Discover different types of teas and their health benefits

Be it a dose of green tea in the morning or a masala chai to wake your senses in the afternoon, people around the world have been enjoying tea for years. In fact, tea is the second most consumed drink in the world, water being the first.

Tea is produced from a plant called Camellia sinensis. There are thousands of varieties of tea available across the world, based on the region it was grown in, the time of year it was picked and the processing method it follows. Each type of tea has its own taste and health benefit. But it’s only recently that people have been experimenting and enjoying different kinds of tea.

China is recognized as the birthplace of tea, but it was the British who originally established tea plantations in both India and Sri Lanka. Did you know that after being sold at a record price of $1,850 per kg recently, Darjeeling’s Makaibari tea estate has become one of the most expensive tea producers in India and the world!

If you are not a tea drinker yet, read on to see what you’ve been missing.

- By Saloni Dhruv

Masala Tea:

Masala ‘chai’ is basically flavoured tea that is made by brewing black tea with herbs and spices like cardamom, cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger, black peppercorn. Masala tea is a household beverage in Indian homes, mixed with milk.
Benefits: All the spices that make up masala chai not only have their individual health benefits but they work in synergy to help your body combat any inflammation. It is infused with the goodness of all the antibacterial, anti fungal, anti parasitic properties of its constituent spices. Moreover the immunity boosting effects of clove, cinnamon, elaichi and ginger make masala chai a great way to keep coughs and colds at bay.

Green Tea:

Green tea is the most popular type of tea with people who are health conscious. Green tea is called the “wonder herb” because it has various health benefits. Straight green tea has a clean and delicious taste.
Benefits: The presence of potent antioxidants called polyphenols helps to reduce free radicals. It reduces the chances of cancer and prohibits the formation of tumors too. It lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels and strengthens the immune system. Green tea also fight against tooth decay and different viruses and also lowers blood pressure.

Black Tea:

Black tea is full-bodied and strong, it tastes great alone or can be had with milk and sugar. And it makes great iced tea.
Benefits: Black tea has extremely low caffeine content, which is great for circulation. Fluoride is another content of black tea and thus allows oral and bone health. Black tea contains flavonoids which are also found in apples. Unlike green tea, black tea, once processed eliminates all antioxidants existing in it.

Ginger Tea:

On cold mornings, ginger tea will give you the right amount of warmth that even your partner might fail to!
Benefits: There are numerous benefits of having ginger tea. It increases our energy and also acts as a stimulator. It helps to digest our food and to control problems like nausea. The presence of anti-inflammatory properties makes it really helpful to Arthritic patients.

Oolong Tea:

Oolong tea, (pronounced as wu long tea), is most commonly recognised as Chinese tea served at a Chinese restaurant. The flavor of individual oolongs teas differ greatly, but usually one can expect a complex roundedness complemented with notes ranging from sweet and misty honey to a milky creaminess and bold roasted flavors.
Benefits: Oolong tea is used to sharpen thinking skills and improve mental alertness. It is also used to prevent cancer, tooth decay, osteoporosis, and heart disease.

Rooibos Tea:

Rooibos teas are herbal infusions made from a South African red bush. It is popularly called 'red tea’. It is delicious, comes in a variety of flavours and can be had either hot or ice cold.
Benefits: It is good for our health due to the presence of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It has an incredible distinct flavor, plus reduces stress and lowers the problems of insomnia.

Matcha Tea:

Currently in rage, matcha tea is referred to by some as “green tea on steroids”. Matcha is a powdered green tea from Japan that delivers even more health benefits than brewed tea.
Benefits: Research shows that matcha increases metabolism, fights cancer, delays premature aging, and relaxes the mind. It also boosts fat burning and is a great mood booster.

Lemon Tea:

This is one form of black tea or green tea liquor blended with right quantity of lemon juice. As you add lemon juice the colour of tea liquor changes and this is especially pronounced when added to black tea. It is known as “Bathochromic Shift”. Benefits: Lemon Tea with added ginger helps you in reducing cold and flu symptoms. Lemon tea is known for cleansing of blood and helps you to remain active and healthy. Besides, it helps in cleansing body systems such as skin, digestive systems leaving us rejuvenated.

Pu-erh Tea:

Pu’erh is a fermented style of tea from the Yunnan province in China that’s divided into two styles: sheng/raw and shou/cooked. Most pu’erh is sold in a pressed cake form with the year of the tea stamped on the package. Very old and well-aged pu’erh cakes can fetch tens of thousands at auction houses. Flavor and color-wise, some brew up light while others can be dark and intensely earthy.
Benefits: The cooked tea can keep the stomach fit and warm it, while the fresh tea has a better effect on weight loss than the cooked tea, on account of its strong taste. Drinking Pu-erh tea at the correct times will help you shed unwanted pounds by helping your body to metabolize fat. If you drink Pu-erh at the wrong times, it is said that it will actually cause you to gain weight instead. The best time to drink a cup of Pu-erh tea for weight loss goals is one hour after a meal, so that the Pu-erh tea can remove excess grease and help your body eliminate unwanted and leftover, hard-to-digest fats.

Blooming Tea:

Also known as flowering tea, this is the combination of green tea leaves and certain flowers. One or more dried flowers are wrapped in bundles of dried tea leaves formed into a bulb shape then set for drying. Other than its unique and refreshing taste, its aesthetic is truly remarkable.
Benefits: Consuming blooming tea will not only make your skin beautiful from the outside but from the inside as well. Its antioxidants protect the skin from the harshness of UV radiation. Intake of blooming tea will help you in maintaining proper and healthy level of fats in the body.