Rethinking Tea

I recently decided to stop drinking coffee to see what, if any, benefits there are to having less caffeine in my diet. Instead, I did what I thought was the healthy thing to do and switched to tea. However, I came across this video from Competitor Magazine, and it seems as though I'm not realizing the full health benefits of drinking tea. Why? I use tea bags instead of loose leaf tea. 

In the video, nutrition expert Dr. John Berardi explains that the tea in tea bags is referred to as "dust," or "the waste product" that is left over after the higher quality loose leaf tea has been sorted out during the tea production process. Further, tea bags may not steep as well as loose leaf tea due to the restrictive size of the tea bag.

 So how do you make good tea? Dr. Berardi suggests that in addition to using loose leaf tea, you should use a tea press and add hot water to the tea leaves that is just short of boiling; boiling water will scald the tea leaves. 

Further, he recommends against adding milk to tea, which can negate several of the health benefits associated with tea. Milk is generally added to mask the bitter flavor of tannins in tea from tea bags. Switching to higher quality loose leaf tea will result in better tasting tea and will eliminate the need for milk. 

Finally, Dr. Berardi offers assurance that if you do use tea bags, don't worry - you are still getting the health benefits associated with drinking tea, just not to the same degree as with loose leaf tea. Also, any kind of tea will do: black, green, white, etc.

So, ready to make the switch? Here are some places in the Berkeley area to find loose leaf tea:

• A'cuppa Tea: 3200 College Ave, Oakland
• Country Cheese Coffee Market: 1578 Hopkins Street, North Berkeley
• Far Leaves Tea: 2979 College Ave., Berkeley
• Teance: 1780 Fourth St., Berkeley