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Oct 2011  |  By Elyse Russo  |  Comments

Tea Time: Brew and Sip a Cuppa

Toss aside your tea bags and find your prettiest teacup—it’s time to indulge in a cup of loose-leaf tea.

Sipping a hot cup of tea is just as soothing as the act of brewing it, says certified tea specialist Shelia Duda.

“Leaf, water, time, peace,” says Duda, owner of TeaLula in Park Ridge. “What’s nice about tea is you have to slow down to enjoy it.”

Duda also says that there’s a tea for every mood, so no matter when you have 20 minutes on your hands, there’s a tea that will match the moment. Duda and TeaLula’s tea buyer Ryne Schraw offered some suggestions.

Ease into the morning with black tea
Unlike coffee that will give you a caffeine buzz, the caffeine in a black tea provides you with more of a lift. As a result, you won’t have that caffeine crash by lunchtime. Studies also show that this bold, full-flavored tea is good for heart health.

Sip green tea during or after meals
A cup of green tea can be enjoyed any time, but it pairs particularly well with most meals and is a great after-dinner drink. This earthy tasting tea is best brewed at cooler temperatures, so you may have to experiment with what green tea temp is best for you. Research shows that green tea also has cancer prevention properties.

Enjoy oolong tea over a good book
If you’re in a contemplative mood and have time to curl up with a novel, take a journey with oolong tea. Every time you infuse—or re-brew—the same batch of coiled oolong leaves, new flavor notes emerge, like lilac or honeysuckle. While some say this low-caffeine tea will help you lose weight, Duda and Shraw say it’s just best to enjoy oolong for its flavors.

For more about loose leaf teas, visit tealula.com