Best Teas For You Through The Day
Like wine, you can pair tea with anything. You can be drinking green tea with a plate of toast and eggs, black tea with snacks, or oolong tea with a slice of cake.
Ahh, I remember some of my early memories of teas had to do with playing hostess to my own tea party with my American girl dolls. I even had my 10th birthday there in the high tea room.
Tea has been around since BC times and honestly one of my favorite pastimes is to curl up and drink a warm cup. Tea symbolizes serenity and peace. It’s kinda in the self-care category like a spa day or journaling. Tea has a strange ability to heal. Whether you’re in deep thought or sick, its presence can cleanse the body & soul.
If you have ever been grocery shopping then you know there are many teas, I mean in most stores they devote whole aisles to them.
Green tea
Made with steamed tea leaves, it has a high concentration of EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate). EGCG is a type of plant-based compound called catechin which acts as an antioxidant. Catechins are a group of flavonoids that exist naturally in the fresh leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Its flavor ranges from toasty and nutty to fresher and grassier depending on how they’re brewed.
In addition to its tasty flavor, it provides additional health benefits, including reduced inflammation and improved heart & brain health.
Best Times: In between meals and at least 2 hours before bed
Best Season: Spring & Summer
Black tea
Made with fermented tea leaves, black tea has the highest caffeine content. Not as high as coffee but the type that takes milk and sugar as well. The most popular bases for iced teas and other flavored teas like chai, along with some instant teas.
Due to containing caffeine, it’s other element called L-theanine (an amino acid) can improve alertness and focus.
L-theanine increases alpha activity in the brain, resulting in relaxation and better focus.
Best Times: Half an hour after a meal especially in the mornings
Best Season: Fall & Winter
Pu-erh tea
Made from fermented and aged leaves. Considered a black tea, its leaves are pressed into cakes. It contains high amounts of vitamin C & antioxidants. One of the oldest teas, it has proven to contain multiple health properties including protecting your flushing out toxins from the body.
It delivers increased levels of oxygen, which enhances circulation and blood flow. By delivering more oxygen to the brain, pu-erh tea can help combat headaches and migraines. It has also been used to aid the spleen and stomach in filtering toxins throughout the body.
Best Times: Mornings or Early Afternoons
Best Season: Fall
White tea
Uncured and unfermented. The purest type out of all teas. When brewed, it produces a pale green or yellow hue. It has a light, subtle taste.
What’s so interesting about this kind is it’s a great source of fluoride. Which helps prevent dental cavities by making the surface of teeth more resistant to acid attacks by bacteria in combination with sugar.
White tea has also been proven to combat against cancer cells.
Best Times: In the morning and in between meals
Best Season: Summer
Oolong tea
Unlike the others above, this type is a loose-leaf (dried tea leaves). Flavors are more complex than green or white. They have a smooth, soft astringency (how it feels in your mouth) and have rich floral or fruity flavor profiles.
It can cause longer sleep and reduce sleep latency.
Having properties from both black & green teas, it contains elements GABA and L-theanine. GABA aka Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid is known for having a calming effect on the nervous system.
Best Times: In the morning with breakfast or after dinner with dessert
Best Season: Spring
Tea has always helped us whether to relieve stress, aid in fighting a cold, or even keeping you warm during winter nights. Tea is a thing that you can make easily. Tea can bond people together. You can literally drink it alone or with a meal. It doesn’t even cost much to make.
Advice: Pick a tea and simply enjoy!
