Tea Tips for Newbies

Is tea healthy? Why, yes it is, and when people find out that tea is actually good for them, they start buying all sorts of brands and flavors. That’s good… for the most part.

Here are some important tea facts to know:

• Brewed tea confers more health benefits than instant tea.
• Tea bags are as potent as loose tea in their health benefits.
• Squeeze the brewed tea bag to almost double the polyphenol content.
• Add a wedge of lemon or lime with the rind for a polyphenol boost.
• If you’re caffeine sensitive, reduce brewing time to one minute or so.
• Avoid drinking extremely hot tea.
• The flavonoids degrade with time, so it’s best to drink freshly brewed tea that’s hot or quickly iced.

Also, herbal teas don’t have the same polyphenol benefits as Earl Gray, green tea or other black teas. Even the old fashioned Lipton variety does the trick, so start sipping.

Brew tea for at least three minutes.

Some people like to use milk or soymilk in their teas, others don’t. Lemon with honey is always a great option for flavoring.

As you become a tea drinker, try to get one or two cups in per day, perhaps by substituting your many coffee runs with a tea run or two. We’re not saying you have to quit drinking coffee (coffee also has its benefits), but tea is definitely a SuperFood for good reason. So, try it!