Brewing a great cup of tea doesn't take much . . . just good quality tea and filtered water, brewed at the right temperature for the right amount of time.
Really, it's simple! And amazing, once you've brewed it the right way; you'll never go back to the bitter, badly flavored tea of your past. So here you go . . . everything you need to know about brewing tea for its optimal flavor and health benefits!
Loose Leaf Tea
Just like coffee purists proclaim freshly ground coffee to be the best, loose leaf teas really do make a good difference in the quality of your brew. That being said, you don't have to ditch your convenient bags. When on the go, they serve us well. However, loose leaf allows for all the room it needs to open up and unleash its delicious magic. The stuff you find in most bags is known as dust. It's basically the leftovers. There are three main types of teas; and there are myriad varieties of tisanes (the herbal loves). Black, green, oolong, and white teas are made from the actual leaf. Their differences are in the oxidation process after harvestingmuch like how coffees vary by roast.
Tisanes are equally wonderful. They are made up of an infusion (as of dried spices and herbs) and brewed into a medicinal beverage.
Some of the top picks around here are: blood orange, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, fennel, mint, and yerba mate. There are beaucoup possibilities for balancing the bodily system by ingesting tisanes. Like the food we eat, tea does run the risk of having not-so-good additives like pesticides and other agricultural chemicals. Stick to organic leaves, which thankfully are plentiful and can be inexpensive. We love chai, but another one of our favorites at the AHC office is green. We add a little ginger and lemon to make it even better. Ginger is an ancient medicine, for sure; and the sour citrus from a lemon boosts the antioxidant properties of green tea. One of my top personal favorite beverages is matcha. Matcha preparation involves covering the plants with shade cloths before they're harvested. This triggers the growth of leaves with better flavor and texture, which are hand selected, steamed briefly to stop fermentation, then dried and aged in cold storage, which deepens the flavor. The dried leaves are then stone-ground into a fine, luscious powder. It's absolutely wonderful.
Check out the green benefits:
- It has potent antioxidants.
- It can cut your cancer risk.
- It soothes the skin.
- It protects your skin.
- It steadies your blood pressure.
- It protects your memory.
- It keeps you young.
- It helps with weight loss by speeding up your body's calorie-burning process.
