Pick My Tea page

[Rojo]

To improve my sleep, I've decided to give my afternoon coffee the heeve-ho. Instead I'll have some herbal tea. An opportunity at getting something healthful, I'm debating what I should drink. It also occurred to me that I can put more than one tea bag in my hot cup of water.

I'm really sold on fenugreek, but there's room for one, maybe even two, more bags. Should I add ginger tea? Roiboos? Green?

Make your pitch and show your work.

Thanks.

[sarasue624]

In my experience, rooibos overpowers everything else, ginger tea (depending on brand) can overpower as well. Green has the opposite problem. I like to sneak a chai teabag in with other types of teas, but that's not herbal and is usually caffeinated.

How about picking through your spice drawer and adding whatever suits you? I like coins of raw ginger steeped in my tea. I also like cinnamon - though it forms a skim at the top so you have to be OK with grittiness. Plop in a clove to wake you up!

[Drumroll]

A nice ginger tisane is great. It's especially good with a meal because it will increase the secretion of gastric acids which will speed up and increase the efficiency of digestion. It also thins blood, increases circulation, and has antioxidant effects similar in strength to that of vitamins C and E.

Just take some fresh ginger root and boil in a pan until water is a nice redish-orange hue.

Or if you don't like the ginger on its own, you can toss in some ground turmeric to the resultant liquor. This will increase the antioxidant count of your cup as well!

[Ally415]

Holy Basil is relaxing. AKA Tulsi Tea

[Rojo]

Thanks for the suggestions. Browsing Amazon, I think I'm going to try horsetail tea to add silica.

[Chaohinon]

Passion Tea for iced drinks. It also makes a great sangria. Normally I wouldn't push a starbucks product ahead of anything else, but this stuff is just ridiculously awesome.

Rooibos Matcha
Expensive, but worth it. This has a much fuller flavor and nutrient profile compared to bagged tea steeped in water. It can also be used to flavor ice cream and baked goods.

And you can't go wrong with chamomile.

[Ally415]

tip: to get the most benefits of your tea cover your tea when your steeping it. When it is uncovered some of the medicinal compunds escape with the aroma.

[Dr. Bork Bork]

Republic of Tea & Zhena's Gypsy Tea. Lots of different flavor options. If you sign up for RoT's newsletter, you get a free sample in the mail every month. It's just a little bit awesome

[Damiana]

I'm not fond of the idea of combining teas. A single blend allows the flavors to show through more cleanly, and it's worth it, especially if you invest in a good-quality loose leaf.

[Drumroll]

I'm not fond of the idea of combining teas. A single blend allows the flavors to show through more cleanly, and it's worth it, especially if you invest in a good-quality loose leaf.

When it comes to true teas from the real deal, I am all about unmixed tea leaves. It's amazing how many different flavors you can coax out of the leaves of a single plant. Truly special.

But when it comes to herbal tisanes, I could care less. Sometimes mixing flavors of herbs can actually "draw out" the flavors of the other herbs in a synergistic way.