Did you know tea is a lot like wine?
It’s sophisticated and one of life’s little luxuries. The problem is, most people have no clue what it’s all about. Queu the Hockey Pockey please.
EVEN if you’re a coffee drinker, tea can open up a whole new world for you.
As a avid coffee drinker myself (I drink it every morning), tea brings something different to the table coffee never can. Not to mention it’s incredibly healthy for you.
So here’s your quick guide to drinking tea.
I’ve broken this post into 4 categories:
- The main difference between coffee and tea
- Caffeine levels (what to order you need a boost of energy and when you need help sleeping)
- Quality (there’s a huge difference (taste and health benefits) between cheap and premium)
- How to properly brew your tea
COFFEE VERSUS {caffeinated} TEA
Coffee gives you a big boost, followed by a huge crash. Tea is less of a punch, but gives you longer and steadier energy throughout the day. Also, I find you can drink it later in the day/night and doesn’t keep you up all night.
TEA CAFFEINE LEVELS
- Black Tea = highest caffeine {ex. Early Gray, English Breakfast, Irish, Chai}
- Oolong = 2nd highest caffeine
- Green = moderate caffeine
- White = low caffeine
- Herbal = zero caffeine {ex. Rooibos, Chamomile, Peppermint}. I LOVE drinking a sleepy tea before bed – it helps me wind down and turn it off.
QUALITY
Tea Leaf Grading
Yes, there’s an entire grading system for teas! So how do you know between the good stuff and bad?
The best rule of thumb is judging the size of the leaves. You know tea bags filled with very fine, tea powder? This is called tea dust and considered the lowest of all the teas.
This is why I love loose leaf and always purchase the larger leafed premium teas. Argo Tea (who I’ve loved for years) has a premium tea you can buy and make at home. Which is pictured here. In addition to going premium, you can take advantage of all the good antioxidants and tastes WAY better.
HOW TO MAKE STRONGER TEA
The trick to making stronger tea is not letting it sit longer in water (AKA steeping). It’s simply using more of it.
Here’s a quick guide on how to brew each type of tea. Black, Herbal, Oolong and White have their own little directions. It’s very important not to burn the leaves, so temperature is a factor too. This is what gives tea a bitter taste.
So do you like drinking tea?
I personally drink in the middle of my day. Coffee would keep me up all night. I also drink tea at night – especially when I’m stressed. I have a very difficult time turning it off at night and suffer from insomnia. And this significantly helps me!
I also love the entire process of making and sipping it. It makes me feel very Lisa Vanderpump!
If you try any of these tips next time you make a cuppa, let me know how you like it! And the more you drink the good stuff, you’ll never go back.
Thank you Argo for sending me tea gratis! I’ve been a huge Argo Tea fan for years and have been dying to spread my tea knowledge for years. I used to take mini 3 PM breaks at Argo when I used to work in the Loop downtown Chicago!
ACCESSORIZE YOUR TEA
P.S. High Tea versus Tiffen (my favorite Chicago places to have tea) and How to Host a Russian Tea Party {P.S. Anna can we do this again?!).
This is such a great post! I was on a tea kick after I went to Ireland, but I’m really working to cut down on my coffee intake. Maybe I’ll have to make a pit stop to Argo soon 🙂
Your photos are gorgeous! And I LOVE Argo tea – I’ve been off coffee for over a week now! xx