If you’re like us, you’ve partied till you’re pooped this season and you’re in dire need of resuscitation. Might we prescribe a hot cup of tea to cure what ails you?
Packed with antioxidants, tea in all its forms — green, herbal, white, black and red — has the power to heal.
Skin looking sallow? There’s a tea for that. Need some pep in your step? There’s a tea for that too. Feeling bloated and heavy? There’s even a tea for that. No matter what your affliction, there’s a tea variety that will get you on the road to recovery. We’ve taken the guesswork out of choosing the right tea by compiling our favorite green and herbal teas, black and red teas and white teas with a handy list of their benefits and properties.
Black, green, white and oolong teas are all cultivated from the Camellia Sinensis plant. The difference lies in the production processes of each. White tea is the least processed, its buds being picked before they open and allowed to dry.
Green tea is picked, allowed to dry, then heat-treated to stop oxidation (also called fermentation).
Oolong tea is “semi-fermented.” The leaves are wilted in direct sunlight, shaken in bamboo baskets and spread out to dry until the surface of the leaves turns slightly yellow.
Black tea undergoes a complete fermentation or oxidation process; the leaves are withered then rolled, spread out to absorb oxygen then fired, turning the leaf black and allowing it to fully oxidize.
Red tea, also called roobios (pronounced “roy-bos”), is cultivated from the Aspalathus linearis, a broomlike plant in South Africa. The leaves are picked then fully oxidized. Unlike the other teas, red tea is caffeine free.
Take a look at our recommended teakettles and teapots, tea infusers, accompaniments and all sorts of cool gadgetry to make your first tea party a success.
Pinkies out, readers.