For thousands of years, countries that drink tea have been enjoying the added health benefits that the individual blends bring its drinkers. For those countries like the United States, where coffee knocked tea out during the American revolution, it has been a bit longer of a road back to relying upon tea versus coffee.
Part of the problem has been that outside ethnic communities, there hasn’t been that much press regarding the health benefits of tea, which can be substantial.
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Here are some indications that show that tea is now becoming a permanently relied upon health supplement in the United States:
Starbucks is now the largest seller of tea in China:
It seems kind of strange that an upstart American company would end up ruling the world of tea, yet that is what happened. Along with that crown came an understanding that as a steward, the firm should pass knowledge about the health benefits of tea onto its clientele- something it has managed to do well. Starbucks has also become one of the largest purveyors of tea online, where it talks about the positive benefits of each blend that it puts together.
Green tea can have some amazing health properties:
If you have heard about the Kenko Ashitaba phenomena, you are likely someone that appreciates buying a top quality product. At a base level, there really isn’t that much difference between green tea and black tea. They come from the same plant, yet the process used on each variety to process it changes the properties enough that green tea is a distinct winner when it comes to providing anti-oxidant power.
Most green tea drinkers are aware of the quality differences in green tea. If you have ever been to the basement of a Japanese department store, it is something that you can learn quickly by spending time with the vendors. In terms of form, at the top of the ladder is sushi tea, or tea that is destined for the best sushi restaurants. When you visit the Ashitaba website, you will find this type of powdered tea available.
The difference between Ashitaba and regular green tea is primarily that the level of anti-oxidant power is much greater in the Ashitaba varietal that is grown in Southern Japan. This gives it the capability of fulfilling drinkers desire for it to also be eaten as a supplement.
Yerba matte comes alive:
If you have ever traveled to Argentina or Paraguay, or Uruguay, you will meet a lot of people with specialized tea straws and mugs for drinking Yerba matte. The plant grows mostly in Northern Argentina and the leaves are generally ground into fine pieces and put into a metal straw that has an infuser built into the end of it. It is then added to hot water and sugar or sweetener. An alternative would see drinkers putting tea into the mug or gourd and then using a straw that is designed to keep the leaves out of it.
There are quite a few more variations of yerba mate. At the same time, the health benefits remain the same for most types that are served. The leaves contain about half the caffeine as tea or coffee, yet it is present. Given the fact that a mug of yerba mate can contain twice as much mate as a comparable cup of tea, each cup has a comparable amount of caffeine.
Like other teas, Yerba mate is full of polyphenols and other potentially healthy ingredients. It is used in South America to help minimize fat growth, although there really aren’t any medical studies that back this contention up.
Guava tea for more than just Christmas:
In Mexico, guava tea is a traditional Christmas tea that contains guava and spices. Widely popular, it provides drinkers with extra vitamin c. It also imparts the other health benefits of guava as it is made from pure fruit.
Recently, drinkers have extended its use from a Christmas-time drink to a year-round drink by blending guavas with black tea to achieve different flavors. The added caffeine from the black tea makes it possible for people to utilize it as a morning drink. Otherwise it is traditionally drunk late at night.
In countries where tea has not always been the most popular beverage, the 21st century finds young people integrating tea into their diet in ways that it hasn’t been before. The main reason for this is that tea can be a very healthy drink, something that has become understood among consumers.