My 5 favourite warming therapeutic winter teas
Time to get all cosy with a good old cup of tea in hand. If ever there was a time to sit and make a thing of your cup of tea it’s now, in winter. Why not make a daily date with a cup of caffeine-free tea at 3 pm? I know I’m in for a new seasonal ritual. There are so many wonderful therapeutic teas out there I thought I’d share my top 5 with you and their benefits.
Ginger tea
Isn’t warming ginger tea perfect for this time of the year? Ginger is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant rich. Ginger is perhaps best known for its ability to soothe digestive discomforts and nausea.
Of course you can make your own ginger tea by using a 2 cm piece of ginger and adding it to some pre-boiled water. Add a little honey for added sweetener and nutrients if you so desire. Or you can use a herbal tea bag such as Pukka herbs 3 ginger tea .
There are some amazing herbal tea blends that use ginger, for example, Neal's yard - fired up tea which is a blend of ginger, turmeric, licorice and balanced with rooibos, orange peel and rosehips. Delicious. I also adore Hampstead tea’s Lemon and ginger tea which makes for a great cup of warming revitalisation.
Green tea
All singing and all dancing green tea. A favourite around these parts. Loaded with antioxidants and polyphenols as well as epigallocatechin-3-gallate. The health benefits of green tea range from brain function, metabolism health, cancer protective and heart health. Do bare in mind green tea does contain caffeine, though not as much as say coffee for example. It also contains the amino acid L-theanine which has a calming effect on the brain. The smoothest green tea I have found is Hampstead tea green tea.
Cinnamon
Have you tried cinnamon tea? So delicious and wonderfully full of antioxidants. Studies have shown that cinnamon has so many benefits including lowering inflammation, heart health and blood sugar regulation. Cinnamon tea is wonderful to enjoy mid-afternoon when the slump hits as a little blood sugar supporting pick-me-up. Pukka herbs three cinnamon tea
Tulsi tea
The herb Tulsi is also known as Holy Basil. This herb is rich in vitamin C and zinc which makes it a great option to support the immune system. It is also anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and anti-viral. Hang on there are more benefits to Tulsi, it can help to support blood sugar, blood pressure and lipid levels. Tulsi also has a nickname as a happy tea due to the effects it has at helping to reduce anxiety and the effect of stress on the mind and body thanks to its cortisol maintaining abilities.
Hibiscus tea
Now this is one beautiful and colourful tea. Not only is it super pretty it has many potential health benefits. Hibiscus tea is full of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C. Perfect for supporting the immune system during cold and flu season. Hampstead teas rosehip and hibiscus
Did you know?
Something to bare in mind when making your tea is that the water temperature is super important. An incorrect water temperature can cause your tea leaves to burn-creating a yuk bitter burnt taste (think green tea here) Or it can cause overextraction of tannins in the tea which changes the strength of the tea making it very strong. Equally if the water isn’t warm enough, not enough of the tannins will be extracted making a weak tea with less of its therapeautic properties present.
Making my cuppa has become even more fun with my new Stagg Fellow kettle Fellow stagg EKG kettle. From someone who has allowed boiling water to cool before adding to my tea. Or adding cool water to the boiling water, this kettle is a game changer!
Did you know that different tea’s and warm drinks have an ideal range of temperature? Here is a guide:
Green tea - 76-93c
Coffee - 90-96c
Oolong tea - 85c-100c
Herbal/Black tea - 85-100c
Hot cacoa - 88c
What’s your favourite tea at this time of the year? I’d love to know.
Katie x