Oh my goodness. Between a ridiculous cold snap here in San Francisco and a nasty little cold, I have been drinking SO much tea recently. Aside from the seemingly constant trips to the loo, that’s certainly not a bad thing especially when you consider the beauty benefits of drinking tea.
Antioxidants
Teas are plentiful in anti-aging, wrinkle-fighting antioxidants. As I wrote back in April, my health coach friend Christine Gonzalez says green and black teas have eight to ten times more antioxidants than fruits and veggies. That’s a lot of antioxidant goodness.
Hydration
Teas can also be hydrating, which is very good for your skin and overall health… Well, that’s if there’s no caffeine in your tea. If there’s a lot of caffeine in there, as with a black tea, you’re actually going to need to drink more water to counteract the diuretic effects of the tea.
Give it up for rooibos
I don’t drink anything with caffeine in it. I have no tolerance for it and get all wiggy if I have caffeine, so I was super excited to discover rooibos tea (aka red or red bush tea) this year.
It’s naturally caffeine-free and chock full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. It’s said to even be helpful with colds, allergies, and digestive problems. And I can add milk to it without it getting gross and curdling, like with fruity, herbal infusions. If you’ve never tried it, you really must check it out. I highly recommend it!
How do you take your tea?
Even though I’m Korean, I’m all about sweet, milky tea this time of year. Lately, I’ve been drinking lots of caffeine-free, rooibos chai and “sniffle tea” I got at Rainbow (quite possibly the best health food store ever). I add a dash of cream and a bit of agave nectar and I’m good to go. Have you been drinking a lot of tea too? Are you an English-style or Asian-style tea drinker? Do tell.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
i love rooibos tea and chai- rooibos with milk is my all-time favorite! also i really like ginger tea: some pieces of fresh ginger in hot water or in any kind of tea… delicious!
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Ooooh, I never thought to just throw some Ginger in hot water. What a great idea! Will try that next! Thanks!
Thanks again for the tip! I tried it and love it. How long do you keep the ginger in there? The whole time while you’re drinking it or do you just put it in for 5-10 minutes before drinking?
I normally drink the normal tea, but when I’m prepairing it, I put a piece of cinnamon in the boiling water, some lemon… and a little bit of milk! It’s delicious!
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Ooooh, another great idea! I’ve got some cinnamon in the cupboard. Definitely going to try that. Thanks for the great tea tip!
Yummy! As I live in the Bay Area, there’s a lot of milk tea places around. I don’t enjoy the fruit flavors as much, but if the tea itsself is good quality tea, like at Fantasia, or Ten Ren, I like to have tea with pearls- no sugar, because the pearls add just enough sweetness.
I’ve had jasmine tea pearls but not sure what pearls added to tea are. What are they? You’ve got me intrigued!
oh! It sounds like you’ve had it before. Same thing ^^. It’s generally known as pearl milk tea, the most popular basic drink being black tea+ milk, but of course, there are variations. Pearls are also known as boba or tapioca.
i love tea pearls! if you got green tea with pearls, yum, it’s like a snack and tea at the same time!
Ooooooh, now I know what you’re talking about – bubble tea! I love tapioca but oddly I’m not into it in my tea. Though I know lots of people who adore it. The pearls I was referring to are the hand-rolled pearls of jasmine green tea – very tasty but pricey!
I’m more of an herbal tea drinker (with some organic honey mixed in), but love the English-style teas at the Ritz. Pinkies up!
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Ooooh, love a good high tea!
I only ever put sugar and milk in strong black teas like Earl Grey or English breakfast-otherwise I’ll drink them plain. Tea is so good at this time of year!
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Yes, it’s really the perfect beverage for winter!
I love tea! I drink a lot of it and I have a tea routine: cup of black tea with orange juice (no, it’s not disgusting!) first thing in the morning, green tea (sencha or gunpowder) at work, one cup black tea with milk when I get from home work, then black darjeeling, and yogi tea (which is just a mix of spices, no actual tea) with honey just before I go to bed. How sad am I?
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Wow, that’s one impressive tea routine!
Whenever I have a cold, I drink Symfre herbal tea with my bombilla from Wisdom of the Ancients and it always works! Except maybe for a little vitamin c, that’s all I ingest when I’m sick with a cold!
Interesting. I’ve never tried Symfre. Will have to check that out on my next visit to Rainbow. Thanks for the tip! Now what is bombilla? Is that another kind of tea?
A bombilla is like a metal straw with a filter at the end so you don’t suck up the leaves of the Symfre. I’m pretty sure Wisdom Natural Brands, the parent company of Wisdom of the Ancients is the only company that markets it-I don’t think you can get symfre from anywhere else. They should sell bombillas, too. You can check health food stores, but you can also go on http://www.wisdomnaturalbrands.com
Good luck!
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I’m an English tea drinker. Earl Grey… & it MUST be Twinings! None of the others measure up to the Twinings Earl Grey (and if you like something a little bit more citrusy rather than potpourri-y then Lady Gray is for you).
I do like a good Rooibos when I’m in the mood for something more exotic though.
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Nice! I rarely drink black tea, because of the caffeine. But that Lady Gray sounds interesting. May have to try that sometime. Thanks!
Yum, I love tea so much! I like it with evaporated milk (makes it all thick and yummy), lots of Indian spices, and lots of sugar. And I have green tea with cinammon and honey. Love it!
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Ooooh, green tea with cinnamon and honey. I never would’ve thought of that. Will definitely have to try it! Thanks for all the great tips!
hmmm. I am a coffee girl.
mhmmmmmm cappucino keeps me alive ; )
During winter i start to drink more tea to keep myself warm thogh.
I love spicy yoghi teas, my favorite is a special womens mixture, i drink it without any milk, or sugary things in it.
I hate black tea and really enjoy green tea esp. green jasmine tea with asian food.
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Oooh, the women’s mix tea sounds interesting. I’ll have to try that next time I got to Rainbow.
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Tea gives me life!
i have to soak with tea every night or i dont feel right..
my current life’s necessity is peppermint..but i can drink them all any color any flavor…
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