What are the Benefits of Tea – My New Favorite Drink
Recently I’ve enjoyed having some tea in the later afternoon. I tried a couple different types of tea then I decided to research what are the benefits of tea. I had some special flavors that I prefer for health reasons like white, green or black tea. And I tried using the loose tea and the teabags. There are many different options when choosing a tea and I will share them with you here. Let’s first learn about the history and legends of discovering tea.
If you want to view the tea selections from Art of Tea click here
History of Tea: Legends from India and China
The history of tea dates back to ancient China around 2737 B.C.E. when an emporer, Shen Nong, mistakenly discovered it. Shen Nung was a skilled ruler and scientist when he was boiling tea in his garden and a leaf from a wild tea tree fell into his boiling pot of water. He liked the infused water so much that he decided to do research on the plant further. During his research he discovered medicinal properties linked to tea.
Now there are also tea discoveries attributed in India when Prince Bodhi-Dharma an Indian saint founded the Zen school of Buddhism. In the year 520 he left India to preach in China. To prove some Zen principles he vowed to meditate for 9 years without sleep and then towards the end of his meditation he fell asleep. When he woke up he was so confused that he cut off his eyelids and threw them to the ground. Legend has it that a tea plant sprung up on the spot to sanctify his sacrifice.
Whichever the legends, the origin of teas roots proves difficult and could be its own class history lesson in itself for maybe another blog post.
Health Benefits of Tea: Tips and Tea Variety Suggestions
There are many benefits of tea and I’ve chosen to identify some of them here:
- Tea may help reduce risk of heart disease,cancer & type 2 diabetes-I suggest Matcha tea for this
- Tea contains antioxidants and may protect against osteoporosis-especially White tea because its less processed
- Tea may boost the immune system and prevent respiratory illness-Try Holy Basil or Tulsi
- Tea may help prevent bone loss and is rich in vitamin C-I suggest Moringa tea for this
- Tea may boost exercise endurance and improve overall health-I suggest Green tea
- Tea may provide some minor protection from UV rays and increase blood flow-I suggest green tea
Types of tea: There are about 6 types
There are teas that have high concentrations of antioxidants. They are green tea, white tea, black and oolong teas. And then there are other teas made from fruits, herbs, and seeds which have fewer antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that can prevent or slow damage to cells caused by free radicals. There are more than 1500 varieties worldwide.
The most interesting fact is that all true teas come from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis. Each type is unique due to its processing method.
Something to note is tea is fermented/oxidized by using a hot humid environment. The tea leaves are spread on bamboo racks to wither for a few hours immediately after they are harvested. They are rolled and placed into a cloth-lined bamboo basket once they become soft enough.
- Black tea-most common tea
- White tea-the least processed tea
- Green tea-the oldest tea
- Oolong Tea-between green and black tea
- Puerh-dark semi-rare tea made from a larger leaf strain
- Herbal Tea-known as Tisane tea that does not contain any leaves
=>>Check out my article here on What is in Kombucha for other ways to drink tea<<=
How to Brew Tea: Tips to Making a Proper Cup
- Use filtered water-The better the water the better the tea will taste
- Set the correct water temperature-Use an electric kettle with temperature setting
- Steep for the correct amount of time-Use a timer, usually 3-5 minutes depending on type of tea
- Use loose tea-The best tea to steep due to its high quality
- Warm the teapot-Add hot water to the teapot to warm it up then swirl it around and dump it out
So what are the benefits of tea? There are many from preventing diseases to helping with a nagging cough. And there are many uses and types available on the market. I prefer organic loose tea. My favorite is pomegranate or white peach!
Try it from Art of Tea, handcrafted in Los Angeles.
Thank you for your article. I am a BIG coffee drinker but I just found I am pregnant so need to restrain from caffeine. I do not know anything about tea so I have been doing research. My understanding is that the only tea I can have is herbal or camomile. I was hoping I could find a yummy replacement through tea.
Any suggestions?
Thank you!
@Cynthia….There are many caffeine free teas…be sure to check my link to Art of Tea.
haha, imagine just drinking water with random leaves in it. I think I would be a way too scared to try that bc I’d be worried about them being poisonous lol. Out of all the teas I’ve tried before, I prefer to go green because the black teas have too much caffeine for me, and worsen my anxiety. Thanks for sharing, this interesting story about the history of tea.
@Joshua.. i totally agree. Thx for stopping by my site!
Alyse, I am very impressed with how straightforward and educational you have made this article! It’s quite interesting actually, several friends of mine have recently become interested in drinking tea for health and I’ve lacked any real knowledge on the subject. I’ve known enough about the various health benefits that come with tea drinking, but nothing substantial until reading your post. Also, as a student of history, I absolutely love that you discuss a bit on the historical background of tea, and how it has been used across world cultures and it’s earliest origins in china nearly 5 millennia ago. Thank you for breaking this down for me! Most informative.
@JaysonGP… I’m glad you enjoyed the article and thanks for stopping by my site.
I have also been reading quite a bit about the history of tea and it has been interesting going back to India and China. I learn from your post there were about six different types of tea. Thanks for that.
I personally enjoy tea every day but when I have a nagging cough I almost always take it as if were a remedy, LOL.
@Ann… thanks for stopping by my site and I’m glad you enjoyed learning about tea.
