Please excuse my overused cultural allusion of a title-- but as someone who has only just recently discovered the magic of a hot, cozy mug of tea on a cold day, I feel the need to share with anyone who will listen that you’ve just got to try this. If the following reasons can’t at least convince you to give it a shot, then you’re probably the type of person who starts their Facebook status with a verb.
Hot tea improves mental health. Not only have many studies shown that drinking tea reduces anxiety (which we all know plagues college campuses everywhere), but it also has been shown to improve memory and focus. Green tea is even used in Alzheimer’s and Schizophrenia cases, thanks to the polyphenols and theanine found in it. (Check out those big words.)
Hold onto your horses for this one, because the health benefits that come with drinking tea are staggeringly awesome. Tea’s are filled with various antioxidants that could help avoid cancers, heart attacks, Parkinson’s disease, bad sunburns, diabetes, strokes, and upset tummies. Want to exercise? Drink green tea. It helps the body burn fat, while ALSO hydrating you. (Water is tea’s main ingredient, and without milk and honey, tea is calorie free.) Fast metabolism, bone strength, nice skin, and healthy gums and teeth are just added bonuses, too. (So long as you don’t load your tea down with sugar, that is.) Hotties drink Hot Tea. Get it? Okay.
Think tea is limited to East Asian and English people? Think again. Ancient artifacts have shown that people have been steeping leaves in water for approximately 500,000 years. So, clearly, tea isn’t just some fad, it’s an incredible part of human culture and history. Hell, this country had a Revolution over tea. Just ask Boston.
Unless you can make a fancy-ass Venti Hot Sugar Free Half Caff Cinnamon Dolce Soy Skinny Latte by yourself, at your apartment, with your apartment kitchen utensils, then just prepare to spend all of your money at Starbucks. You wanna know what is crazy easy to make, and a lot cheaper, too? Tea. You need two ingredients: the tea bags (or loose leaf, that is fun too) and water. Be your own barista. And save your money for chipotle and cheesy bread instead. (Also, FYI, tea at starbucks is a lot cheaper than coffee, if you’re feeling lazy.)
It’s caffeine percentage rivals coffee. I can hear biddies from around campus now. “But, like, if I don’t have coffee, I’m going to literally die. By blood is like 50% caffeine,” they cry, clutching their mocha’s tightly to their chest. Let me first say that unless you are drinking coffee straight, or saturating your sweet drinks with espresso shots, then you are consuming mostly sugar, and only a little bit of caffeine. And, even if you take your cafe americano black, that cup only contains about 2 or 3 times more caffeine that a cup of tea-- and it stains your teeth, ruins your breath, and makes you jittery. Black tea has the highest caffeine count, but Green, White, Chai, and Oolong have significant amounts of that energy we college students so crave pretty much 24/7. (Also, look into matcha. Seriously. Add a tiny bit of that awesome stuff to your tea and you pretty much become a superhero. Caffeine and antioxidants through the roof, incredibly cheap and tasteless.)
I know I talk a lot about hot tea, but cold tea is amazing for you too. All the refreshment of a tall iced glass of water, PLUS all the flavor of whatever type you are feeling that way. Iced lavender tea by the pool? Life changing.
There is almost a ridiculous variety of tea out there to try, and even more combinations. I personally love mixing and matching my loose leaf tea’s, but can still find virtually any flavors in bag form-- and then you can add even more custom variety to it in the form of sugar, milks, and honey. Love the taste of coffee? Try mate. Herbal teas pretty much make my life with flavors like ginger, chamomile, peppermint, lavender, jasmine, and so much more. (Lavender Chamomile really is probably my favorite of all time.) White tea is the purest and is used in a lot of skin treatments. (More of a fruity taste, though I’m not complaining.) Black tea has the most caffeine, and also makes you feel the most british. (Who doesn’t want to be british?) Green tea is the bomb dot com if you want to have a cup to wake up in the morning. Mixing green tea with other flavors, such as citrus or berries, is my go to. (Star Fruit Green Tea is utter bliss.) Chai is spicy and cinnamon-y, basically the sass monster of all tea. And of course, there is Oolong, which is not only super fun to say, but is a black tea that Buddhist monks trained monkeys to harvest from the highest wild tea trees in Asia. I couldn’t make that up if I tried.
Drinking tea is an excuse to buy this mug. And this one. And this one. And this one. Hello awesome Christmas presents for the rest of your life.
Lastly, tea is “in” right now. Really. The coolest people are ordering and drinking it. People like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, pretty much all of the James Bonds, Johnny Depp, Michael Caine, the Beckhams, CS Lewis, the Jenner’s, and even my main girl Meryl Streep. (Okay, I know most of them are British, but STILL.) Tea also makes cool instagrams. Do it for the likes.
Well? There you go. My argument for tea-- also known as the nectar of the Gods, or the Holy Grail of drinks. Okay, I made that last bit up. For real, though, it is a small, easy change that really could make your life a little healthier, happier, and cozier. Even you ‘Starbucks lovers’ and coffee-dependent zombies could learn to love a mug or two every now and then.
