The Health Benefits of Tea!

During the colder months, Culligan ZeroWater understands that you need to snuggle down at home with a warm cup of tea. But did you know that during this ongoing health crisis, tea could also provide you with significant health benefits? At Culligan ZeroWater we are here to outline the health benefits of various types of Tea, which are best brewed with pure tasting filtered water! During the cosy season we want you to be fully stocked with the knowledge of the best healthy, delicious Teas on the market, all to help keep you and your family all fighting fit and healthy. This is especially vital during the ongoing health crisis, as Covid-19 continues to rampage throughout the UK.

Firstly, What are the General Health Benefits of Tea?

You can read a literature review on studies made about the health benefits of tea here. These studies have found that some teas may help with cancer, heart disease, and diabetes; encourage weight loss; lower cholesterol; and bring about mental alertness. Tea also appears to have antimicrobial qualities! As American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Katherine Tallmadge stated: “There doesn’t seem to be a downside to tea,” says “I think it’s a great alternative to coffee drinking. First, tea has less caffeine. It’s pretty well established that the compounds in tea – their flavonoids – are good for the heart and may reduce cancer.” Green tea, black tea and white tea, are all derived from the Camellia Sinensis plant, a shrub native to China and India, and contain unique antioxidants called flavonoids. The most potent of these, known as ECGC, may help against cancer, heart disease, and clogged arteries. Moreover, all these teas also have caffeine and theanine, which affect the brain and seem to heighten mental alertness!

So if you want to ensure the health of your family and benefit from the alertness provided by caffeine – a cup of tea is sure to do the job!

Let’s Dive into the World of Tea Drinking – Starting with Black Tea!

Black tea is made with fermented tea leaves, and has highest caffeine content that slowly releases, keeping you going through your working day. Studies have shown that black tea may protect lungs from damage caused by exposure to cigarette smoke. It also may reduce the risk of stroke. Moreover, black teas have antioxidant properties, which may reduce the chances of diabetes and can reduce cholesterol levels.

Darjeeling is Absolutely Appealing:

Described by many as the “Champagne of Teas”, Darjeeling tea is not only a delicious, sophisticated taste, but it also possesses a higher concentration of antioxidants than other varieties of black tea. This tea benefits from a shorter brewing time of 2 - 3 minutes and a steeping temperature of 90 degrees Celsius - so make sure to leave the water in the kettle for a minute or so after boiling - in order to let the delicate flavours to fully reveal themselves.

Lapsang Souchong Will Delight Your Tongue:

Lapsang Souchong is distinct from other varieties of black tea in that it is smoked over pinewood fires to dry it out. This creates a very strong, smoky aroma with a surprisingly subtle taste. This tea may help to increase blood flow while reducing the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream. This, combined with natural antioxidant activity, keeps cholesterol from oxidising and sticking to blood vessel walls, leading to greater cardiovascular health! This tea contains slightly less caffeine than other similar black teas as well, so it will be enough to give you your morning boost, without keeping you up all night. As this tea is fully oxidised, it can be steeped with freshly boiling water for around 2 - 3 minutes.

The Wonderful World of Green Tea:

Made with steamed tea leaves, Green Tea has a high concentration of EGCG and has been widely studied. Green tea’s antioxidants may interfere with the growth of bladder, breast, lung, stomach, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers; prevent clogging of the arteries, burn fat, counteract oxidative stress on the brain, reduce risk of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, reduce risk of stroke, and improve cholesterol levels! Green tea is also the perfect way to unwind after a long day and settle down to sleep, as its warm, delicious flavours lull you into a calm and sleepy state. If that isn’t enough to convince you that green tea is essential to your night time routine, they also taste amazing!

Chamomile is the Best by a Mile:

Chamomile green tea is a subtle, floral variety of tea which is renowned for its ability to relieve stress and prevent insomnia, while also having mild relaxant properties which can aid with stomach aches and period pain. Leave it to brew in freshly boiled water for 5 minutes, and this caffeine-free treat will be at it’s best. The perfect tea for a pre-bed time, self-care, wind down and relax routine!

