Everyone loves Chinese food, and all of us love visiting authentic Chinese restaurants. The tasty and healthy soups, awesome noodles, their brilliant sauces, their very light momos, we love everything. And the fortune cookies, don’t we all enjoy them? The fortune cookies excite us, they are funny, witty, sometimes even hilarious and sometimes adorable. Along with these things, there’s one more thing we all love at the Chinese restaurants: the tea. The small white bone china cup, full of clear green or red water. I don’t know about you, but the aroma of that tea, makes me hungry, it appetites me. It also works like a palate cleanser for me, between two course.
Tea is typically an aromatic beverage made by pouring hot water over cured leaves. There are various types of tea around the world with their varied uses and advantages. Let’s have a look at what this simple cup brings at the table with itself.
1. Peppermint Tea: Preparing mint tea is a child’s play. Literally. All you have to do is put some mint leaves in you cup and pour some hot water into it and let it steep for a while, strain it if you want to and your tea is ready. Now while you sit back in your chair, sipping this tea, how about knowing it’s benefits. Peppermint Tea, is really great to cure your cough and cold. Then menthol in the peppermint helps to de-clog your congested nose and soothes your sore throat. You can drink it 2-3 times a day and your cough and cold will be gone in no time. Drinking this tea causes external sweating while the menthol cools your body from inside, which works magic to reduce high temperature in fever.
2. Cinamonn Tea: When we talk about spices, cinnamon is one of my most favourites why because it is multi talented. It enhances the flavour of anything you add it to. Yes anything. Add it to a dessert and the dessert starts tasting sweeter (without adding any extra sweeter) add it to savoury food and it enhances the flavour, add it to alcohol and bam! your alcohol tastes different, the good different. Some genius though how about making tea out of cinnamon? Just add a spoonful of cinnamon to hot water, let it steep, strain and drink. If you are wondering if this great tasting tea has any added benefits, let me tell you, you are loosing weight with every sip of your great aromatic Cinnamon Tea! Why? Because it is rich in antioxidants and boosts your metabolism which is helping to melt the extra fat in your body, specially your belly fat. It is also said that consuming cinnamon regularly regulates the blood sugar, now here’s a good news for diabetics.
3. Green Tea: If we talk about teas, Green Tea is my favourite. It is rich in antioxidants, which reduces the production of free radicles in the body, protecting the cell damage in the body. These antioxidants also prevent the excessive growth of unnecessary cells in your body thus reducing the risks of cancer. It also contains caffeine, but the quantity is much lower compared to that in coffee which is sufficient to keep you awake and active, without damaging your body. It also boosts metabolism in the body which helps you feel active and energetic throughout the day.
4. Oolong Tea: It is said that Oolong Tea has double the benefits because they it combines the qualities of both black and green tea. Apart from the regular benefits of other teas like combating free radicles, keeping your mind active and alert, and boosting your metabolism, oolong tea helps in development of healthy bones. It also works as a stress burster and alleviates mood swing. It is a great way to fight bacterial infections.
Now you know why a steaming hot cup of tea is an essential part of your life. The only word of caution is, tea shouldn’t be the first thing that you have in the morning, try eating something before your cup of awesomeness, also should keep a check on how much tea you are consuming everyday, now didn’t our mums told us that too much of anything is dangerous?