And, of course, with each new season comes new cuisine and, most importantly, new teas to enjoy on a daily basis.
There are dozens of tea flavors, ranging from Chai to ginger, peppermint to pumpkin spice, that can transform a dull fall and winter into a magical one while also providing additional benefits.
Let's discuss some of the best fall and winter teas in detail:
Summer is all about iced tea, but fall and winter are about Chai, also known as masala chai or spiced Chai.
If you want to boost your digestion or recover from a cold, chai tea is the perfect winter tonic.
Chai teas begin with a black tea base and include a variety of beneficial spices that provide numerous health benefits. Some of them are discussed below:
Colds and coughs are two of the most common winter diseases Consuming Chai during the winter helps to keep your body warm. Not only that, but it also relieves cold and cough symptoms.
During winter, usually, we feel more pain in our joints as pain receptors become sensitive. Masala chai contains medicinal spices such as ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom, which help relieve aches and pains.
It makes far more sense to stay in bed all day than to go out and work during winter, as everyone becomes lazy during this season.
While coffee is the caffeine king, Chai also contains enough caffeine to charge your body and make you active throughout the day.
Another great tea to keep you warm during fall and winter is ginger tea. Ginger tea contains high levels of Vitamin C, magnesium, and other minerals that can be very beneficial.
Hence, nothing can beat the cold quite like a steaming cup of ginger tea.
When it comes to popular fall flavoring, ginger has the most evidence for health-promoting properties. Here are the benefits you can get by sipping a hot cup of ginger tea:
During the winter, your risk of catching a cold or getting the flu increases. Ginger is a winter food, and it is known to help you stay warm in the winter. You can incorporate ginger into your routine in a variety of ways. And adding it to your tea is one of the best ways.
During the winter, many people face congestion problems. Because of the strong flavor and aroma, a piping hot cup of ginger tea can help relieve congestion caused by the common cold. Therefore, if you catch a cold during fall or winter, make ginger tea and drink it before going to bed, and soon you will feel relief.
Ginger tea not only keeps you warm but also helps to reduce stress. This is because of its healing properties and powerful aroma.
Another excellent tea for fall and winter is peppermint tea, which is known for providing comfort and relief during the winter months. It is a caffeine-free and naturally sweet beverage that you can enjoy at any time of the day.
While peppermint tea is enjoyed due to its pleasant smell and taste, it also offers several health benefits. Some of them are:
Many people use peppermint teas mainly as a remedy for flu and cold symptoms. It contains menthol, which improves the perception of airflow in the nasal cavity and opens nasal passages. Peppermint also contains rosmarinic acid, which may improve seasonal allergies such as runny nose, headache, and asthma.
Peppermint tea may help you improve sleep, as it is a caffeine-free beverage. It can also relax muscles, which may help you relax before bedtime.
In addition to the pleasant aroma and delicious taste, peppermint also contains antibacterial properties which improve breath by killing germs causing dental plaque. Hence, drinking peppermint tea fights against bad breath and helps freshen it.
Pumpkin spice, an autumnal blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, is high in important vitamins and minerals that help our bodies function properly.
And when it comes to fall tea flavors, we believe pumpkin spice is unmatched!
With the combination of tea, spices, and pumpkin, you'll want autumn to last forever. Pumpkin tea is traditionally made with black tea, but herbal teas can also be used.
Here are the benefits you can get by drinking pumpkin tea:
Good circulation is essential for overall health because it ensures that your entire body receives the oxygen it requires.
Getting plenty of ginger, which is an essential part of the pumpkin spice blend, can do wonders for your circulatory system. Furthermore, it also helps with nausea and stomach upset.
Autumn, as lovely as it is, is also a season for illness.
If you have a cold or a stuffy nose, sipping something hot and pumpkin-spicy may be just what you need.
Not only is heat soothing to the system, but the spices, when combined, will help clear out your sinuses with their strong flavors and antibacterial properties.
Wrapping your fingers around a hot mug is one of those pure, simple pleasures that can only be experienced during the cool season.
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This article will guide you in how to use your teacup as an object for contemplation and focus on achieving peace of mind, body, and spirit! Tea meditation may be just what you need to relax after a long day at work or enjoy some quiet contemplation in your headspace.
What is Tea Meditation?
Tea meditation is an ancient practice that involves drinking Tea, focusing on your breathing, and meditating. The process can be done alone or with friends or family members. Enjoying the taste and aroma while sipping on your favorite brew is a great way to take some time for yourself. With just one cup, you may feel more relaxed and refreshed!
Tea meditation is not only about drinking Tea; it's also about being present in your life and enjoying moments as they happen. In addition, the act of drinking Tea helps people settle their minds and relax their bodies, making them more receptive to what lies ahead.
Benefits of Meditation:
Meditation is more than just relaxing–it's an active process of observing and monitoring one's thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, etc., as they come up to gain insight into oneself.
Taking time out each day for this practice has many benefits, including improved clarity on personal goals and values, increased energy levels; less stress; reduced worry; better sleep quality; stronger immune system response, among other health benefits!
How to Practice Tea Meditation
Those unfamiliar with this practice entail drinking a cup or two of Tea and taking time to reflect on your thoughts and emotions while consuming. It can help you achieve inner peace, calmness, relaxation, and insight into personal problems.
