Tea drinkers unite! A few very important things devoted tea lovers know to be true

Coffee is all the rage, all the time. But where my tea drinkers at?

Plan on pulling an all-nighter for an early morning exam? “Have a Starbucks shot,” they’ll say. Long day at work ahead? “Load up at the office coffee machine,” they’ll suggest. Cat kept you awake last night? A grande caramel something-or-other will pick you right up. Au contraire, tea is the answer.

I’m about to say something that will psych coffee drinkers out: I really don’t like coffee. The taste isn’t my bag, and the caffeine just doesn’t mesh well with me, so I opt for tea! And it’s delicious. I’m here to preach teas virtues. All my tea lovers out there will hold these truths to be self evident, and all my non-tea-drinkers will hopefully convert because tea is what’s up. So, let’s just debrief quickly on why tea is the absolute best.

Tea is insanely good for you.

Green tea is one of my favorites, and it happens to be chock-full of stuff that’s great for your body —like antioxidants, which fight cell damage, it also lowers cholesterol, and blood pressure. One study even showed that it increases activity in the working-memory part of your brain. Basically, green tea is incredibly healthy, so you never have to feel bad about drinking it. Oh, and P.S. — green tea isn’t the only one that’s good for you. Black tea may decrease the risk of stroke, white tea may have the most anti-cancer properties, and chamomile has been shown to possibly prevent health issues caused by diabetes, like kidney damage. Go tea!

It brings on all the relaxing feels.

Unlike coffee which can get you all revved up, the act of drinking tea is almost meditative. When I’m really stressed out and having a hectic day, a nice tea break calms me down and resets my focus. There’s a reason why relaxing places (like spas) hand out tea. Also bedtime tea is just a beautiful ritual. Incorporate it into your life.

Tea tastes amazing, even before you pour in all that sugar and milk and cream stuff.

Seriously, have you ever tried organic genmaicha? Or peppermint, lemon, masala chai or English breakfast? Chances are, there’s a dream tea just waiting for you (my recommendation: Mix in organic honey!). WARNING: You will become addicted to tea, but that’s okay because see listen item one.

Tea culture is the very best culture.

Tea-drinkers out there, have you ever found another tea-drinker, realized they too don’t like coffee and embraced them like a spirit sister? This is what happens with tea drinkers. We understand each other, we feel a bond, and we are rare gems in a coffee drinking world. Tea-drinker convention, anyone?!

Your tea obsession can travel.

Going away for the weekend and don’t know if there will be tea on hand? Put a tea bag in your suitcase! It’s way easier than packing up that coffee grinder to go. Also, drinking tea gives us ample opportunity to pretend to be British. Also, there are amazing teas to collect from all over the world. Also also, did we mention that tea is just the best?

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