Ideally, you should be drinking about eight glasses of water every day. Most people probably drink about half that much during the cold winter months. If you think about it throughout the day, it’s not difficult to do. The problem is that you have to think about it.

While tea contains caffeine, which is thought to dehydrate the body, this does not seem to be a problem with tea. A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that while high doses of caffeine may indeed cause dehydration, the caffeine in tea does not come anywhere close to those levels. The study actually goes further to claim that tea may actually be a better choice for hydrating than even water.

Since a cup of tea consists of ninety-nine and a half percent water, it stands to reason that if people are drinking hot tea during the cold months, that they are basically consuming their cup of water with their tea. While you still want to drink water when you can, now you can consider tea part of your effective hydrating regime.

The best thing about hydrating with tea is that while you are getting your fluid intake, you are also getting a hefty dose of antioxidants, which offer all kinds of health benefits. So while you do not want to over imbibe in your favorite tea this winter, certainly enjoying your regular ration of tea seems like it will actually do you a lot of good.

There is nothing quite as satisfying as a full-bodied cup of rich Assam tea, especially as the days get chillier. The flavor complements a wide variety of foods, from hamburgers to lasagna, from morel mushrooms to Mexican foods, from pecan pie to Crème Brûlée, and much more. For me, it’s especially good with a tasty lamb vindaloo (a spicy Indian stew) and pepper Naan (an Indian flatbread with coarse ground pepper baked in).

My affinity for palate-scorching cuisine, especially from India, began in the university days. We had an active exchange student program which gave me an opportunity to know people from several corners of the globe: South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and India (of course), to name a few. My tastebuds soon became accustomed to the blistering heat of kimchi, curries, and a variety of chili recipes (thanks to the exchange students from Texas!). However, learning more about which teas went best with these dishes didn’t come until much later.

One of the first I learned about was Assam tea, which comes from the Assam district of India. It is made from a tea plant variety called Camellia Sinensis assamica, a version that was better acclimated to the Assam region. The tea “liquor” has more bitterness that Darjeeling but takes milk and sweetener all the better for it. Milk is great for helping your tongue recover from a dose of spices, especially chiles and cayenne pepper. So, a nice cup of Assam with an ounce or two of milk and a spoonful of sweetener really puts out the fire.

The Assam tea I like best comes in “nuggets” that are perfect for spooning loosely into a teapot. The brewing time is about five minutes in water that has been brought to a full boil. I like my tea brewed strong, so you might want to play with the length of time to get the “liquor” to the strength that’s right for you. Remember that, as a general rule, if you put milk in the tea, you will want to brew it stronger. For those of you who think adding milk to tea is an abomination, I got the habit from an Indian friend, since that is often how it is prepared in his country. Of course, my time in Britain showed that this was their favorite method, too.

Some information has come out saying that milk in tea negates some of its health benefits. Since I drink tea primarily for enjoyment, this isn’t an issue for me. However, the milk does help me handle the acid in tea (far less than in coffee but still an issue for my “delicate constitution”). White and green teas aren’t a problem, but Assam, Ceylon, and Keemun definitely are. However, the main benefit of milk in my tea is to cool those tastebud fires.

Of course, I picked up a curry recipe or two while at university. The one I make most often is chicken curry. Cooking time takes awhile but gives me a chance, as the curry is bubbling in a covered pot over medium heat, to sample a cup or two of that tasty Assam tea (have to make sure it’s just right for my dinner guests, don’t I?). I never learned to make Naan, so I either serve store bought or make a whole wheat chapatti (another flatbread — this one is fried and resembles a tortilla).

Time to check the curry and see if it’s ready to enjoy with my pot of tea. Ah, Assam!

You can learn more about what A.C. calls the “tea life” on her blog, Tea Time with A.C. Cargill.

Everyone who makes tea needs to boil water. Whether they have an electric kettle, an antique tetsubin or a simple pot, hot water is essential when it comes to making tea. But is there a difference between each of the different methods? In an earlier article, I gave an experiment to show that different methods of heating water produce different tastes, and I also believe that what the water is boiled in probably plays a significant role as well.

A long-time standard, at least in the West, is a classic kettle made out of some sort of treated metal or stainless steel. These kettles are more on the taste-neutral side, but I have heard people talk about getting a metallic taste from kettles such as these. Though if taste neutrality of your water is what you wish to achieve, a glass kettle might be desired. If you look hard enough you can spot them occasionally. Glass is definitely a  good way to go, though I’ve always been iffy about heating glass, or even pouring very hot water into glass.

