Tea – a trend or a way of life?

[gfweb]

 Whether you prefer a traditional tea made from the camellia sinensis or an herbal infusion made from any number of flowers or herbs like Moringa, Hibiscus or Chickweed, there is an absolute benefit to consuming this beverage over all the rest. 

 

So tea, no matter what the source, is beneficial. More beneficial than "all the rest".

 

Any tea at all.

 

In fact every tea is good for you.

 

So I have that going for me. Which is nice.

[cakewalk]

I think the Boston Tea Party really put an end to tea as an American way of life. It's been more than 200 years, but the US is still not known as a tea drinking country. Interesting, the way that worked out. There certainly seems to be more variety in the past 20-25 years or so. Tea used to be synonymous with Lipton. I'm not much of a tea drinker myself, but there are times when I like a good cuppa. (Preferably someone else will have made it.) I think the history and the different cultural traditions that surround tea are always fascinating. My father always had a glass (not a cup) of Lipton tea at night, with a slice of lemon, which he sipped slowly with a lump of sugar between his teeth. Very Eastern European. I like tea with fresh mint, and it's the only time I'll put sugar in tea.

[Hassouni]

Back in İstanbul, where tea is DEFINITELY a way of life 

[TheTeaGuy]

Tea has been around for thousands of years, and waaay before coffee was discovered. Tea is most definitely not a trend. There are so many varieties out there, there really is a tea for all occasions :-) Enjoy your tea, and experiment with new ones.

[Everything For Tea]

Tea is definitely a rising trend. And here in the US there are wonderful tea establishments and stores opening all the time, thanks to the global market availability of so many tea varietals and the increased interest in tea for its health benefits. See this recent article in the Washington Post. Let's go, America!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/09/03/america-is-slowly-but-surely-becoming-a-nation-of-tea-drinkers/

[gfweb]

I was fed tea when I was a sickly child. Can't stand the stuff.

[cakewalk]

I was fed tea when I was a sickly child. Can't stand the stuff.

Me too, when I was sick my mother always made me toast with jam and a cup of tea. But it was always Lipton, so the aversion is only to Lipton. I can't even stand the smell of it. But a few weeks ago when I was very under the weather I went home and took a nap, and when I got up what did I have? Toast with jam and a cup of tea. (But not Lipton.)

[social@naturestealeaf.com]

Far too many times it isn't even Lipton. It is some generic thing sold at restaurant supply places that is made from "sweepings" of tea dust. God only knows how long it has been since it was packaged.

When I was still working, our office (3 doctors 15 employees) had a "coffee & tea service" that supplied everything, including tea bags and herbal tea bags with no brand name on any, only the name of the service. The black tea was pretty bad but the green tea was horrible and smelled like it had been under a cat box for some years. None of us ever drank the stuff, we brought our own and I finally insisted that they stopped stocking it and adjust the cost. The rep told me that they didn't charge for the tea at all because it was so cheap!

A good percentage of pre-packaged tea bags are just that, fannings (tea dust) and small broken pieces of leaf that have long since lost their true flavor. The best way to experience tea is to utilize some of the amazing loose leaf products available. I think people are put off by tea because they've never experienced quality tea. And there are some great tea choices out there these days. Also, herbal teas are gaining in popularity because of the health benefits associated with them. Like hibiscus tea for blood pressure and elderberry for cold & flu. And you don't need to live in a big city any more. Great tea is available online so if you have a computer you can have "real" tea.