Regularly drinking tea can make you healthier than non-tea drinkers as tea reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke by 20%, according to studies. Despite this, Americans prefer to down coffee over tea, with one study finding that coffee drinkers consume 3.4 cups per day, compared to tea drinkers who have just 2.7 cups daily. But with so many health benefits linked to drinking tea, it’s a good idea to drink more of it. Here are some great ideas on how to enjoy tea.
Experiment with steep times
The longer you steep a cup of tea, the stronger it will taste. Research has found that 80% of people don’t steep their tea for long enough which will affect the taste of your tea. Different types of tea have different recommended steep times. For example, herbal teas should typically be steeped for between 5 and 10 minutes. But how long you steep your tea really depends on your preference. Some people like to keep their tea bag in completely to maximize the flavor. Others, prefer to take the tea bag out after just a couple of minutes. So, keep experimenting until you find a steep time that works for your taste buds.
Try different varieties
There are more than 1,500 varieties of tea. Although, the ones most commonly drunk are:
- Black tea
- Green tea
- White tea
- Oolong tea
- Pu-erh tea
- Purple tea
- Herbal tea
Just because you don’t like one or two types of tea, doesn’t mean that there isn’t a tea out there for you. Some tea can be particularly beneficial for women at certain stages of their lives. Studies have found that red clover tea can help with the symptoms of menopause while black tea and peppermint tea can ease menstrual cramps. You can get a selection of different teas to try from your local grocery store. Or, a tea club allows members to try unique teas from across the world, such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Kenya. The teas are usually sent in the post and come with steeping tips.
Add flavors to your tea
Typically, black tea drinkers add milk and sugar to their tea to improve its taste. Simply changing the milk you use from 1% to 2% will give your brew a new taste. Other flavors you can add to your tea to give it a new lease of life include lemon, honey, cinnamon, ginger, and maple syrup. If you opt for a fruity flavoring, it could replace your usual spoonful of sugar. This is beneficial as recent research has found that women who drink sugary drinks are at increased risk of heart disease.
Tea is loved by millions of people around the world, but it hasn’t been embraced as much as coffee in America. As there are so many health benefits associated with drinking tea, now is the time to develop a taste for it.
