Herbal Teas
Herbal Teas, also known as tisanes, are an anomaly in the teasan game. When the teasan is running his tea-sippin', tea reviewin', tea steepin' junket, throwing an herbal tea in the mix is like throwing a wrench into gears. Game gets all messed up, teasan gets all flustered, doesn't know what to do next. Of course, that's how a low level amateur wannabe teasan reacts, not veterans like Dax and I. We just kick back, steep some herbal infusion, and discuss the finer things in life.
So what exactly are herbal teas?
Delve deeper, young steeper, and answers you shall receive. An herbal tea is any herb steeped in hot water other than the camillia sinensis plant, which, of course, is a regular tea plant. There are as many types of herbal tea as there are plants whose leaves can be steeped in water: namely every plant on this planet has the potential to be an herbal tea. The Tea Amigos discourage brewing herbal tea from the following plants: hemlock, poison ivy, and poison oak.
Why would one elect to drink herbal tea?
What are some popular Tisane varieties?
Ginger Tea
Ginger is occasionally used in tea, mostly for medicinal purposes. The Tea Amigos have strayed from Ginger tea thus far but we'll get around to it eventually, especially when we're old teasan-sages in our 80s. This is because ginger tea, and ginger root in general, has been shown to be effective against all sorts of diseases from skin and ovarian cancer to a variety of digestive. Ginger tea is consumed in many Asian cultures but it seems to have a predominance in Korea where it is used for cold prevention and digestive aid. By itself, it ain't that pleasant but the Koreans mix honey or dried fruit to make it suitable for drinking.
Ginseng tea is yet another type of tea that the Amigos have not yet explored. Ginseng tea has been a Chinese remedy for just about everything for centuries but it is most known for stimulating libido. Settle down! Modern science has also confirmed that ginseng tea is also good for increasing alertness, flu prevention, and inflammation relief. Not surprisingly, Ginseng has also been found to have some anti-cancer properties. It appears that every herbal tea out there does, including tea itself, so take it for what it's worth.
Hibiscus Tea
Hibiscus tea is one of the most popular types of herbal tea and for good reason. It tastes pretty good and not unlike a sour version of cranberry juice. Tea made from the hibiscus leaf is a popular beverage in Mexico where it is called agua de flor de jamaica. Hibiiscus is jamaica in Spanish, which explains where the name of the country came from. A less likely possibility, is that the plant was named after the country but I believe Hibiscus trees predate Jamaica, so this is a pretty unlikely scenario. Anyway, hibiscus tea has a just a couple beneficial health effects including lowering of blood pressure. To prepare hibiscus tea, soak some hibiscus leaves in hot water. Wait for it to cool, add some ice, and drink up!
Lemon Grass Tea
Lemon grass tea is something Dax and I have dabbled in before and plan to dabble dabble in again. The true teasan appreciates both the taste and health benefits of the herbs he/she ingests and lemongrass tea does a world of good in both departments. Lemongrass tea is pretty good either on its own or mixed with traditional tea. It adds a lemony twang to your tea, as the name implies. However, the herb has shown to have strong cancer fighting properties. In one experiment, lemongrass was added to a mixture of healthy and cancerous cells. The lemongrass proceeded to take out the dirt and kill off the cancerous mofos while leaving the good guys unharmed.
Rooibos Tea
Along with chamomile tea, rooibos tea is definitely a contender for most popular herbal tea. It's got a strange, sweet, almost piney taste. Rooibos tea usually garners mixed reviews from the Tea Amigos depending on what it's mixed with. Sometimes it's fire, other times it's weak sauce.
Rooibos tea is native to Africa and has been a common beverage in South Africa for generations. Some common alternative names for it are bush tea, African bush tea, red tea, African red bush tea, and any other combination of those words that you can think of. Rooibos tea has a rich and fairly interesting history so I will be sure highlight it exclusively in a future teasan training. For now just know this: red tea is extremely high in anti-oxidants.
Yerba Mate
Yerma Mate is a popular alternative to coffee and tea in South America. In fact, it is the official drink of Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay and it enjoys popularity in Syria and other parts of the Middle East. Unlike other herbal teas, Yerba Mate actually contain caffeine. There is a lot of ritual and etiquette involved with yerba mate tea, some even elevating the traditions to a holy level. Perhaps this will be the subject of a future Teasan Training.
Yerba Mate has similar health benefits to the other herbal teas with your typical cancer-fighting and anti-inflammatory effects. I suppose what makes it unique is that it assists in mental clarity and has been proven to be an effective assistant in weight loss.
The Tisanes listed above are just some of the most popular alternatives to tea found around the world. Remember that the true teasan keeps his head in the game and his eyes on the prize. The true teasan must be careful never to lose focus and remember that there can only be one real tea. Everything else is a distraction.
Michael Kofman
Gifted Teasan