Many people have been turning to cast iron in the form of an unlined tetsubin, or an unglazed ceramic kettle. In essence these are known to transfer minerals into and possibly out of the water as it is being heated. And while tetsubins have for along time been considered optimal for heating water in the Far East, they also require great dedication and attention to ensure they are kept in good condition, as rust is inevitable (though not undesired), but these kettles can rust through and become useless.

I should note that while kettles can change the way your water tastes, everyone has their personal tastes and preferences, which is probably why there are so many different styles of kettles out there, with so many different properties.

Yesterday my roommate asked me why I don’t use the stove in the kitchen to boil water when I make tea. I paused for a second and said, “Because I like being able to make and enjoy tea in my room.” Which while true, is not the main reason.

To many people, hot water is hot water. How it’s heated, or what it’s heated in, doesn’t matter to them. I know there have been many posts on water quality and its importance, but I’m here to stress that how the water is heated also matters. To demonstrate this, take two glasses of water from the same source and heat one on the stove and the other in the microwave. Once they’ve cooled sufficiently, taste each one separately and compare. I’m sure you will notice a difference.

I prefer to heat my water on an electric hotplate, as I feel it gives a more even heat distribution across the bottom of the kettle. But many tea drinkers swear by the method of boiling their water over hot coals. I hope to try that someday, but for now its the relatively safer method of an electric hot plate. There are also kettles designed to be heated by alcohol burners, which provide a different taste as well.

I can only speculate as to why different heating methods create different tastes, but I’m sure it comes down to chemistry. But as much as I believe in the rigors of science, sometimes I like more basic descriptions of tea, water, teaware, etc. Perhaps  how much water changes while being heated depends on how quickly that change takes place.

So feel free to try many different ways of heating your water and find the one that works best for you. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for an article about how what you boil your water in changes how the water tastes.

As it turns out, if you regularly enjoy your cup of green tea, you may be helping to maintain healthy teeth and gums. After looking at almost one thousand men in the study, it found that the men who drank green tea on a regular basis had much better periodontal health than those who drank less, or none at all.

As more connections were uncovered between periodontal health and overall health, the researchers were encouraged by their findings. For each cup of green tea that a man drank, all three areas of periodontal health that were evaluated improved. Thus the more tea that they drank daily, the better their overall oral health tended to be.

The same antioxidant, catechin, which has so many other health benefits, is also the hero when it comes to periodontal health. This antioxidant also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, and it is this quality that seems to affect the bacteria in the mouth. Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease, and it first affects the gums and continues on to affect the bone supporting the teeth. It has further been connected to the onset of other even more serious diseases like heart disease and diabetes. So by interrupting the bacteria in the mouth, green tea can dramatically improve a person’s overall health.

Since maintaining oral health is tantamount to maintaining overall health, drinking green tea supports healthy gums and teeth and makes staying healthy just that much easier.

Green tea has a long and colorful history, going back thousands of years. Almost from the first cup, the Chinese realized the restorative and medicinal qualities of tea. Now tea is enjoyed by cultures the world over, and the medicinal properties of this amazing plant have been studied and proven.

The catechins contained in the green tea have a strong anti-inflammatory effect on the gastrointestinal tract when ingested. So digestive diseases like Crohn’s Disease can be eased by adding green tea to the diet. Since green tea helps to break down body fat, it is also beneficial in reducing colon cancer risks as well, and it is particularly effective at supporting the reduction of fat content in the diet.

Along with the catechins breaking down body fat, green tea’s epicatechins are highly effective in blocking cholesterol being absorbed by the body. These chemicals also increase the speed with which triglycerides are broken down into fatty acids making them available to be burned as energy. So if you are trying to reduce your cholesterol levels, green tea is a wonderful addition to your diet.

Another way that green tea aids digestion and metabolism is by fighting the free radicals that high glucose yields in diabetes patients. By curtailing the free radical damage in diabetes patients, green tea helps to reduce nerve fiber degeneration. Along with curbing the free radical activity, green tea also reduces glucose levels, which helps to prevent cataracts, which are a common symptom of diabetes.

Since the flu generally stems from a virus invading membranes of the nose and throat, tea actually acts a lot like a vaccine against the flu when used as a mouthwash. Of all of the types of tea, green tea is the most effective. In an experiment, scientists could see that the flu virus loses its ability to infect within five seconds of meeting a diluted green tea solution. This solution is simply regular green tea that has been four-times diluted.

It’s probably no surprise to learn that green tea’s polyphenolic compounds are potent inhibitors of the flu virus. When exposed to green tea, the flu loses its ability to replicate, thus it does not spread.

