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Steeping into Tea


I used to drink at least one to two cups of coffee every day since I was in high school. Over the past few months, I decided to stray away from coffee and try something that is more healthy and natural:tea. Different types of teas do different things for the body. Here are my four favorite teas and what they can do for you.

Earl Grey

This is my favorite type of tea ever. If you add one packet of Splenda in with the tea, it tastes like Fruit Loops—seriously. Aside from its delicious taste, it can also give you a lot of energy. Since Earl Grey is a black tea, it is highly caffeinated. Black tea has the most caffeine out of all the teas. So if you’re trying to lean off of coffee like I am, black tea will become your best friend.

Our good friend Earl here also does a lot of great things for our immune systems. It has a type of antioxidant in it that fights infections, reduce fevers, and help out with diseases. I also like to think of Earl Grey tea as the “happy tea” because it has been shown to fight against depression and anxiety. One of the more surprising things that I found out a few days ago is that Earl Grey tea helps with weight loss. Lifehack explained that it’s due to the citrus extract and a lot of people believe that citrus fruits encourage weight loss; which makes sense because of diets such as the lemonade diet and all those citrus waters used for cleanses.

Green Tea

Green tea is my runner-up to Earl Grey. Green tea has a lot of the same benefits that Earl Grey tea does—weight loss, depression-fighting, prevention against cancers—but with less caffeine. Green tea tends to be a more mild tea, in both caffeine and flavor. Green tea has about half the caffeine that Earl Grey does. There are three main types of teas: white, green, and black. Green tea is the second weakest tea when talking about caffeine.

One of the things green tea does that is kind of really amazing by health standards is it reduces bad cholesterol—like Cheerios. For those who are terrified of getting old, like me, green tea will probably be your new thing after you read this next sentence. Green tea helps with signs of aging and wrinkles. Once again, this has to do with the antioxidants in the tea. Now all of those green tea facial masks are making sense, huh?

Chamomile Tea

AKA the “sleepy time” tea. Chamomile tea (pronounced kam-o-mile or kam-o-meal) is a white tea, so it has the least amount of caffeine—sometimes none. The tea has been known to fight against insomnia by just relaxing the mind and body. I like to think of chamomile like Melatonin (a natural sleep aid). Of course, if you want to drink this tea in the middle of the day, you won’t just fall asleep. It’s more of a soothing tea than anything. If you have an upset stomach or are bloating, drinking a cup of chamomile may help relieve both of those. Ladies, if you get bad menstrual cramps: this is the tea for you. Grab a couple chocolate macaroons, a cup of green tea, turn on a rom-com, and you’ll feel better by the end of the movie. Chamomile is also really good for the immune system. It’s been known to protect against colds too if you drink it regularly.

Cinnamon Tea

During the winter holidays, you’ll usually always catch me drinking cinnamon tea. A lot of people also love drinking peppermint tea during the holidays, but for some reason, I can’t stand peppermint (yes, even peppermint candy canes). Cinnamon tea is almost always a black tea, so you’re going to get that high level of caffeine from it and a lot of the same benefits as you do with Earl Grey. Sometimes cinnamon tea can have a very spiced taste to it, but if you take my trick and just add a packet of Splenda or even a little bit of brown sugar to it, it will taste like a gingerbread cookie.

Side note: if you like holiday desserts, but don’t want to have all the sugar and calories of winter treats, try teas such as cinnamon, peppermint, and vanilla.

Cinnamon tea has been known to improve circulation in the body and relieve painful joints. Occasionally, I will drink cinnamon tea about twenty minutes before I work out just so then I know my blood is flowing even more. Cinnamon tea as a weight loss tea is getting more and more popular. This is mostly because it evens out blood sugar levels and tends to make people feel fuller. It also boosts your metabolism.

A lot of teas are sold in variety packs, which make it a lot easier to get a greater feel for the different flavors and effects of teas. Restaurants and unexpected places, like airport lounges, have an assortment of teas to pick from, so next time take one or two more with you home so you can try it at another time. There are so many different types of teas out there, so if you don’t like one, keep trying to find some that you like.

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