Hot Tea-dy

Pinkies up, beyotches! Time to get your tea swag goin’. It’s National Tea Month, so it’s time to celebrate the world’s second-most consumed beverage behind water.

Not only is tea yummy with honey (or whiskey), but it has a cupful of health benefits. See what we did there?
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​The Tea Association of the USA is, obviously, in love with tea because it’s so darned awesome!

Take Tea to Heart: Tea may promote overall heart health. Research has shown that tea drinkers have significantly lower levels of total cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol) and higher levels of HDL (good cholesterol).

Support Weight Goals: Tea consumption is associated with lower weight and waist circumference. Tea contains no sodium, fat, carbonation or sugar and is virtually calorie free.

Strengthen Memory and Concentration: Bioactive components of tea like
L-theanine and EGCG have been shown to enhance brain function. Green tea consumption can help to ward off dementia later in life.

Stress less: Green tea consumption may be related to reductions in anxiety thanks to bioactive components L-theanine and catechins like EGCG. Tea contains less than half the caffeine of an equal-sized serving of coffee, but enough to provide cognitive benefits.

Guess we need to invite more tea into our lives. But we’re thinking that eating a bunch of pastries with said tea would negate all that good stuff. Sigh. There’s always a down side...

Easy Fresh Mint Tea

Ingredients:
2 cups water, filtered
15 mint leaves, fresh (peppermint or spearmint)
Optional: 2 teaspoons sugar (or honey), ice, lemon slices, lemon juice

Directions:
Gather the ingredients; Bring the water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add the mint leaves. Steep for 3-to-5 minutes, depending on the strength. Add optional sweetener as desired. ​If serving iced, fill tall glasses with ice and pour the tea over. If serving hot, pour the tea into mugs. Garnish with optional lemon slices and/or lemon juice to taste.

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