the tea, setting it other than different inexperienced tea varieties, whereas additionally offering a mild caffeine increase.

To create matcha, the tea leaves bear a meticulous grinding course of, remodeling them right into a nice powder. Aside from being brewed as a standard tea, this versatile powder will 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 recognition amongst tea fanatics in the US. Much like black tea, it undergoes oxidation after which fermentation, very like sauerkraut or wine, adopted by ageing for a number of months and even as much as 20 years.

In the course of the fermentation course of, the tea develops a easy and subtly candy taste. Simply as with wine, ageing 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 recently. Whereas it comes from the identical plant species, its leaves have a definite purple hue. This lovely coloration is attributed to anthocyanin, a strong antioxidant present in different meals like blueberries, crimson onions and wine.

Much like oolong tea, purple tea leaves bear 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 crops 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 might even be cultivated at house. Once 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 typically 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 well-liked kind of tea derived from a shrub indigenous to South Africa. The plant’s inexperienced leaves and yellow flowers bear 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 looking for a soothing and refreshing beverage.

Chai

Ever come throughout “chai” on a espresso store menu and questioned what it really is? Opposite to well-liked perception, it’s not simply one other kind 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 attempt to let your style buds embark on a flavorful journey!

Well being Advantages of Tea

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

Ingesting tea, nevertheless, affords you beneficial well being advantages which you can’t get from water. As an example, commonplace and natural teas could give you small however beneficial quantities of potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, copper and zinc. Past vitamin, consuming tea may give your well being a lift in quite a lot of methods.

Most cancers

Teas comprised of the camellia plant comprise compounds referred to as catechins and theaflavins that “could cut back the chance of varied varieties of cancers in people,” in keeping with a report from the journal Present Pharmaceutical Designs.

Strokes

In the identical report, the researchers notice 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 Strain

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

Irritation

Black tea accommodates flavonoids that may assist cut back irritation, in keeping with a research revealed in Important Care Drugs.

Enamel

White tea is wealthy in fluoride, catechins and tannins that may strengthen your tooth, safeguard in opposition to 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 ample in inexperienced tea often called 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 keeping with a research revealed within the journal Phytomedicine.

Mind

A College of Pennsylvania Well being System report highlights that l-theanine could assist forestall the onset and progress of cognitive illnesses corresponding to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s illnesses.

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 keeping with 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

Unfastened Tea vs. Tea Baggage

Tea luggage are handy to retailer and to make use of. When you purchase luggage, verify 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 may seep into the flavour of the tea. Premium manufacturers use complete tea leaves, quite than crushed leaves.

With complete leaves, you get the complete flavors and aromas. For that motive, tea lovers usually want brewing with free leaf tea. All you want is an infuser on your pot or cup to make use of free leaves. When searching for free leaf tea, give it a sniff earlier than shopping for. It ought to scent vivid and contemporary, not light or funky.

Heating and Steeping

Identical to there are various kinds of tea, there are other ways to arrange them. Once 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 wanting 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 typically attain their peak of taste after steeping for about 4 minutes. Inexperienced and white tea are finest after three minutes.

When you like a stronger style, you’ll be able to let each go for one more minute or so, however any longer dangers the tea growing a bitter taste. A wonderfully brewed cup of tea is an easy pleasure that may make any day a little bit cozier.