Care for a Spot of Tea?

                                                           Photo from Max Pixel

While my boyfriend is down south enjoying 70 degree weather, I'm bundled up here with all this snow, ice, and slush, enjoying a nice mug of hot tea. I think in a coffee-stained world, there should be a little bit more appreciation for tea. I find it pretty funny how flexible tea is - how you can just make it from anything that grows. "Mm-mmh~! I love me some Wheatgrass Tea, yum yum!" ...wheatgrass. Not a fan? How about some chocolate tea? Fermented tea?? Yeah that's right. You like drinking Kombucha? It's fermented. Good stuff for your gut! People have made teas from basically everything, and surprisingly, we've found a lot of health benefits from doing so.

(Dead bacteria create a layer over-top the Kombucha from fermentation)

I usually make myself some unsweetened day-time tea (usually a fruity tea like peach), and a cup of night-time tea when I get back to my dorm (either milky chai or something floral or minty). The flavor of tea I brew also sometimes depends on what mood I'm in, or whatever mood I'd like to be in. If I'm in a quiet and working mood, I'll make myself a cup of chamomile. If I've been waddling around all day going from class to class, I'll make myself something exotic like pomegranate or blueberry with a spoonful of honey (I love me some honey). And, as mentioned previously, if there are some health benefits I need, I'll make myself the appropriate tea for it. Here are a few of my favorites:

Lavender - rather expensive, but great for relaxation. It calms the nerves and muscles and is often used for sleeping. I like to make a batch lavender tea during the summer and make it into refreshing lavender lemonade. When brewed, it gets a cool purply color, and it smells amazing. (some other calming/relaxing teas: Chamomile, Green, and Mint)

Raspberry - this one should be a woman's favorite. Famous for relieving menstrual cramps, and popular among pregnant mothers for all the vitamins and minerals this tea has. It's overall a good "blood" tea. If you have problems with your blood, this one's the way to go (this goes for you too, men)!

Lemongrass - No, lemon tea is not the same as lemonade. Yes they both taste delicious. Lemon tea is a great way to get your Vitamin C, as well as being a great all-round beverage for your day-to-day activities. 

Chai - This one's a spicy tea! It's a black tea base mixed with all sorts of spices like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, star anise, and more! It's a pretty exciting tea, and it's often mixed with milk to make chai lattes. As it is a tea made from black tea, it also contains caffeine. It actually has about the same amount that coffee does!

So if you're out and about wanting to go on a beverage adventure, grab yourself some tea! Upgrade that water! Leaf up your day! Drink something exciting! And please drink responsibly.

Photo by Ian Lloyd