Jasmine Tea is Dreamy:

Jasmine tea is absolutely delicious and easy to add to your diet as it has a fragrant aroma with a sweet, delicate taste. The tea can be purchased as tea bags, loose leaves, and pearls; though we suggest that loose leaves or pearls are best as tea bags can contain broken leaves and other undesired parts of the plant that can affect the tea’s taste. To prepare the leaves or pearls, simply add them to a pot and add hot water between 70 – 80°C. Avoid using boiling water as it can ruin the tea’s delicate flavour. Let the tea steep for 3 – 5 minutes, then strain and serve. Jasmine tea has a wide variety of health benefits, alongside its calming effects it is:

• Bursting with antioxidants
• May aid weight loss
• Could protect your heart
• Boosts brain function
• May protect against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease
• May lower your risk of type 2 diabetes

Looking To Branch Out Into A Different Type Of Healthy Tea?

White Tea can be classified into 5 different types: Yi Zhen Bai Hao, Bai Mu Dan, Gongmei, Shou Mei and Fujian New Craft. Uncured and unfermented, white tea has been shown to have the most potent anticancer properties compared to more processed teas! However, our ultimate suggestion for a Healthy Tea is Hibiscus Herbal Tea! Made from the Roselle flower, this tea is a deep-crimson experience that tastes strikingly similar to cranberry juice. Like Chamomile, it benefits from a longer steep time of 5 minutes. As well as being a tea which can be enjoyed hot or cold, hibiscus tea is also clinically proven to reduce blood pressure, reducing the chance of future strokes and heart attacks.

Don’t delay, explore the exciting world of Tea with Your family for delicious flavours, a mental boost, a hand unwinding and a bountiful variety of health benefits!

For more tasty, water-based Autumnal recipes visit our previous news article here!

Everyone Knows that Pure Tasting Water is the Most Essential Ingredient when Making the Perfect Cup of Tea!

To join our community of healthy tea drinkers, share a picture of you starting your day or settling down with a cup of tea on Instagram and tag our account @Zerowateruk with the hashtag #What’sTheTeaCulligan ZeroWater. At Culligan ZeroWater, we want to ensure that your tea drinking experience is as healthy and delicious as possible. Unless you are a professional tea-taster, you’ve probably experienced the dreaded tea scum. Tea scum is the unsightly foam/bubbles at the top of the tea, with a sort of oily appearance.

5 Easy Steps to get rid of Tea Scum

When we asked a few known Teaologists to look into this problem, they provided us with these easy to follow steps to ensure that your tea is the tastiest around:

1. Make sure you clean your kettle on regular basis to get rid of the scaling which will build up over time. The easiest way to achieve this is by using a descaler tablet. All you have to do it is drop the tablet in the kettle and it will descale the kettle's interiors for you.
2. Alternatively, you can install a water softener – Which is a great long term option that will do away with the problem for ever!
3. Another option is to purchase a water filter jug. They are easy to maintain and really keep the scum away, both from the inside of the kettle and in your hot beverages. We at Culligan ZeroWater recommend this option and offer a wide variety of water filter jugs to suite any family size. You can peruse our online shop for your ideal water filter size here.

   

4. We also strongly recommend the use of a teapot with a strainer. Strainers are really great for loose leaf teas. They can also help keeping tea scum away from your cup/mug, thus eradicating the potential for it to ruin your afternoon tea.

The 'Teaologists' Advice is Very Clear, You need Filtered, Contaminant Free, Pure Tasting Water to Brew a Perfect Cup of Tea in Britain!

This is where the Culligan ZeroWater family of water filter jugs really come in handy. These water filters are an essential tool if you want to evade the dreaded tea scum problem when you are living in a hard water area of Britain today. You can read more about the vast multitude of other benefits which come with owning a Culligan ZeroWater water filter jug here! At Culligan ZeroWater, we can provide your family with Premium 5-Stage Ion Exchange Water Filtration Systems. These systems successfully outperform all other 2-stage filters on the market such as Brita Filters. While simplistic 2-stage filters are only able remove around half of all dissolved solids, our advanced filters guarantee to drastically reduce the amount of ‘Total Dissolved Solids’ and contaminants in your water!

When tested in accordance with the NSF's protocol based on a 40 gallon filtration (double the rated usage), Culligan ZeroWater reduces 97% of Lead and 99.9% of Chromium from your tap water. They are also third party tested to remove 96% of Mercury, 93% of Arsenic and 99% of Copper, among many other contaminants! As the pandemic continues into the autumnal and winter season, and our health continues to be our top priority, Culligan ZeroWater is here to provide you with the healthiest, purest tasting water possible. This water will not only keep you hydrated – which provides many health benefits in itself, but will be the best type of water to use when brewing your tasty types of Tea!

Tea is the Key to Keep Your Family Healthy this Autumn! Culligan ZeroWater is here to unlock the marvellous world of Tea drinking with the purest tasting water around.