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Tea lovers' guide to different types of teas and when to have what

Tea is one of the most popular beverages and comes in numerous types. Find out which tea you should have depending on your needs.

Published on: Aug 22, 2024, 21:24:59 IST
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All of us have a soft spot for tea, a nostalgic and comforting beverage. It comes in a myriad of flavours and variations, each with its own unique appeal. This aromatic drink is both calming and soothing, with each type offering its own benefits. As one of the world’s most popular beverages, tea includes classic varieties, herbal, and spiced teas. These tea varieties have something for everyone. Here are the different types of tea and when to enjoy each one.

Tea comes in a wide array of flavours with variations in brewing style. (Pexels)
Tea comes in a wide array of flavours with variations in brewing style. (Pexels)

Black tea

Black tea helps you focus. (Pexels)
Black tea helps you focus. (Pexels)

Black tea is an oxidized type of tea with a more robust and stronger flavor than other varieties. It has a dark brown to reddish-amber color. A great choice for the morning, black tea provides an instant energy boost to start your day. However, it’s not just for breakfast; black tea can be enjoyed at any time of the day when you need an extra boost. Rich in antioxidants, black tea also offers numerous health benefits, including improvements in gut health.

Green tea

Green tea is prepared from unoxidized tea leaves and is the least processed of all the tea varieties. It is rich in antioxidants and is known to be beneficial for weight loss, making it a great addition to your weight loss journey. Depending on how it is brewed, green tea can range in color from green to yellow or light brown. You can enjoy green tea in the morning or right after exercise. Matcha, a popular variant of green tea from Japan, is another excellent choice with its own unique benefits.

ALSO READ: Matcha boba tea: Why you need this new superfood drink and health-conscious trend in your life

Masala tea

Masala tea is simply nostalgic. (Pexels)
Masala tea is simply nostalgic. (Pexels)

Masala tea is infused with Indian spices, creating an ethereal aroma from a blend of ingredients like cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon. Prepared with milk, it offers a heavenly fragrance that invigorates both mind and soul. Versatile and customizable, masala tea can be tailored with a wide variety of Indian spices. If you're feeling a bit low and need an energetic boost to lift your spirits and feel optimistic, masala tea with its rich spices is the perfect choice. A sip of masala tea is like a warm hug for your soul.

Herbal tea

Unlike traditional tea, herbal tea is brewed from plant parts such as flowers, herbs, fruits, and more. Herbal tea is caffeine-free and offers a variety of popular options, including Lavender tea, Chamomile tea, Ginger tea, Lemon tea, Hibiscus tea, and Peppermint tea.

Chamomile tea is renowned for its calming properties, helping to soothe nerves and relax the mind during stressful times. Lavender tea can improve sleep quality, alleviate muscle tension, and promote relaxation. Ginger tea aids digestion and can alleviate nausea and sickness, making it ideal for when you're feeling unwell. Peppermint tea also helps reduce bloating concerns.

ALSO READ: Nayanthara promotes hibiscus tea as a cure-all for diabetes, acne and more but doctor advises caution

Oolong tea

Oolong tea is semi-oxidized, falling in the middle ground between the strongly oxidized black tea and the minimally oxidized green tea. It is a traditional Chinese drink. Oolong tea offers a wide variety of flavors, ranging from floral and sweet to roasted and nutty. It supports dental health, helps lower cholesterol levels, and assists in weight loss.

ALSO READ: Tea vs coffee, beverage world's great debate: Are tea leaves or coffee beans the better brew for your health?

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

  • Adrija Dey
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Adrija Dey

    Adrija Dey’s proclivity for observation fuels her storytelling instinct. As a lifestyle journalist, she crafts compelling, relatable narratives across diverse touchpoints of the human experience, including wellness, mental health, relationships, interior design, home decor, food, travel, and fashion that gently nudge readers toward living a little better. For her, stories exist in flesh and bones, carried by human vessels and shaped through everyday endeavours. It is the small stories we live and share that make us human. After all, humans and their lores are the most natural and raw repositories of stories, and uncovering them, for her, is akin to peeling an orange under a winter afternoon sun. Always up for a chat, she believes the best stories come from unfiltered yapping, where "too much information" is kind of the point. A graduate of Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi, and an alumna of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, Adrija spends her idle hours cocooned with herbal tea and a gripping thriller, scribbling inner monologues she loosely calls poetic pieces, often with her succulents in attendance. On lazier days, she can be found binge-watching, for the nth time, one from her comfort-show holy trinity: The Office (US), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or Modern Family. Dancing by herself to her peppy playlists, however, is an everyday ritual she swears by religiously.Read More

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