Why should someone consider adding a cup of tea to their everyday routine?
A question we get a lot is if you’ve been a lifelong coffee lover, are you missing anything by avoiding tea? And, aside from the well-known health benefits, are there any other advantages to switch from coffee to tea? We would say, absolutely. Below we will take you through some of the most significant reasons.
Tea is less expensive
Next time you’re in a coffee shop, check out the cost of a cup of tea compared to a cup of coffee. More often than not, tea will be cheaper than even plain black coffees.
Tea is easier to make
All you need for a delicious cup of tea is three minutes, filtered hot water, a teabag sachet or one scoop of loose leaf tea per 8oz of water in an Art of Tea biodegradable filter bag and voila!
There is more choice
There are over 10,000 varieties of tea to choose from meaning endless possibilities of flavor profiles.
There is no "crash"
Coffee beans do not have any properties in them that help to combat the crash of caffeine. Instead, after drinking coffee you might be hit with a high and soon after a crash. Unlike coffee, tea leaves contain an amino acid called theanine, which works synergistically with caffeine to create a more balanced stimulative effect in the body. What this means is that rather than feeling a surge of energy than a sudden crash shortly after, you may feel a more gradual and revitalizing rise in energy that eventually balances itself out into a calmer, clearer and more focused state.
There are so many different types of tea which can make it a bit overwhelming! Where does one start?
All tea comes from the same plant called Camellia Sinensis. Think of how wine comes from grapes but depending on the origin of the grapes and how they are processed can differentiate one type of wine versus another. In this same way, depending on where the tea leaves are grown and how they are processed determines the type of tea.
If someone is looking for a caffiene fix, we would suggest a full-bodied black or pu-erh tea. If someone is looking to move away from sugary drinks, we would suggest turning to a white or green tea blend that contains added fruity elements or botanicals for that sweet, floral, or tart flavor without any of the added sugar or calories. If someone is looking for a refreshing and simplistic way to start the day we would suggest looking into Japanese green teas.
It's important to pay attention to where your tea is being sourced and how it is processed. If you are looking to start out with teabags, we recommend looking for something with whole leaf tea that is in a sachet and not in a paper bag with fannings or dust. At Art of Tea, we source from the top 2% of all of the teas in the world and we custom craft the finest award-winning blends with a focus on organic and specialty teas.
What are the best teas for a morning caffeine fix? What about an afternoon pick me up?
Interesting fact! Dry tea has more caffeine by weight than coffee. However, since more dried coffee is used than dry tea per cup, a cup of steeped tea contains significantly less caffeine than a cup of coffee of the same size.
Additionally, caffeine levels are directly related to how long the tea is steeped. The longer a tea steeps, the higher the caffeine content. Something that is important to note is that whether your tea is green, white, oolong, pu-erh, or black, all tea has caffeine.
We found that people drink tea for a ritual, function, or based on the time of day. Based on that we decided to make a variety of Tea Collections. If someone is looking for a morning caffeine fix or an afternoon pick me up, we would suggest starting with our Time Collection. Our Time collection makes it easy with options ranging from “6:00 am” which is a caffeine-filled black tea to “9:00 pm” which is a sweet and minty caffeine-free tisane. Collections like this take the guesswork out of is it too late in the day to drink this tea.
Want to expand your tea knowledge even further? Visit Art of Tea in The Lab—and sample some of their delicious teas—at The Los Angeles Coffee Festival. Buy your tickets here!