Some like it black, I like it Green
The most popular drink next to water is Tea. Very common in India, China and Japan tea is also very popular in Britain and America and several other western countries. You would rarely find an Indian who does not begin the day without a hot cuppa.
Tea has a beautiful history. As per Chinese legend Emperor Shen Nung who was also known as divine healer, tasted the water boiled with some wild leaves fallen accidently from a nearby tree. He liked the taste so much that he started using tea leaves thereafter. And it was the Boston Tea Party that led to American Independence.
I was not a great tea lover and am one of the rare people who can go without tea for days on end. But my husband is a tea fan. His days cannot begin without tea and every few hours he loves to take a hot cuppa. Even at 12 O’Clock in the night he can ask for tea. I have become a tea consumer only after meeting my husband some 8 years back, now if I think back our love story began over the daily tea that we used to have in our college canteen.
My new found taste now a days is green tea. I remember the first time I tasted this version of such a popular Indian brew in Japan. During a meeting we were served green tea, I just couldn’t get it down my throat. I found it terrible. Basically because it was so bland. For me till that point of time tea meant our normal indian tea with milk and sugar or my favorite iced lemon tea, the gift of Americans, which I really love a lot or the black tea with a little lime juice. Shockingly green tea turned out to be a plain clear green color bland hot water with no taste.
Green tea is an acquired taste, you need to develop the taste for it like sushi or sashami. And I have started loving it. It was simply because I decided one fine day to start drinking more water thanks to my beautician (yes from the New York Skin Solution) who clearly told me my skin needed more hydrating. And going a step further I thought instead of having plain cold water let me take warm water. I started taking around 3-4 glasses of warm water daily. And another fine day I got bored of that too. Yes, I can go on for days without actually having a glass of plain water. I did have juices, coffee, tea, lemon tea or simply coconut water.
Since I was bored of water and still wanted the hydrating effect of water, I thought I can try green tea and I would be consuming water and on the other hand the health benefits of green tea will be really helpful. Then it all started. First I was taking one cup daily and slowly started taking around 2-3 cups a day. Now its become a routine to take green tea in office every few hours especially after lunch. Moreover its so easy to prepare, just take boiling water in a cup and stir in a green tea bag, leave for 1-2 minutes and sip the faintly fragrant, pale green brew.
It helps me digest my lunch and makes my stomach feel lighter, it cleanses and detoxicates my system and I simply feel more healthy now. So, if you are health concious then replace your usual intake of water with green tea. Without any sugar in it this makes the ultimate health drink.
To learn more about Green tea and its health benefits visit http://www.greentea.com
