Hey everyone,

How’s the week treating you so far? I had a great night last night of swimming, then dinner and wine with Mark, followed by the movie “Snow White and the Huntsman”. I can’t say I enjoyed the movie, but I did have fun making fun of it with Mark.

As I had mentioned yesterday, I kept it very low key over the weekend. As such, I finally got around to doing something that I have been putting off for a very long time. Organizing my tea cupboard.

As you can see it is overflowing, and that’s with most of the tea already taken out.

As I’ve mentioned on here before, I have a bit of a tea problem. And by a bit, I mean I have a serious addiction. I calculated for the month of February, that I spent $160 at David’s tea (which is a loose tea store in Canada). It’s quite excessive. However, I figure as problems go, this one’s not too bad.

All my loose tea

Tea is really good for you. And there’s so many different kinds. As such, I thought I’d highlight for some of you who might not know.

First up, herbal tea.

Technically speaking, herbal tea isn’t actually tea. Tea is the beverage created by pouring water over the cured leaf plants of the tea plant. However, herbal tea doesn’t use the tea plant. It is made by using herbs, fruits, seeds or roots. As such there are fewer antioxidants in herbal tea than any other kind. I like herbal tea because there is no caffeine in them, so you can enjoy them at any time during the day. Also, it’s a nice way to add flavour to your water. Herbal tea, because it’s made from so many different things, can vary in flavour more than any other type of tea. From peppermint to citrus- there’s truly something for everything under this category.

Rooibos tea technically falls under the category of herbal. It doesn’t come from the tea plant, but does come from a rooibos plant in South Africa. It is still caffeine free, and the properties in the plant are high in antioxidants and flavonoids which can help fight cancer.

White tea is uncured and unfermented. As it is the least treated of any kind of plants, it’s actually one of the best teas for you. It does have some caffeine, however I find I could drink it all day and not notice it. I’ve lately been getting into white teas, as I love that they’re good for me, and the flavours are a lot more mild than green tea.

Green tea is made with steamed tea leaves. It has high concentration of antioxidants and is one of the most studied of all types of teas. Green tea’s antioxidants may interfere with the growth of bladder, breast, lung, stomach, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers; prevent clogging of the arteries, burn fat, counteract oxidative stress on the brain, reduce risk of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, reduce risk of stroke, and improve cholesterol levels. Despite all these amazing benefits, I find I often don’t drink green tea as the flavour is a bit much for me. I’m hoping they soon release similar studies for white and black tea because those are my favourites.

Black tea- my personal favourite to make into a tea latte. Black tea is made with fermented tea leaves and has the highest caffeine from any type of tea. Studies have shown that black tea may protect lungs from damage caused by exposure to cigarette smoke. It also may reduce the risk of stroke. As far as flavour goes, I find black tea the easiest type of tea to oversteep. Be careful when making this kind- any more than 5 minutes and it’s so strong I can no longer enjoy it.

I classify these teas as “other” since before I started frequenting tea shops, I had no idea there were any other kinds of teas beyond the ones listed above. The chocolate orange flavour is a pu-erh tea. This tea is made from fermented and aged leaves. Considered a black tea, its leaves are pressed into cakes. One animal study showed that animals given pu-erh had less weight gain and reduced LDL cholesterol. It also seems to have a ton of caffeine in it. The other flavour is a mate. This type of tea originates from Southern American counties and is prepared by steeping dried leaves of yerba mate. It contains significant antioxidants as well, as well as anti-cancerous properties.

All in all, no matter what kind of tea you’re drinking- they’re good for you and delicious. So clearly my money spent at David’s Tea is money well spent. At least that’s what I’m telling Mark.

Please note- this post was NOT sponsored in any way by David’s Tea. I used them as an example as they have a location right by my office, and I personally love their teas. If they were to compensate me in any way I would let you guys know (and be very excited).

After my afternoon of snapping pictures of all my tea, I finally re-arranged everything back in the cupboard.

Much more organized!

Are you a tea drinker? What kind of tea is your favourite?