There’s nothing like a mug of hot tea on a cold morning. Feel the steaming mug warming your hands and feel the hot tea warming your insides. But that is not to say that hot tea is an unsuitable drink for a hot or tropical climate – far from it. There is no doubt that hot tea is a very refreshing drink, regardless of the temperature.
There are many ways of drinking black tea, by itself, with milk and sugar, or with milk or sugar only. Health-wise the best way to drink it would be plain, with nothing added, but somehow drunk this way it doesn’t seem to taste right. With either milk or sugar, or both, it tastes a lot better.
In general there are three types of tea which are widely available – black, green and oolong. Black tea is drunk in most countries, with green and oolong in China, Japan and some other parts of the orient. All three come from the same plant but are processed in different ways.
Over the past few years tea has been touted as a cure-all for one hundred and one diseases or conditions. It can prevent heart attacks, strokes, and cancer. Because it contains oxidants it prevents aging and because it has no calories it won’t make you put on weight. It gives protection for the bones, it boosts immunity to disease, and helps prevent gum problems. And since it contains polyphenols it can help lower blood pressure and sugar levels.
But are any of these claims at all valid? Sad to say, there is no conclusive scientific proof that tea has any or all of these magical properties. The best that can be said is that the regular intake of tea
will possibly help you avoid some of the above health problems, providing also that you maintain a lifestyle that is free from unhealthy habits.
