One of the most surprising things to happen so far in this past week or two has been my rather painless parting from coffee. I’m not quite sure how it happened, last year I was knocking that stuff back far too often, and now I just don’t even think a cappuccino will cut it anymore. In Piketberg my sister uses a chicory-coffee blend that she makes on the gas stove, and we only had once a day, so perhaps a slow transition allowed me to wean myself off caffeine. Towards the end of the year I was drinking a lot more tea but it was only last weekend and my discovery of peppermint tea that I really realised how much I love tea.
I’m not the only one either. At work, two of the copywriters in my team also drink tea, so any time of us gets up to make, we always end up making for all of us ladies, which works out pretty well. Because this is the thing about tea – you can drink loads of it, and if you drink the right type of tea, not only is it not bad for you, it’s actually GOOD for you. Tea is super high in antioxidants, and has all sorts of healing properties. Green tea is obviously the best, but Rooibos and other herbal teas are also excellent.
Some of my favourites so far include the following:
* Green tea
* Green tea and jasmine
* Jasmine tea
* Rooibos
* Rooibos with Hoodia (great for mid-morning or mid-afternoon!)
* Rooibos and buchu tea
* Peppermint tea
* Peach and ginger tea
I keep a few different types at home and at work, and on average I get through about six or more cups during the day. I don’t drink tea at night though, especially not peppermint or green tea as these contain stimulants. The trick is to have it straight up, no milk or sugar. Just pop the teabag into your cup, pour boiling water over it, bring it to your desk, after a few minutes remove the tea bag and voila… instant zen boost!
