Should it be tea or coffee, black or green, white or herbal? Not so long ago, it seemed that tea was simply tea and coffee was simply coffee. We have become much more selective in our tastes for beverages, but actually enjoying tea is not such a new thing. Tea is one of the oldest beverages, and was the drink of emperors.
Tea is gaining popularity not just as a beverage, but also as a healing tonic.
Personally, I used to be a completely mad coffee lover. I would schedule meetings where I could get the best cup of coffee. I would only drink the very strong European kind, and I would basically live with a cup in my hand. Being Danish, this came easily—a thermos of coffee, filled fresh a few times a day, is a normal office accessory on the typical Danish desk. Later in my life I heard the saying, coffee is the drink of slaves (it makes us do things we would never do otherwise), and, all of a sudden, it made sense to me that this beverage is the most popular office drink. I am not sure I was totally a slave to my work, but I was surely one to my cup of coffee.
That was then, this is now. Now I live free. Free from the anxiety and the artificial level of stress that coffee induces, free from mood swings and sadness, free from the toxic headaches and the sudden outbursts of anger. And finally, free from the daily afternoon slump, when I’d almost fall asleep on top of my computer.
Back then, when I said I was quitting coffee, no one believed I could ever do it—but I did. What a relief. I still have the urge from time to time; then you will find me lingering in a coffee shop, with my nose in the air. I love the smell, so that’s what I do. You may also still find me with a coffee cup in hand, especially if I’m driving long distances. But I don’t drink the coffee; I’m just letting that amazing smell fill up my car—it’s great. How can I resist taking a sip, you may ask. The answer is that I realized, after being coffee sober for a long time, it was not the taste for which I longed (although I thought it was). It was the ritual, the social scene (try being in Paris and not drink coffee), the smell, the… I can go on and on. But my conclusion, in the end, was that it was not actually drinking coffee that made me feel happy.
Drinking tea does make me feel happy. Tea can be very satisfying, and its myriad tastes and scents are truly fit for a connoisseur, if you would like to be one.
The history of tea goes very, very far back in time. It was in 2737 BCE that tea was reportedly first discovered in China, by the mythical second emperor, Shen Nung, known as the Divine Healer.
It might seem that tea would have a tough time living up to its reputation as a healing tonic. A great deal of research has been done into the healthful properties of tea, especially green tea, because of the antioxidants it contains. Studies have examined the effects of EGCG (the antioxidant that occurs in green tea) on cancer, cholesterol, heart disease, rate of metabolism, and even gum health. The studies have indicated benefits, but there are not yet conclusive enough results to give tea the official stamp of approval. One product whose claims you should definitely discount is the Enviga sparkling green tea drink marketed by Coco-Cola and Nestle—save your money. If you are looking for a nice green tea bottled up and ready to go, pick one from Ito En. This company’s green tea beverages are sugar-free and just brewed. How much better can tea get, short of brewing it yourself?
