The Many Kinds of Tea

TEA BENEFITS

1. Tea Is Healthy

Tea has almost no calories and is a much better alternative to cola and other sugar-packed drinks. Also, some teas, like green tea, may aid in burning calories, boosting metabolism, and building your endurance when exercising. Tea is full of antioxidants, which help protect against free radicals, boost the immune system, and help you feel great! These antioxidants may also help protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease. These are great reasons to keep on sipping tea.

2. Tea Gives Us Energy

We all love to feel energized! The theine contained in tea is released in such a way that it is better than caffeine from coffee, which makes you feel revitalized, however, the caffeine high with coffee lasts for a shorter amount of time and drops quicker. Tea is perfect to wake you up in the morning and keep you going throughout the day. To feel more alert, tea is the best choice.

3. Tea May Help

Reduce Stress

Relaxing in a comfy chair or favorite spot with a cup of tea is a wonderful way to wind down when you’ve had an exhausting day at work or are just overall feeling stressed. It has also been found to work as an antidepressant, and it helps reduce tension and boost your mood. Next time you are feeling overwhelmed, curl up with a nice cup of tea.

4. Tea Party!

Tea parties are so much fun! We love meeting up with friends over tea. Plan a fun, fancy afternoon tea party to nourish friendships or to make new ones! Whether

it’s a formal tea or a casual one, tea and tea parties can make us feel happy.

THE MANY KINDS OF TEA

White Tea

To produce white tea, it is first steamed and dried before being packaged and sent to market. The leaves are never oxidized; rather they are allowed to wither, then they are baked or air-dried. White tea has a very delicate flavor and is more expensive than most other teas.

Green Tea

Green tea leaves are withered before they are steamed or pan fried. They are laid out and dried again before being packaged. The steaming process keeps the leaves green and helps the leaves to maintain their health benefits and flavor.

Black Tea

Black tea is the most popular because of its robust flavor. Black tea leaves are allowed to wither and rolled out, then fermented. During this process black tea turns very dark. Once fermented, the tea undergoes a firing process. Some black teas include Earl Grey and English Breakfast tea.

Oolong Tea

Oolong tea is allowed to partially wither and oxidize. The leaves are laid in a cool place to absorb oxygen and turn to a dark color. The leaves are shaken to bruise the edges and then subjected to a short fermentation process. Depending on the processing, some of the leaves are used for black tea and some for green tea.

SWEET TREATS

Now that we have our favorite cups of tea, we need sweet treats to enjoy as well. The Brits—the experts on cream teas, traditionally eat scones with their afternoon tea. If you have ever had the pleasure of enjoying afternoon tea in the United Kingdom, you have most likely had clotted cream, a rich and decadent cream served with your scone and of course jam!

The scones are served warm and topped with Devonshire cream and jam.

The Great Cream Controversy: Cornish Cream or Devonshire Cream?

Tradition has it that since the eleventh century, cream tea has been served in the United Kingdom and is a most treasured tradition. Scones are a British traditional treat to enjoy with tea, but they are not without controversy!

There are several ways to enjoy scones. In Britain however, there is a long rivalry concerning in which order the jam and cream are applied. The Brits in Devonshire eat scones topped with Devonshire cream and then jam. The British Royal Family eat scones the Cornish way, which is splitting the scone in two, spreading them with jam, then topping them with Devonshire cream.

Another fashionable way to eat scones is to spread the Devonshire cream and jam onto your plate in two separate areas and then break off a small piece of scone with your fingers and dip it in the cream and then the jam. But we think you can eat a scone anyway you wish!