The Leader • Saturday, January 18, 2020 • Page 1B
Steep into the world of tea Zarah Parker Managing Editor
Tea has been a hot commodity for centuries and has been popularized by different cultures throughout time. It’s also long been believed that drinking tea offers health benefits other drinks do not. While science has flip-flopped over whether coffee is good for you or not, Jessica Boyd, founder and CEO of Tea Sip, a Heights shop with a mission to make tea approachable, says tea is a better alternative to coffee. “Tea also gives you a more calming awakeness for those looking to move away from the coffee jitters,” Boyd said. She also mentioned that caffeine-free tisanes, herbal infusions, were popular options for people cutting out caffeine and that they come with a variety of health benefits depending on the herb. All true teas are also packed full of antioxidants, which are substances that can prevent or slow damage to cells caused by unstable molecules. Green tea is most often associated with antioxidants, but white tea contains more. Coffee also contains antioxidants, just a much lower amount than white tea. According to a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, people who drink tea at least three times a week have a higher chance of living longer and have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. “We believe all tea is good for you, so we encour-
age new tea drinkers to find something they love,” Boyd said. “The more you enjoy drinking your tea, the more you will drink it, and the more you will enjoy the health benefits.” At Tea Sip, 321 W. 19th St., the teas are blended primarily on flavor and not necessarily on specific health benefits. However, Boyd recommends Tea Sip’s Soothe Tisane for a sore throat. What some people may not realize about the six types of tea -- white, green, oolong, black, dark and yel-
low -- is that they all come from the same plant. The difference in the teas is how the leaves are processed. Oxidation also plays a large part in distinguishing the different categories. “There are several different steps a tea can go through (and) not all teas go through all steps -- plucking, withering, rolling, oxidation, firing, sorting, sweltering, fermentation,” Boyd said. “Outside these six different tea categories, you also have tisanes, or herbal infusions, which can be caffeinated or
Americans consumed more than 3.8 billion gallons of tea in 2018
About 84 percent of all tea consumed was black tea, 15 percent was green tea and 1 percent was oolong, white or dark tea
Approximately 75-80 percent of all tea consumed was iced Source:
teausa.com
REVIEW:
Tropics meet tea at Teaspresso by Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com
The shelves stuffed with various board games was an invitation to stay and enjoy a just-brewed tea at Teaspresso Bar in the Heights. I thought it was a nice touch because most similar tea concepts have a grab-and-go vibe. The space at Teapresso also had plenty of seating, including two hanging wicker egg chairs paired with comfy cushions, that added to the inviting atmosphere. When it comes to iced tea, I’m a sucker for sweet. Under the signature tea menu options is the Tropic Osmanthus, which was a perfect fit for my sweet tooth. It also happens to be the second-most popular drink at Teaspresso. While there is the option to change the sweetness of any drink on the menu, I kept mine at the regular level. The Tropic Osmanthus is osmanthus tea with guava and lychee. I could have added boba or other add-ons, but the cashier suggested I go without for this drink option. Guava fruit is something I can really only describe by
Photo by Zarah Parker Shown here is the Tropic Osmanthus at Teaspresso Bar.
comparing it to other fruit. Its flavor is a combination of different fruits, like strawberry, pear and maybe a hint of mango. Lychee reminds me of grapes but with a subtle floral aftertaste. Guava and lychee both make this a very fruity, tropical drink that I can see myself enjoying many times in the future. I also sampled the Mango Kumquat Green Tea and the Trespresso Milk Tea. The first is a blend of the fruity mango with citrus,
which hid the typical bitterness of green tea. It’s pretty much purely mango in taste. The milk tea is Teaspresso’s top drink and is made with non-dairy creamer with assam tea and hajicha tea. The menu at Teaspresso has a little bit of everything, since it serves both tea and coffee. There’s even a selection of smoothies. The menu also boasts of non-powder, non-GMO, gluten-free and vegan options. For 25 percent off all beverages, you can visit the tea bar during its happy hour from 5–8 p.m. Monday–Thursday. The Hawaii-based tea bar will probably see me often. I’m glad the Heights was the first to get this concept on the mainland United states. Teaspresso Bar Address: 718 W 18th St. Hours: 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–11 p.m. Friday–Saturday, 9 a.m.– 10 p.m. Sunday Pricing: $2.99-$5.59 Kid-friendly: Yes Alcohol: No Healthy options: Yes Star of the show: Tropic Osmanthus
Take tea while making conversation at Alice Blue By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com
There’s nothing like taking time in the middle of your day to push pause and have tea. Done thoughtfully, it’s like a reset button that gets the mind ready for the rest of the day. This is the realization I came to when I recently took part in a tea service at Alice Blue, 250 W. 19th St. It involves much more than simply steeping tea, including delicious snacks, and I appreciated how peaceful it was to take that time to sip tea. What I loved more than anything is that it was the perfect setting to catch up with someone. Lunch and dinner meetings tend to be quicker and there’s more time with food stuffed in my mouth. I was joined at the tea service by my sister-in-law, who has young children, including
caffeine free.” There’s various ways to prepare tea and different cultures do it differently. The western way is one hot steep for a few minutes, plus iced tea. Cold brewing, nitro and kombucha have also become popular in America. “Chai wallahs in India make spiced milk teas, which have also become quite popular in the U.S., and Morocco loves strong mint teas,” Boyd said. “China, the birthplace of tea and the only place where every tea type is made, has developed
an infant. I see her at least twice a week, yet that time at tea allowed us to have a much more in-depth conversation than when we had lunch together. Aside from good conversation, the experience of the tea service was all around a fun time. We each chose one of six teas, all of which are curated from Tea Sip, 321 W. 19th St. The server gave us insight into each tea selection and even played along when my sisterin-law jokingly asked him to tell us “snobby” facts about the teas. The server explained how the spiced peaches blend was made with peaches that were dried on the trees in South America. He said this so seriously that I wanted to believe him before I realized how ridiculous it sounded. Point is, I
think it’s great when servers aren’t afraid to be humorous. I ended up choosing the spiced peaches blended black tea, which was described as a southern classic with hints of ginger, cinnamon, clove and allspice. My sister-in-law chose the chai masala blended black tea, which featured cinnamon, ginger, aromatic clove and cardamom. A cute little glass bottle of honey was set on the table along with glasses of creamer. I usually drink tea with nothing added, but decided to pour some honey in with a splash of creamer. The honey gave it a sweet tinge, while the creamer gave it a milky layer that didn’t dilute the peach. The various tea snacks were small, but with so many, I was glad that I arrived hungry. The snacks included tomaSee Tea P. 2B
a variety of ways to make tea throughout the ages.” Boyd added that every tea drinker has their own individual ways and rituals around tea making and drinking, and that there’s no wrong way as long as the sipper loves it. For new “sipsters,” as
Boyd calls people new to the wide world of tea, she recommends smelling different teas to narrow down what smells good to them, and then testing it out before buying it just to make sure the drinker will love it steeped in a cup.
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