Some really pretty tea pictures

I can't help it. I love tea so much and I love information about tea. But another thing I really love is just looking at pictures of tea. There's something very calming about a nice picture of tea. It makes me crave tea and it relaxes me. Here are some cute ones I discovered while browsing the web this week.

Photos from here here here here and here

There is more to tea drinking than just enjoying the taste. We were all blessed with so many different senses, and all of them can be used to enjoy your tea even further. Enjoying the touch, scent, sight, and the sounds of your tea can help make it taste even better than you ever imagined. Here is how you can use your senses to make your tea tasting an art.

Use your fingers to touch the tea leaves before you brew them. Think about what they feel like in your hands. Feel the warmth of the water you are brewing. By touching a pot of warm water, you can actually determine it's temperature. If you place your hand against it, and it feels the same as your hand, then the temperature of the water should be around 98 degrees because our bodies around that temperature normally. This will help you determine if your water is hotter or cooler than this temperature.

Tea is a great way to relax. Drinking your tea will help you get more in touch with yourself as it calms your mind and your body.

Here are some tasting terms that may also be helpful in enjoying your tea even further.

Astringency
Astringency is used to describe the characteristic of thirst quenching in tea. Much like red wine, the astringency is the dry adn refreshing sensation that is caused by the tannins. Briskness and bite also fall under this.

Biscuity
This is a sweet malted flavor similar to baked bread that is present in black teas. Smokey and toasty are two tastes that fall under this category.

Citrusy, fruity, and flowery
These flavors can often be attributed to the tea leaf and combination of tea leaves used, causing the tea to have a fruity or floral taste.

Complexity
The complexity is the relationship and combination of tastes. You tea may be sweet then tart. It may have a unique aftertaste.

Strength
This refers to how intense the flavor, aroma, and the color of the tea are. This varies as a result of how long the tea is steeped, how much tea is used, and the temperature of the water.

Vegetal
This is a characteristic that is found in grean teas and includes grassy and herby flavors.

Why Tea is Good For You

As many people know tea is good for you. But a lot of times, when people are drinking tea, they don't realize that they may not be drinking "real" tea. Real tea comes from a plant called Camellia Sinensis and there are only four varieties: green tea, black tea, white tea, and oolong tea. If you're drinking something else, then you have an infusion. Here are some of the ways that tea can help improve your life.

-Tea can help you improve your muscle endurance with the antioxidant catechin. This means you'll be able to exercise longer and more effectively as well as burn fat as fuel.
-Tea can help prevent against heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases.
-There are many studies and research pointing to tea aiding in preventing several types of cancers such as breast, colon, skin and lung cancer.
-Tea will help to hydrate your body
-Green tea can act as a sunscreen by protecting your body from harmful UV rays.
-One study showed that people who consumed a lot of hot tea had a lower BMI than those who didn't have the tea.
-Some studies show that green tea can help with diabetes by helping diabetics process sugar better.
-Tea may be helpful in aiding the body in recovering from radiation.
-Green tea can help to improve mineral density in bones and the strength of bones.
-Tea can help with the prevention of degenerative brain diseases. Polyphenols in green tea can aid in maintaining the parts of the brain that control learning and memory.

While all of this sounds fantastic and you may be ready to go out and buy as much tea as possible, here are some things that you should keep in mind.

-Drinking too many hot beverages can boost the risk of esophageal cancer so it's a good idea to let your tea cool down a bit before you begin to drink it.
-Many of the studies that have resulted in these findings were tested on non human subjects which means that tea may not always have the same benefits on humans as the lab studies may find.
-Remember that not all teas are the same. Some are processed and stored differently. All of these factors may have an effect on the benefits of the tea.

Overall, however, there is enough evidence to prove that drinking tea can only do good things for you. So the next time you find yourself craving a warm drink, why not go for the tea? For more information about tea check this out!