Not My Father's Tea: Hot, Iced, and Colorful

Despite my penchant for coffee, it was not served in my home growing up. Tea was the only hot beverage on tap. My father left each morning with a thermos filled with strong, unsweetened Lipton under his arm.

Scottish grocery merchant Thomas Lipton is credited with bringing his custom blended leaves to the U.S. in the early 1900s, produced from his plantation in Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka. His claim to fame was transforming the common loose leaf tea (shown in the photo below that I purchased in Hong Kong) to convenient mass produced tea bags. Brilliant!

Today, we have a plethora of options beyond Lipton, and it is helpful to know about the various distinctions to consider when preparing a batch for your summer festivities.

One of my favorite tea brands TWG has amazing retail and restaurant destinations in Singapore and Hong Kong. Since they are now in Canada, you can follow them on Facebook to track when they will be arriving in the USA. Click here to follow: TWG Facebook page

Another option is TeaGschwendner a German firm with a shop in Chicago and their tea is shown in the photo below. You can purchase via their online store by clicking this link: Order TeaGsch here

In Asia, tea is king. Beyond savoring as a beverage, various teas provide medicinal benefits. Try not to add sweetener, but avoid adding milk as it changes the medicinal benefits completely. However, when in Hong Kong, black tea is served with sweetened milk (and sometimes from a nylon stocking), but that's another blog post!

Tea is known as camellia sinensis, and it can be broken down into 6 delicious categories:

1. Green Tea is not fermented, and it has the most authentic taste of harvested tea. It can produce yellow or green color tea. Some of the health benefits include protection of the immune system, cholesterol reduction, and anti-aging. 
2. White Tea is slightly fermented producing a light yellow, delicate, sweet liquid. Some benefits are lower blood pressure, reduced inflammation, and improved skin complexion. 
3. Yellow Tea is lightly fermented producing a yellowish green liquid. Some benefits include detoxification, antibacterial, and antioxidants. 
4. Wulong Tea is semi-fermented producing a golden brown color and a rich, sweet aftertaste. Some benefits include aiding in digestion, strengthening the immune system, and helping reduce weight.
5. Red Tea also known as Black Tea, Darjeeling or Ceylon is highly fermented producing a reddish brown liquid that is smooth and sweet. Some benefits claimed are helping to prevent Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, lowering blood sugar, and preventing coronary disease.
6. Black Tea also known as Pu-er, is post-fermented tea that is dark, rich, strong, and smooth tasting. It is known to help reduce blood pressure, lower blood sugar, and help to prevent Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. 

Given all the proclaimed health benefits of tea, this is a great summer time beverage to explore in your grocery aisle, purchase online, and order at your favorite tea or coffee shop. You can serve these colorful options hot, cold, and even to your dad!

TWG Jasmine tea, Lipton loose leaf, TeaGschwendner, and expanding Rose bud Pu-er tea purchased in Singapore.