Thanks a lot for sharing with us this amazing information’s about the benefits of the tea.
Because the doctor advised me not to drink coffee because of heart problems, for me the best coffee every morning is tea.
I can say that I take my energy for all my daily tea activities and I feel great. You have put here some very interesting information, about the history of tea as well as about the existing types of tea.
For me it is a new thing that green tea can provide protection from UV rays and increase blood flow. This is amazing….
@Nimrodngy thanks for visiting my site and I’m glad you found it interesting!
It’s interesting how people came across the benefits of things like tea, in a time when science wasn’t at the forefront. This goes for a lot of other things too, where we are now discovering scientific benefits on things that have been in practice for centuries. I haven’t been a tea drinker in the past as I never liked the taste of it. Though nowadays I am experimenting with a few different teas and flavors so I can get all the benefits from them and live a healthier lifestyle.
@Johan there are some great tea varieties offered at Art of Tea. I’m going to try the banana coconut next time I place an order.
Hi there, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article on tea. I knew a bit about the history of tea but did not know about the 6 difference types of tea. I am a black tea drinker. There are many positives about tea and you have listed them informatively in this article. Tea is an anti-oxident and helps the immune system . I see that you prefer to drink loose tea leaves. I prefer to buy Indian tea. I also collect tea pots for one. What is the Art of Tea? What tea do you recommend to drink at night? Thanks
@Jennifer… thank you for visiting my site. To answer your question, Art of Tea is an online company delivering everything you want and need to know about tea. They have Tea 101 Academy class, Tea Club and of course fabulous options for any tea that you could think of. For nighttime I recommend their organic caffeine free Sleep Tea…. look how amazing it is: Caffeine Free Tea Blends
You can’t beat having a tea can you! There can be something quite mindful about it too. I used to really only drink black tea but over the years have become more accustomed to a green tea, though I have to be in the mood for that. Since falling pregnant I went off black tea, and now enjoy a peppermint tea more, it is funny how your preferences can change over time isn’t it. I will be sure to check out your link to the Art of Tea.
@Emma… thanks for stopping by and here’s the link to the page for Art of Tea: https://healthyfoodieonline.com/what-is-the-best-organic-matcha-tea-its-growing-in-popularity/
Waoo, pretty surprising.
Really, I didn’t know that much benefit existed of drinking tea. May be because of misconception or prior conditioning. In my household, Tea is perceived inferior to coffee. So when coffee is around, no body would bother to go for tea, if you gave then a choice. Now I know what to do. I will take out the choice and buy tea only. …Lol
Just like you, tea is my new favorite drink. I stumble upon your site while researching tea benefits. I was looking to find out also what different teas were good for. Do you have any suggestions about what is good for diabetic type 2? Also, is chamomile tea is good if you suffer from insomnia?
@Carole.. I’m definitely a tea lover like you! Art of Tea has so many options for all types of tea lovers. Most tea is sugar free as long as you don’t add sugar but there could be natural sugars. They have an organic caffeine free Sleep Tea…find it here: Caffeine Free Tea Blends . Have a great day and have fun shopping for tea…there are so many options at Art of Tea!
Hello, fellow Tea lover here as well! In fact, i’m actually drinking tea while writing this comment LOL! My favourites are definitely black tea, followed by green and oolong tea. I definitely also love loose tea leaves because it gives more flavor overall compared to buying them in sachets.
I’ll usually pick tea over many other beverage choices including soft drinks or juices which are usually loaded with sugar. I usually take my tea without any sweetener to really get the full aroma and taste out of it too. That’s also the best way to get all the benefits you described too!
Hallo there Alyse,
Thanks for this helpful post. I really liked the way you explained how tea was discovered in a simple and easy way. I am just getting to take tea seriously as part of my new health improvement strategy and I am doing lots of research on it, which explains why I am here. I see your site is pretty much what I want as a partner through this new journey. I have bookmarked it and will be stopping by to get more valuable info. Thanks again.
@Dave… I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by my site.
I am a tea drinker but didn’t realize all the history that goes into the tea-drinking culture. I usually choose my tea by flavor and how much caffeine want. We drank iced tea growing up and love it still. The choices iced are not so many, at least to me and what I like. However, the choices really have increased here for hot tea, and I have enjoyed the searching for ones I like.
Knowing that you are also doing something that is good for you as well makes this one of the better habits I have. You stated that you like loose tea leaves better than the tea bags. Which tea balls to you like? I have a small one that makes one cup and enjoy using it. However, the bags are so convenient. I am sure that I have not been properly brewing mine, and with your suggestions will work on how I am doing it.
Thank you for the information about the tea-drinking habit.
@Sami…Thanks for stopping by my site. I like the lemon ginger and banana dulce. Enjoy tea!
wow, that is a very interesting post, I had no idea that there was so much to know about tea, I like how powerfully embedded in history but I had no clue there were so many types and all the health benefits of it, most of the time you only hear about black and green tea, and that is good for you but nothing else, so is good to know more int depth about it.
All the best and have a great day.
Hello there thanks for the review. It was really helpful I must say. Tea has a lot of benefits to the health and well being of anyone who takes it. There are several types of tea and they are all helpful to the human body. Like they may help reduce risk of heart disease,cancer & type 2 diabetes-I suggest Matcha tea for this.