The Benefits of Drinking Tea

What are the differences in the varieties of tea?

Here's a quick guide to Black, Green, White, Red and Oolong Teas. One difference is the length of time the tea leaves have been fermented. Black tea has been fermented the longest, and white tea the least amount of time.

Black Tea

Black teas give you a robust cup that is especially nice in the morning as a pick me up, and is the variety we know as English Breakfast, Ceylon, Assam and Darjeeling. It is lovely with a bit of milk or served over ice with a little sweetening.

Green Tea

Green tea has a wonderful palate-cleansing flavor that is a perfect accompaniment to Asian food. It's also a wonderful ingredient for the skin. Green tea has been shown in studies to burn calories. Specifically, about 80 calories a day.

That can add up to a couple of pounds lost over the course of a month, so why not add a cup of green tea to your daily diet? Green tea is particularly delicious with Japanese and Chinese food. Its palate cleansing qualities complement these cuisines nicely.

White Tea

White tea is the least processed of teas. It has a very delicate flavor and is usually brewed with hot, not boiled water and steeped for a shorter time. White tea offers the highest amount of antioxidants of all teas. It also offers antiviral and antibiotic properties (similar to green tea but even more so).

But it does have some caffeine, so if you are avoiding caffeine, check the labels.

Rooibos

Rooibos or "red" tea, is actually not a tea at all. It is an infusion of the African red bush. Rooibos has no caffeine so it's perfect for pregnant moms and chidren.

Soothes Colic

Rooibos has a soothing effect on the central nervous system. It has been reported to aid colic and sleeplessness. In some parts of the world, Rooibos is the mom's prescription for colicky babies and kids with stomach upset. It's quite gentle on the stomach. Rooibos also has a soothing effect on the skin, relieving itching and certain skin irritations like eczema and diaper irritation.

Loose Tea is Best

Tea snobs claim that the best tea is loose, so consider buying yours from a supplier that doesn't bag their tea. Bagged tea often contains "tea dust", the lowest quality tea. High quality loose tea can actually be brewed twice, making it more economical.

"When taken internally, British researchers discovered that this sweet aromatic herb can enhance the immune system by stimulating the infection-fighting white blood cells. As such, chamomile tea may be helpful if you have a cold or the flu. It certainly does no harm to try several cups of brew!" ~~The Editors, Nutritional Supplement Education Centre

Other Great Benefits

(1) Stress and Anxiety: It has a very tranquilizing effect and is a good way to calm down.

(2) Digestive Problems: Chamomile tea has been shown to help with heartburn, indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, morning sickness and other stomach upsets.

(3)Miscellaneous: It can help with tension headaches, allergies and menstrual cramps.

"By steeping one heaping teaspoonful of either herb in one cup of boiling water for five to 10 minutes and drinking the tea one to three times a day the allergy sufferer can reduce their symptoms."~~Joy Borthwick, Herbal Medicine at Suite101.com

"Drinking chamomile tea is one of the easiest ways to tackle migraines, and should be consumed as soon as one notices migraine symptoms in order to avoid severe headaches." ~~Buzzle.com

(4) Children: Because it is so gentle, it is safe for use with children.

"The tea ritual allows us to slow down, to focus, to open up to a broader view of our lives and feel more grateful for the miracle of our existence.Whether you have tea alone or with a spouse or a friend, the ceremony is more important than the tea because it is a time you set aside to break free, to listen, to reflect, and to enjoy a simple, inexpensive, gracious act." --Alexandra Stoddard

Having a regular afternoon tea time can be any or all of the following...

A way to nurture friendship.

A way to share intimate time with your child after school.

A way to help your spouse transition into being at home again after work.

A moment alone for reflection, perhaps while journaling.

The typical menu for tea time seems to include several different types of tea sandwiches, cut into squares or triangles (cucumber, chicken salad, egg salad, etc), some kind of quiche, grapes, scones, cookies, cake or pie, and finally, tea!

You might even decide to start a tea club...

Here is Tamera Bastiaans account of how her book club/tea club is set up...

"One person from the group decides to host the tea. They then get to choose the book and the date (around six weeks from the last one). They send out the invitations to all of us. We all read the book and show up for tea at the hostess's house on the appointed day. We have tea and discuss the book. Our group really loves to read and is GREAT about getting onto a lot of interesting, interpretive questions and discussions."

Starting a tea ritual is a way to connect more deeply with yourself, with your children, with your family and your friends.

"I started drinking tea when my children were preschool age. Somewhere along the line we started having Afternoon Tea together after school. My children are now teenagers and love having tea almost as much as I do."~~Brenda Hyde

The typical menu for tea time seems to include several different types of tea sandwiches, cut into squares or triangles (cucumber, chicken salad, egg salad, etc), some kind of quiche, grapes, scones, cookies, cake or pie, and finally, tea!

