Ahh... my elixir... my saviour... my antidote to stress, and yours too... you’ve probably sipped a thousand cups mindlessly, but did you know that tea could actually do you wonders?
Isn’t it difficult to believe that tea ranks as high as many fruits and vegetables in the measure of antioxidants that protect our body from free radical damage? If that’s not enough, you should know that gulping down 4-6 cups daily could actually prevent you from cancer! Swedish researchers also recently found that women who drank more than two cups of tea a day lowered their ovarian cancer risk by 46 percent.
Tea drinking also helps soothing the mind and is thus observed as an ‘exercise for tranquility’ in many faiths. In China, tea drinking is an art, a spiritual ceremony performed by monks. In India, too, it is a simple way to relaxation. No wonder up-market coffee chains in the country have tea in some exotic forms on their menu.
"We have recently introduced Strawberry Iced tea on our list while the favorite is Masala Chai", informs Sudipta Sengupta, Senior General Manager, Cafe Coffee Day. Probably the first tea cafe of its kind, 'Passion My Cup of Tea' at Vasant Vihar in New Delhi, has already become a favorite with many. “It’s a peaceful place even for us elders,” says 45-year-old photographer Natansh Deshpande. For Nescafe it's Nestea. Barista's Marketing Manger Surja Meher says, “We serve international tea and indigenous tea like Assam and Darjeeling....". Mocha, another popular coffee joint, also serves English Breakfast tea, Chamomile tea and Bombay Chai.
And you though Herbal tea is better than the normal chai ? Well, you may be wrong! Herbal varieties have not been proven to contain the beneficial polyphenols that lend tea its antioxidant properties. In fact, most herbal teas in the market are not tea at all. They are only infusions made with herbs, flowers, roots, spices or other parts of some plants. The proper term for this type of beverage is "tisane", so read those labels properly!
If you think tea contains caffeine that may harm you, it’s important to know that a cup of tea contains an average of 40mg of caffeine, compared to 85mg as found in a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
And, to bring out the best in your tea, remember to brew it for at least 3 - 5 minutes.
So, folks, it’s time to enjoy your cuppa and tea-off!
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