Tea has always been part of our household even when I was very young. Just as much as coffee was. My mother always had bags of Lipton tea around but it was my father who introduced me to dried loose tea leaves that he bought from Chinatown. Although I do keep tea bags for those times when I’m too lazy to go through the entire tea ritual, my taste buds have learned to discern the finer qualities of real tea. Surprisingly, so has my daughter, Alex. I was reaching out for a tea bag one time and she said tea from tea bags has a peculiar taste. Amen.
But what is it about tea that there are times when I prefer it over coffee? Not because it has become a health fad I’ve been drinking tea made from loose tea leaves long before the supposed health benefits from tea hit the headlines. According to recent studies, tea offers a lot more health benefits as it reputedly helps fight cancer, lower cholesterol levels, and is even a promising anti-allergy drink.
I can’t vouch for any of those claims; you’ll have to do your research. It might help knowing though that centuries before the British planted tea in India, the natives have been using tea leaves for medicinal purposes. What I can vouch for is how tea helps digestion. Whenever I get indigestion, only tea helps. And the relief comes fast. And if I drink tea during a meal, I never get indigestion.
So, I drink tea. I taught Speedy how to drink tea from loose tea leaves. And now, Alex has picked up the habit too. And when I brew tea these days, I add fresh herbs too. No milk or cream. No sugar nor honey either unless I’m serving it as an iced drink, and that’s rare.