𝐭𝐞𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝
this thread contains: choosing tea, preparing tea, when to drink tea, and some tea-themed thinspo!
•• ᵃᵏᵃ ᶠᶦˣ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵍʳᵒˢˢ ᵍʳᵉᵉⁿ ᵗᵉᵃ ᵃⁿᵈ ˡᵉᵃʳⁿ
ʰᵒʷ ᵗᵒ ᵇᵒᵒˢᵗ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵐᵉᵗᵃᵇᵒˡᶦˢᵐ ˡᶦᵏᵉ ᵃ ᵖʳᵒ ••

before we start: all plain teas are basically calorie free without add-ons! they can be enjoyed plain or with stuff like milk, sugar, and/or honey, all of which can be substituted with lower cal options.

𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐚

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬: this type of tea is not as oxidized as black tea, and therefore isn't as strong. its flavours are more "green" - as in earthy, natural, and fragrant.

𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬: caffeine, metabolism boost, rich in antioxidants, appetite suppressant, prevents plaque on teeth

𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: matcha green tea, lipton brand tea, pukka brand green tea, anything that looks like a yummy flavour! green tea can be flowery or fruity or like anything! it's super versatile and you're guaranteed to find something you like!

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: boil water, let sit for some time to let it cool down (about 10 minutes), put tea bag in and steep for recommended time (usually 1-5 minutes), remove tea bag, put in additives if you so choose, and enjoy!

𝐭𝐢𝐩: for a completely different taste (some may say it is sweeter and smoother) prepare your tea with cold water and let it infuse for a couple of hours. drink chilled or over ice! this works best with loose leaf tea (not in a tea bag) that you strain out after.

𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: lemon juice or lemon slice, sugar or sugar substitute, honey or honey substitute, mint leaves
these will enhance flavour and/or sweeten it!

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐚: bc of its metabolism boosting qualities, it's best to drink between meals and in the evening (when your metabolism starts to dip). you can drink it in the morning, but have water first as it's not good for you on an empty stomach!

𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐞𝐚

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬: black tea leaves are oxidized for longer than green and oolong tea leaves, making it more rich, aromatic, and dark coloured than other teas.

𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬: lots of caffeine, appetite suppressant, filling, protects the lungs of smokers, prevents tooth decay and gum disease, good for stress

𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: earl grey (black tea + citrus and bergamot), chai, english breakfast tea, lipton brand is pretty good but there's lots to explore!

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: boil water, put tea bag in and let steep for recommended time (usually 3-5 minutes), remove tea bag, put in additives if you so choose, and enjoy!

𝐭𝐢𝐩: this kind of tea can be enjoyed cold/iced as well! prepare it the same way and then chill it/serve with ice, along with additives if you so choose!

𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: milk or milk substitute, honey or honey substitute, lemon juice or lemon slice, mint leaves
these will enhance or soften the flavour, and maybe sweeten it! a little goes a long way with black tea.

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐞𝐚: because of its caffeine content, it's best to drink this in the morning or when you need an energy boost! also, drinking it 30 min after a meal/snack is great for weight loss!

𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐚

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬: herbal teas aren't actually made using tea leaves, though spices, herbs, and other plants are prepared in the same way as those tea leaves! this means it's a catch-all for lots of different flavours!

𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬: great for detoxing, immune system boost, appetite suppressant, good for digestion, reduce nausea, metabolism boost, relaxing

𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: anything with turmeric or ginger is great for weight loss! peppermint is a great appetite suppressant, too. celestial seasonings is a great brand with lots of variety, so check it out!

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: boil water, put tea bag in and let steep for recommended time (usually 3-5 minutes), remove tea bag, put in additives if you so choose, and enjoy!

𝐭𝐢𝐩: this kind of tea can be enjoyed cold/iced as well! prepare it the same way and then chill it/serve with ice!

𝐭𝐢𝐩 𝟐: milk or a milk substitute is a great thing to add to cold/iced herbal tea! it makes it really smooth and kind of like a latte without the coffee!

𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: cinnamon (if there's not enough already), honey or honey substitute, milk or milk substitute
these will make its effects more pronounced, and soften/sweeten it!

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐚: this is best for before bed and after meals to help you relax and digest. it's also great for fasting and to subdue cravings when you have them! each kind of herbal tea has its own benefits!

𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐚

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬: oolong tea is slightly fermented and semi-oxidized, basically making it the "in-between" taste of black and green tea.

𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬: caffeine, metabolism boosting, prevents tooth decay, good for your heart, brain, and blood pressure

𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: bigelow is my fave brand for oolong tea, but remember if you're looking for really good quality, it will be more expensive, especially with this kind of tea!!

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: boil water, put tea bag in and let steep for recommended time (usually 3-5 minutes), remove tea bag, put in additives if you so choose, and enjoy!

𝐭𝐢𝐩: oolong tea works amazingly with lemonade or fruit juice! simply add lemon juice and sugar or a sugar substitute to taste for a lemonade tea! peach slices also can make your tea fruity and sweet!

𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: lemon juice or lemon slice, sugar or sugar substitute, honey or honey substitute, mint leaves, other fruit.
oolong's flavour can change a lot depending on what you put in it!

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐚: oolong combines the caffeine from black tea and the metabolism boost from green tea, making it perfect to wake you up and kickstart your metabolism in the morning! it's also good to drink before meals.

𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬: white tea is very similar to green tea, but it is even less oxidized. it is said to have lighter and more mellow flavours than green tea.

𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬: probably has the highest antioxidant content of all teas, good for your skin, fights acne, hydrating

𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: this kind of tea is probably the hardest to find at big american stores, but teavana and stash brands are pretty good!

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: boil water, let sit for some time to let it cool down (about 10 minutes), put tea bag in and steep for recommended time (usually 3-8 minutes), remove tea bag, put in additives if you so choose, and enjoy!

𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: fruit!!!!!! (yes put some raspberries in your cup it's great), sugar or sugar substitute, honey or honey substitute, lemon juice or lemon slice

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚: this kind of tea is best to drink after your meals. though it does have some caffeine (and as such you shouldn't drink it before bed), it's not really enough to make it worth drinking in the morning to wake you up.

𝐩𝐮'𝐞𝐫𝐡 𝐭𝐞𝐚

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬: this tea is fermented, sometimes for decades, before it is used for tea! this process produces a smooth and mature flavour.

𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬: good for headaches and migraines, aids digestion, helps your body not absorb fat, antioxidants, relieves stress

𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: ive only tried numi brand pu'erh tea, and it's kind of hard to find any other cheap-ish teas of this kind. if you have the chance, i encourage you to test out some others and share what you think with me!

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: pu'erh tea is best enjoyed as a tea cake/loose leaf, but can be bought in tea bags as well. if you want to use a tea cake/loose leaf tea, i encourage you to research it (google: how to prepare pu'erh tea) as it is too much for me to explain here!

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭: for tea bags, though, boil water, put tea bag in and let steep for recommended time (usually 1-5 minutes), remove tea bag, put in additives if you so choose, and enjoy!

𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: milk or milk substitute, honey or honey substitute, sugar or sugar substitute
these will soften this tea's mature flavour. pu'erh tea is best served hot and strong, but if you enjoy adding these, then please do so!

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐩𝐮'𝐞𝐫𝐡 𝐭𝐞𝐚: because it aids with digestion, it's best to drink this about 1 hour after eating.