(1) If you have more than one child, and you want to share tea time with them all at once, make sure you also plan special times alone with each one. Perhaps a weekly afternoon tea for each child, separate from the regular one.

(2) Give your child a personalized invitation to the first tea, and then, explain that you would like for it to be a regular get-together. Your child will love having special time with Mommy.

(3) Tea time is a great way to reinforce everything you are teaching your children about manners, without them being intimidated.

(4) You can have theme parties occasionally if you would like. Here are some great ideas (dress-up tea parties, fairy princess tea parties, etc)...at Tea Party Ideas but you want to make sure that your regular tea time isn't so elaborate that it becomes impractical.

(5) Spend the time getting to know your children better. Ask what was special about their day or invite them to tell you a joke. Mary Ann and Kimberly, a mother and daughter team, suggest this conversation prompt: "Tell me something you want me to know about you".

(6) You can make reading part of the ritual, as well. You can read a book together while you are enjoying your afternoon tea or right after you finish.

If you start these intimate tea-time conversations when they are young, they will be a favorite routine as they grow older.

"Activities such as tea parties, reading, family game nights and craft time will stay with them forever as gentle memories that will carry them through difficult times in their lives. Plan your tea party today, and enjoy an afternoon of magic and whimsy with your children!" --Brenda Hyde

Colorful and charming, this miniature tea set is the child's equivalent of Rosanna's larger Tea's Me collection. Included are a chartreuse-and-pink teapot, four cups and saucers, and a sugar bowl and cream pitcher. With the whimsical feel of Wonderland, each of the four teacups is mismatched in shape and color combinations--a ruffled foot here, a peaked handle there--while the saucers feature petal rims and a top surface that is solid pink, blue, lavender, or apricot to match the bright tints on the cups. The octagonal lavender-and-blue sugar bowl and solid blue creamer add the crowning touches.

Rosanna makes the Tea For Me, Too set of sturdy stoneware that is safe for use in the microwave and dishwasher. Due to the dainty handles, however, the pieces might be better off washed by hand. A child will be thrilled to receive the round hatbox-style gift box decorated with its parade of colorful teacups and teapots. A tea party with friends is just around the corner. --Ann Bieri, Amazon Review

Rosanna Tea For Me Too, Gift-boxed Children's Tea Set, Service for 4

"Unless you're wild about baking, I'd suggest that you limit the offerings at your first afternoon tea party. What fun will the party be if the hostess is stressed out over the chocolate hazelnut torte that flopped, the cookies that are a little too 'crispy', or the cake that stuck to the bottom of the pan? I'm not going to give you a lot of step-by-step recipes here because those are available in so many other places. In your own collection of cookbooks, for instance, you probably have half a dozen recipes for scones. What I want to do, instead, is offer some ideas to spark your own creativity. Then I'll share a few specific recipes that you might not find elsewhere."-Brenda Coulter, Recipes for a Proper Afternoon Tea Party

Recipes

Moroccan Mint Tea

"Classic Moroccan Mint Tea is made by steeping green tea with spearmint leaves. Many families serve it more than once a day."-Christine Benlafquih, About.com Guide

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Green Tea leaves
1 large handful fresh spearmint leaves, washed
1/2 liter (about 2 cups) boiling water
1/4 cup sugar

Preparation: Here


Apple Cinnamon Iced Tea Recipe

Ingredients

2 quarts bottled spring water or filtered water
1/4 cup loose black tea leaves or 8 standard tea bags
2 lemons, thinly sliced
2 medium, crisp apples, cut into thin wedges
1 large stick cinnamon
Sugar to taste

Instructions

1. Bring water to a boil in a teakettle. Put tea leaves in a deep, heatproof bowl or large teapot. As soon as water begins to boil, pour over tea leaves; stir and let stand 4 minutes.

2. Put lemons, apples and cinnamon in a pitcher. Strain tea through a fine wire-mesh sieve or coffee filter over fruit. Let steep at least 10 minutes before serving. Sweeten to taste and serve over ice. Serves 10.

from Relish Magazine

Amazon's List of its Features

(1)Attractive and fashion savvy brushed stainless steel exterior is durable and easy to clean

(2) Beautiful 18/10 stainless steel accented with soft, silicone rubber form comfortable handles with a confident grip.

(3) Durable whistle signals when water is at a boil

(4) Perfect complement to your KitchenAid cookware collection

(5) Hassle-Free Replacement Warranty for reliability.

More Tea Party Resources

Tea Party Blog

Tea Party Menu

Scone Recipes

Book Club Tea Party

Seasonal Tea Parties

Tea Sandwiches


More Herbal Tea Remedies


About Herbal Tea Remedies

Herbal Tea Benefits

Herbal Tea Recipes

Herbal Tea for Heartburn


Tea Blogs


My Steeped Identitea

The Voice of Tea

Tea Nerd

Tea Pages

Authoritea

Lainie Sips