The Art of Tea drinking

 

The Art of Tea drinking:

When I was a teenager, my mom was given three beautifully decorated exotic tins that were filled with different teas. It had its place on the kitchen window sill by the kettle. Each one was filled with a unique blend of fragrant tea leaves.

Accompanying the tins was a beautifully carved metal ball that could hold the tea leaves that could open and close. We had to fill the ball with some tea leaves, lower it into your cup and then pour hot water over and let it steep. The whole experience ”tasted’’ so much better than the tea!

 

The history of tea dates back to 2737 BC. There is a legend out there that says that a Chinese Emperor named Shen Nung noticed that a green leaf had blown into a bowl of boiling water, colouring the water and creating what became tea. The first written document of tea as a medicinal drink was written by a doctor in southwest China.

 

Tea has so many health benefits, and I see it as a general tonic that can help with any ailment or emotion. Below are a few general benefits:

 

·   Alleviates tiredness.

·   Fights off illness by assisting your immune system.

·   Helps lighten depression

·   Boosts energy.

·   Refreshes you physically and emotionally.

·   Brings a sense of calmness and a feeling of tranquility.

 

There are so many different teas that are available on the market these days. Herbal- ,infused- , or flavoured teas are much more affordable than before.

 

As I’m sitting in the autumn morning sun, sipping on my mug of rooibos with unsweetened soya milk, I’m savouring all the goodness of rooibos. This tea is proudly South-African. Brimming with anti-oxidants and without caffeine, this brew can help you with almost anything! From calming nerves, helping stomach upsets and colic, anti-ageing, allergies and asthma, sunburn, bladder infections and sleeplessness.

 

Just stay away from adding sugar to every cup of tea! Your taste buds will eventually start tasting the natural sweetness in the tea. Keep an empty Tupperware next to your tea bags. Take out the amount of teaspoons you would usually add to your tea, but place the sugar in the container instead of your cup. Have a look at the end of the week how kind you were to your body. Yes, tea without sugar might sound dreadful to some of you! But the more you have it this way, the sooner your tastebuds will adapt. Keep honey for special occasions.

 

Now green rooibos tea is becoming a more familiar sight on shelves. I found the most beautiful description of the difference between red and green rooibos. “It comes from the same plant, but the difference is the curing process. Red rooibos has a full-bodied flavour with caramel notes and steeps into an amber-hued cup. Green rooibos has a more delicate, herbal flavour and steeps into a light orange-yellow cup.”

Green rooibos has higher levels of anti-oxidants than red rooibos. Red rooibos is cut and left to dry in the sun. The plant is then exposed to oxygen and then turns a copper red colour. Think of an apple that has been cut and left exposed to outside elements.

I personally don’t drink coffee and try to stay away from caffeine. Black tea (Carmelia Sinensis) and green tea (not to be mistaken for green rooibos tea) are some of the teas that contain caffeine. If you would like to increase your tea intake but want to cut down on caffeine, then try to avoid black tea.

I love to make my own mixture of rooibos and chamomile at night. I’m not too fond of the taste of only chamomile, but the benefits are calming and relaxing, wonderful for stomach upsets and a good night’s rest.

My favourite at this moment is green rooibos tea with bergamot flavouring. I love the taste of Earl Grey tea, but the caffeine content is not optimal for my body. The taste is very similar though.

How about calming chamomile with a hint of spearment? The Carmién range of teas have affordable teas to choose from. Beautiful packaging with tea leaves delicately embraced in a mesh tea bag. It can give a “high tea” feel to any tea time!

Our children’s favourite is the Turkish Delight rooibos tea. It is a blend of green rooibos and rose petals with a delicate rose flavour reminiscent of Turkish Delight. It does not taste sweet, so maybe add a drop of honey if you feel a bit deceived.

Citrus Chai rooibos contains rooibos, green honeybush, spices, dried orange peel, lemongrass, flowers and black pepper. A very unusual combination, but an experience to remember.

A friend of mine has a beautiful wooden cupboard with glass window panes. She collects different tea cups, with only some of them matching. There is a personality in every tea cup! Always lovely to see how one fancy tea cup can stand gracefully on its own.

Green tea is a powerful anti-oxidant and tonic. It also helps to speed up your metabolism if that is what you are looking for. If you really want to go for gold, then you have to try the Organo organic green tea that also contains Ganoderma Lucidum. This is a type of mushroom that far outweighs the sound of “mushroom tea”! This is a medicinal mushroom combination that is tremendously beneficial to the immune system. It stimulates white blood cell production, which in turn enables your body to fight disease much better. This is not the type of mushroom that gives you hallucinations. Why not try it before you place a negative label on it?

This brand has a wide variety of beverages to choose from. One of their beverages is Red Tea with Cordyceps and Ganoderma Lucidum mushroom. This is a powerful herbal infusion. This blend does not contain rooibos tea, but Camellia Sinensis, a popular species of Camellia or better known as the tea shrub.

An interesting fact is that the Cordyceps mushroom was exclusively reserved for the Emperors and high nobility in ancient China. It is highly prized for its vitality properties, boosting energy and endurance. The Cordyceps also help the body adapt to high levels of stress. Take this into account in today’s fast paced life.

 

Organo Red Tea is a useful alternative for those who are sensitive to large doses of caffeine. This tea still provides you with caffeine if you are a coffee drinker, but it contains fewer quantities caffeine than a cup of coffee. All this with the added benefits of Cordyceps and Ganoderma Lucidum.

 

If you would like to find out about Organo or would like to order, click on the following link… healthbaristajaco.myorganogold.com 

With exquisite packaging and a smooth flavour, you will definitely be impressing your guests.

So whether you prefer a dainty, gold threaded tea cup, a chunky oversized mug or just a plain white tea cup, be sure to look out for interesting teas that will turn your teatime into an exotic, health benefiting experience.

 

Lizelle