About fifty million people get the flu each year in the United States alone, so preventing the spread of the flu virus is important this time of year. While you want to be vigilant in washing your hands to keep germs away from your nose and mouth, green tea can offer you protection on two fronts. First, it keeps the flu virus from replicating, and then it actually kills flu cells. One of the great things about green tea is that it is not selective about which flu virus strain it kills, because it kills many of them.

Of course you do not want to use green tea in place of discussing your personal flu risks and prevention treatments with your doctor, but tea may simply give you an additional line of defense in fighting off the unpleasant ailment. Adding green tea to your day, is just another addition to your healthy diet.

Sencha is the most common tea served as an every day drink in Japan. While there are high-quality Sencha tea leaves that are plucked by hand and served only on special occasions, Sencha is generally the daily tea enjoyed by the Japanese people. Sencha is steamed immediately after it is picked to instantly stop the fermentation process. This same process is done with all Japanese green teas.

Gyokuro is the highest grade of Japanese tea. It is considered a luxury and made from only the first flush. The resulting brew is a pale, yellowish green color, and it has a rich flavor. The bushes from which the Gyokuro tea leaves are plucked are kept in the shade beginning in about May. As soon as the first buds sprout, the entire crop is covered with mats, which reduce the light and force the tea leaves to produce a higher chlorophyll content. The reduced light results in a darker green tea leaf with lower tannins, which gives the tea a sweet, mild flavor. Just like the Sencha tealeaves, the Gyokuro tealeaves are immediately steamed to stop fermentation.

The final green tea is Matcha, which is a green powder made from grinding Gyokuro tealeaves. This powder is whisked in a bowl of hot water to make a frothy tea flavored drink. This it the tea that is traditionally used in cooking and is served in the traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony. Since this drink is made with a powder you are actually drinking the ground tealeaves, so Matcha has the highest concentration of vitamins, anti-oxidants and catechins of any green tea.

There are two kinds of stuffiness associated with drinking tea. Firstly, there is the stuffiness that tea cures or at least eases greatly: the stuffiness of a cold. I have revisited teas wonderfully medicinal qualities A LOT this week since my entire family- from hubby to preschooler to myself- have been down with a very nasty cold.

Of course, the minute I hear the sniffles, I reach for my tea basket. There is no need for a prescription and it works wonders!

I lean toward herbal infusions with honey and lemon when the dreaded bug strikes, but my husband, (a true English tea purist) insists on hearty English Breakfast (none of that flavored stuff) with milk and sugar. This is the same way he drinks it everyday, cold or no cold, and will continue, I am sure, until his hair turns gray.

My son, on the other hand, who is four, prefers only Earl Gray with lots of ice cubes and plenty of sugar. Not sure if it is much good as a cold remedy all doctored up like that, but he is utterly convinced it helps “sickie boys.”

I suppose I could go on and quote study after study on teas true medicinal qualities and the research behind it. But instead I’ll simply say, give it a try next time you or a loved one are ill. See if a tea tray lovingly prepared (fresh flowers would be a thoughtful touch), brought to the bedside of a sick child or spouse doesn’t immediately cheer and revive them.

Whether it’s the tea itself or the act of love serving others, well… it just works! We are all on the mend here, thanks in no short part to consuming massive quantities of tea.

So that is one type of tea stuffiness, the sort it soothes. In part II we will explore the other sort, the stuffiness it inflames.

All around the world people drink tea, and a lot of it, second only to water. For the majority of people, tea is simply an occasional beverage or a casual afternoon or a gentle wake up. However, for some, tea is so much more. Sadly, those people are usually in the minority, and the majority have a hard time understanding how someone can consider tea a hobby.

Most beverages have some sort of connoisseur following, but there is something special about tea. The extent to which people go to produce quality tea is comparable to importing a box full of grapes from France, Germany, California, etc. and using them to make your wine. With tea, you buy processed plant matter, and you extract the juices and goodness from those leaves, branches or flowers.

The selection of the tea ware to go along with that tea is amazing also. Choose the right teapot based on the tea you’re brewing, or the number of people you are serving; choose Japanese style cups and teapots when brewing a Japanese tea. Some people even go to the extent of using a certain style or even a certain single cup with a given tea or type of tea. I’m guilty of the later, I have an old porcelain cup, which is rumored to be from the Ming Dynasty in China, but could very easily be from less than 40 years ago. But its a good cup, and I figure an old cup for old tea, so I only use that cup with Aged Puerh tea.

A love of tea becomes a hobby when you go on trying new teas and acquiring a collection of tea ware. But it seems that in recent years the number of tea enthusiasts has been growing, and as such there should be a plethora of new ideas, and things to learn.

Check out Adam’s blog, The Sip Tip, for more on his passion for tea!