Tea - One of My Favorite Things

November 16th, 2007

I am a huge tea lover. One of my favourites, Masala Chai, is not on the menu these days because of the detox plan, but that hasn’t stopped me from indulging in a variety of other concoctions. For years I’ve been hearing about all of the wonderful health benefits of tea, particularly green tea, but there is now a relatively new “big gun” in the tea arena — white tea. I’ve only recently discovered this new wonder beverage, so my experience with it is minimal — for now. Actually, I’ve only had it in combination with green tea, a fusion of the two, if you will, but so far I love the flavor blend, not to mention that it seems to curb my appetite quite a bit.

In addition to the well-known antioxidant properties of black and green teas, white tea is touted for having more anti-viral and anti-bacterial qualities than green tea. Those additional benefits alone were enough to pique my interest. White tea originated in China and like blacks and greens, the white is available in several types and qualities. One major difference that distinguishes white teas from others is in how it is processed. According to Wikipedia, “Young leaves (new growth buds) have undergone no oxidation; the buds may be shielded from sunlight to prevent formation of chlorophyll. White tea is produced in lesser quantities than most other styles, and can be correspondingly more expensive than tea from the same plant processed by other methods.” You can read more about white and other teas here.

Though green, and now white, are my teas of choice these days, I also enjoy other types, including those brewed from roots and herbs. I am particularly fond of ginger root tea, especially when my stomach is a bit upset, as ginger has a soothing affect on the stomach and digestive system. I recently purchased Healthy Teas which has wonderful recipes for black, green, herbal and fruit teas.

Among my preferred flavored blacks are the fruity offerings of Ahmad Tea of London, which I discovered on a shopping trip at my go-to Indian grocer. The fruity aroma and taste of these little gems are quite robust and satisfying and they come in several flavors — peach & passion fruit, mango, and apple are my faves.

And did you know that there is red tea out there? Yes, and needless to say, along with seeking out a high quality white tea, becoming intimately familiar with the red one is high on my agenda.

Filed under: Beverages, Discoveries & Ideas, My Favourite Things