What Is The Best Time To Drink Black Tea?
Black tea has been around since the 17th century, first discovered in China, then went on to become one of the most popular teas in the world and to this day is still the base of tea culture. But what is the best time to drink black tea?
Knowing the best time to drink black tea can really depend on the consumer, and whether you prefer black tea in the morning, afternoon, or evening. It’s definitely a hard question to answer, however maybe the answer is in the ingredients?
Best Time To Drink Black Tea (Morning)
Drinking Black Tea in the morning has its benefits, and many of us are compulsive tea drinkers and love starting our day off with a hot cup of tea.
Considering black tea contains high amounts of caffeine in its ingredients, which can be great for increasing your energy levels and help kick start your morning.
Drinking tea can also help support your digestive system.
Usually, the best time to drink black tea is in the morning, when you wake or after breakfast to help settle your stomach.
Most tea drinkers do recommend drinking tea about fifteen to twenty minutes after your meal, this will help with your digestion.
Drinking tea in the morning is also great for re-hydrating your body and getting your day started after a long sleep, this will help with brain fog.
Black tea also contains antioxidants, therefore, can provide additional benefits. There have been studies that conclude tea offers a much healthier alternative to coffee.
Best Time To Drink Black Tea (Afternoon)
Drinking black tea in the afternoon preferably after lunch is always good, not only does black tea help detoxify your body but also helps with weight loss and at the same time keeps your skin hydrated.
A strong cup of black tea has proved to be the perfect energizer and is great especially if your halfway through your day and are starting to feel worn down.
Drinking black tea after your lunch relieves gases and flatulence in the stomach. But if your someone that suffers from indigestion then this is where you should drink types of herbal tea or green tea this can help with indigestion.
Drinking black tea in the afternoon can also help with stress, according to the researchers from the University College London that drinking black tea helps cut levels of cortisol a stress hormone circulating in the blood.
They found that people who drink black tea regularly were able to de-stress more quickly than others. So drinking black tea in the afternoon can definitely help keep things calm.
Best Time To Drink Black Tea (Evening)
Now drinking Black Tea In The Evening is fine but if some nights you’ve noticed that you had trouble falling asleep and took longer than usual to drift off then it’s most likely the black tea.
As mentioned above one of the ingredients in black tea is caffeine and the fact that tea can increase your energy levels and as a result can keep you up at night.
Although it’s not bad to drink black tea at night, it may be a good idea to stop drinking tea 1 to 2 hours before bedtime, this way you shouldn’t have trouble falling asleep.
There are other caffeine-free herbal teas that are better for drinking in the evening and are made from the same ingredients that are found in sleep supplements.
Herbal tea is great for those’s who suffer from insomnia and find it hard to sleep. If you do suffer from insomnia then do avoid drinking black tea in the evening.
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Benefits Of Drinking Black Tea
So as we all know the benefits of drinking black tea on a daily basis can increase your health, Black tea is full of healthy substances like polyphenols.
Polyphenols are basically antioxidants that help protect your cells from DNA damage.
Scientists believe that the antioxidants in tea, including polyphenols and catechins, can help prevent certain types of cancer.
Research shows that women who drink black tea on a regular basis have a much lower risk of getting ovarian cancer. Antioxidants also help with free radicals.
Free radicals are known as unstable molecules in the body, this result’s from both natural processes and environmental pressures. If too many free radicals build up in the body then this can damage or even change your cells.
Changes in your cells can result in the development of certain diseases and conditions, like atherosclerosis and cancers. This is where the Antioxidants in black tea help reduce the build-up of free radicals.
A study also confirmed that men and women who drank up to four cups of black tea per day lowered their risk of getting a stroke.
Drinking Black Tea In The Summer
Now apart from the great health benefits you get from drinking black tea and knowing the best time in the day to consume it, there are also teas you can match with the weather conditions and the change of seasons.
For example, Less oxidized teas like green or white tea have a cooling effect that helps balance your body against hot weather and has you feeling fresh.
Tea’s like the Iced Matcha Green Tea is perfect for the summer, not only is this bright green tea refreshing but like most teas have great health benefits, one of which is weight loss.
A study also found that matcha contains three times more of the catechins called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) an antioxidant that’s known for helping to prevent things like cancer, viruses and heart disease.
Tea’s such as (Hibiscus Tea) (Barley Tea) (Rose Oolong Tea) (Mint Iced Tea) (Lemongrass Tea) (Kashmiri Kahwa tea) are all great tasting summer teas that can be enjoyed both hot or cold.