This blog post will show you how to practice this beautiful form of meditation so that you can enjoy it too!
First, find a quiet space to meditate, somewhere you can be still and uninterrupted. Shut off any outside noise or distractions, so the only thing on our mind is what's happening inside of it for a moment!
Sit back in your chair and watch the water start to boil. Breathe slowly in sync with its rhythm. Think about how each breath you take is cleansing every single cell of your body from head to toe, as well as purifying all of those thoughts floating around inside of that brain we like so much. How does it feel? Pretty good, huh?
Grab clear glass tea cups (one for each person) along with your favorite tea leaves (green Tea or blooming Tea). Put one teaspoonful in each cup and pour hot water over them - be sure to do this in silence without making eye contact with anyone else at all!
Imagine the colorful tea leaves unfolding and dancing in front of you. Allow the sips of Tea to soothe your worries as you enjoy this moment.
Feel the warmth of the cup on your palms, focus on how hot it is and let that heat seep into every part of you, soothing tense muscles with its warmth.
Take the first sip slowly and let your taste buds be treated to an explosion of flavors. Then, let it linger on your tongue to savor its rich flavors.
Feel yourself relax from head to toe while the sound of silence washes over everything around you like a gentle blanket in wintertime.
Feel the aroma filling up your nose, feel rejuvenated by all these senses coming together for one fantastic experience!
Express gratitude for all these things, not just your favorite drink but everything in life you are fortunate to experience every day.
This meditation technique helps break through any barriers between two or more people who are not used to being quiet around each other. No talking during meditation time is an excellent way to set the tone for a silent event.
What If You Don't Drink Tea?
If you don't want to drink any hot beverages, then try cool iced green Tea instead! It's just as calming an experience and requires much less time commitment than making warm drinks. Just fill up your glass with filtered cold water, add ice cubes if desired, press one bag of green matcha powder (or two), stir until dissolved, and enjoy!
Final Words
When life gets very hectic between work commitments, family obligations, and other responsibilities, practice tea meditation for inner peace and let your worries fade away.
The art of drinking Tea is something that I never tire of. From the process to the flavor, sometimes it's just not about which kind you choose but how you love consuming them!
]]>Tea's taste can be determined by many factors, such as what kind of container you steep the leaves in, the temperature of the water, the type of tea leaves, and how long you let them steep before drinking them.
Perfecting the art of brewing tea takes time and experimentation. The key to achieving the best tasting teas starts with understanding some basic guidelines on steeping times, temperatures, types of containers used for brewing loose leaf varieties, and more!
To brew loose tea leaf, you need the following four things.
Let us discuss the functions performed by each of these utensils.
Tea infuser does not allow the leaves to freely float on your brew while drinking tea because no one likes to chew tea leaves while enjoying their favorite beverage. In addition to that, the tea infuser allows you to stop steeping after a specified interval of time so that your tea does not get bitter.
Furthermore, if you wish to use a disposable filter, that will be fine as well. A basket infuser could also be used and placed on top of your mug or pot instead.
To brew tea, you will need a teapot or mug. You can also choose a tea mug that has tea infusers attached to it.
Boiling water requires a tea kettle. You can opt to go for traditional stovetop kettles; however, for a faster and efficient boiling experience, you should go for the electric kettle option.
Follow the instructions given below to brew a fresh cup of loose-leaf tea.
Take a kettle and boil water in it.
While selecting the water, make sure you make the right choice.
Add loose-leaf tea to the tea infuser as soon as the water starts boiling. Then, place the tea infuser inside the teapot or tea mug.
Note:
If you are using iced tea, add twice the amount of tea you usually would.
Getting the right water temperature is the most crucial and challenging part of brewing loose leaf tea. Mainly, green tea is sensitive to water temperature. However, temperature ranges vary for different types of teas.
For example, Japanese sencha depicts an example of how cooler water extracts sweet and savory umami flavor. Sencha can be brewed at temperatures ranging from 122 degrees F to 176 degrees F.
On the other hand, black tea presents the best taste at around 203 degrees F while oolong tea at 176 to 203 degrees F. White tea offers the best taste at about 203 degrees F.
Having understood the importance of maintaining the right temperature, you might be wondering how I can get the desired temperature for different types of teas. Let us find out.
Pour the water into a closed kettle and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes to reduce the temperature by 10 degrees F. Every kettle is different, so the best method is to use a thermometer to explore how long it takes for the water to cool in your kettle.
Pour the hot water into the teapot or mug once the water reaches the desired temperature. Thus, the water will flow freely through the leaves.
Immerse the infuser at least twice within a given time frame so that the water is thoroughly circulated. Then, take out the infuser and set it aside to steep. Avoid over-steeping; otherwise, the tea will become bitter.
That is it. Your delicious loose-leaf tea is ready. If you are looking for delicious and satisfying iced tea, try serving it in a mug or pouring it over ice.
Note:
While re-steeping the tea, allow a couple of extra minutes. In this way, the tea will present the original flavor.
Steeping tea is a simple process that can bring complex results. Many Tea lovers out there like drinking loose tea because it is more flavorful and complex than bagged tea. The art of steeping is simple, but there are a few tricks that make the process easier.
There are many different types of teas, each with its unique flavor and taste. To get the best out of your tea, it is essential to know how to steep loose leaf tea properly. So, how do you make great-tasting teas? We would love to hear from you!
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