#802 Hot tea warms my smile

When you are sick, what is the one beverage that you usually reach for? What about when you are having lunch with your friends at your favorite Chinese restaurant; what do you drink? If you said hot tea to either of these questions, you are not alone. In fact, there are millions of people all over the world drinking a cup of hot tea as you read this. Maybe you are right now too. Hot tea is one of my favorite beverages of choice and I can often be found with a cup in my hand almost any time of day.

It fills you with warmth, relaxation and instant peace. There is something almost magical about curling your hands around a hot cup of tea that seems to melt the troubles away. With the enchanting steam rising from the hot substance within the first deep breath of warming goodness is just one that cannot be duplicated. This simple beverage, however, has a long history and slowly gained in popularity around the world.

When I drop that tea bag into the hot water to steep, a smile grows across my face in anticipation. The smell of it alone is enough to make me smile, but knowing that I will soon be sipping a cup with some honey and lemon in it, makes me smile every time. Some people like coffee, while others prefer soda, juice or some other carbonated beverage, but I like hot tea. It is simple, it’s easy to make and it doesn’t cost a lot unless you buy the specialty teas many grocers are carrying.

Tea was originally used as a medicinal drink in southwestern China where it originated. Tea first originated from the southwestern part of China and was commonly used for medicinal purposes. In Chinese history it is Shennong who is credited for the inventions of tea somewhere around 2737 BC. It has been a staple of the Chinese culture for centuries and did not make its way to the rest of the world until closer to the 16th century.

It wasn’t until the Chinese Tang dynasty that it became popular as a recreational drink and tea drinking spread to other East Asian countries. Sometime around the 16th century, Portuguese priests and merchants introduced it to the West and shortly after, in the 17th century, drinking tea became fashionable among the British.

The Dutch East India Company is noted to have made the first shipment of tea from Macao to Java in the early 1600’s. The Germans and French were introduced to hot tea from those living in the Netherlands regions. It was the British who tried to break the Chinese monopoly on tea by introducing it to India. This resulted in the Alubari Tea Garden being opened and starting to produce the Darjeeling Tea.

Now we can find tea in every grocery store and it is offered at most restaurants and cafés around the world. Hot tea is the second most consumed beverage around the world, the first being water. Tea can be divided into various categories and can be brewed in a few different ways as well. Most teas will fall into white, yellow, green, oolong or black. These teas can be found as loose leaf teas and well as in tea bag form. While tea bags are the most convenient way to prepare a relaxing hot cup of tea, the loose leaf teas offer much more flavor and benefits. Hot tea is fairly simple to prepare, just boil a kettle of water and add it to a tea pot and let it brew for a few minutes. If you prefer, you can use a French Press.

My personal favorite is black tea, while many of my friends prefer green. I feel that black tea has more caffeine and more flavor as well as a strong aroma that fills the air whenever it is steeping. Now, whether you prefer hot tea or coffee, that is up to you, but for me, it is hot tea that makes me smile the most.

Whether it is your beverage of choice to start your day with, or what you reach for to comfort you on those colder winter evenings, hot tea definitely has a way of just simple making you feel good. The calming aromas, the warm soothing sensation from that first sip and you cannot help but smile and completely enjoy the moment. Form green tea to herbal tea, with some many varieties everyone has a favorite they like to curl up with.

How do you feel about hot tea? Do you have a favorite type? Perhaps a favorite time or event when you like to drink a hot tea? Leave a comment and share your opinion and experience. Would love to hear from you.