Drinking Black Tea In The Winter
The best tea to drink in the winter is one that can warm your body. Drinking an oxidized black tea is a good choice. If you love oolong tea then go for a dark oolong tea, like the Da Hong Pao.
The Da Hong Pao tea was first produced on Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province, China. The tea has a long history which can be dated all the way back to the Ming Dynasty of 1368 to 1644.
Legend has it that in the Ming Dynasty the emperor’s mother was ill and after she drank the Da Hong Pao tea, she started feeling better and shortly after was cured of her illness.
However, even though drinking the Da Hong Pao tea has other health benefits like Weight Loss and preventing Heart Disease or Cancer.
It is also the most expensive tea on the market and this is because there are now very few of the original tea trees left.
There’s also other tea like (Winter’s Brew) (Pepper Tea) (Ginger Tea) (Russian Tea) (Hot Vanilla Chai) (London Fog) and not only are all theses tea’s healthy but are perfect for consuming on a cold winter’s day.
Types Of Black Tea
There are many types of black tea on the market today, black tea is being grown and processed from all over the world, with the largest producers of black tea, China, India, Sri Lanka, and Africa.
Half of the world’s tea production and the most popular styles of black tea comes from India. The tea industry in India started around the early 1840s and has been growing ever since.
It has been reported that China and India supplied 62% of the world’s tea in 2016 With some of the finest black teas coming from India.
India is well known for producing some of the finest black teas, like Assam black tea that’s robust, full-bodied, then you have the Darjeelings that have natural muscatel flavor.
Then there are the Nilgiri teas that are known for their intense aroma and it’s unique briskness. Of course, there are other black teas on the market but these three are the most popular produced in India.
How Black Tea Is Made
All the tea originates from the same plant, for example, Camellia Sinensis is a small green tree, these leaves and leaf buds are used to produce the tea, how the plant’s leaves are processed is where it becomes black or green.
There’s a process called oxidation, which turns the leaves from green to a dark brown or black color. Black teas can be produced in one of two ways.
Orthodox: This is more of a time-consuming method, the tea leaves remain whole or just slightly broken during processing. Tea leaves are plucked from the tree and withered to reduce moisture.
They are then rolled in a variety of ways to bruise the leaves, this starts the oxidation process to create color and flavor. Heat is the applied that stops oxidation, and then graded for quality.
Non-Orthodox: This is a faster version of the production process, with this method the tea leaves are cut into fine pieces, not rolled, this way the pieces of leaves are more quickly oxidized and as a result producing a strong and bold black tea.
These are pieces of the tea leaf that you see in the commercial tea bags, that are becoming more popular with consumers than loose leaf tea.
Drinking Tea Everyday
Drinking tea every day definitely has it’s health benefits as mentioned above, from fighting cancer, diabetes, or weight loss, this works by speeding up your metabolism.
The caffeine in tea also helps with mental acuity as well as increase metabolism and fat burning. However, if you want to get the most benefits without overdoing it with caffeine then go with green tea.
Tea is a healthy choice for the vast majority of adults and it’s said that those who drink green or black tea regularly are healthier than those who do not.
So the best time to drink black tea or any type of tea would preferably be after meals. If you have a sensitive stomach then avoid drinking tea on an empty stomach.
If you like to drink tea first thing in the morning then try a cup of white tea, just until you’ve had breakfast, this will be easier on your stomach.
Black Tea vs Green Tea
So which one is better Green tea or black tea? Well, they both come from the same tree shrub (Camellia Sinensis) with green tea typically having less caffeine than black tea.
The caffeine can vary depending on the plant and brewing methods with the caffeine content of black tea ranges from 30-40 milligrams, while the green tea contains roughly 20-30 milligrams of caffeine.
Both green tea and black tea contain antioxidants and have similar health benefits, with green tea being made from young adult leaves of the tea plant and black teas are made from slightly older leaves.
The flavor of the green tea is like a grassy, green, fresh cucumber taste yet the black tea is more of a nutty taste. both are fine teas and great for your health.
Conclusion
So what is the best time to drink black tea? This really depends on you and when you prefer to drink it. Most people would say in the morning, but as mentioned drinking black tea in the afternoon and evening also has its benefits.
Just remember if you find it hard at times to sleep at night, it’s most likely the caffeine in the tea, so maybe it’s a good idea to stop drinking tea a couple of hours before bed or maybe consume your tea in the afternoon instead.
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