Four teas to try this morning and why they’re good for you

Out of habit, the first thing I do in the morning is boil the kettle and make myself a cup of gorgeous, milky (soy) tea (please don’t pass judgement on my weak tea choice). While it’s very comforting and helps me to wake up, it doesn’t have too many positive benefits for my body (black tea contains the highest level of caffeine; from 40-60 mg per cup). Tea is the second largest beverage consumed in the world, with water being the most consumed beverage. If, like me, you want to try and kick the caffeine, here are five comforting cups of tea to try out this week. Warning: just don’t dip digestives in them.

Green Tea

An old classic, green tea is great for flushing your body of toxins and bacteria. It helps to increase your energy levels, aids fat loss, and even improves brain function. Green tea can be a bit bland, but I like to add a squeeze of honey to kill my sugar craving. Green tea contains 20-40mg of caffeine.

White Tea

Unlike green and black teas, white tea undergoes the least amount of processing and is produced by only skilled tea-makers. White tea tends to have a delicate aroma and light, pure taste. White tea is packed with anti-ageing properties and can help to protect skin and keep it looking youthful.

Chamomile Tea

This is one of my personal favourite alternatives to black tea. Chamomile tea is a daisy-like herb based tea that’s known for its medicinal and natural remedies. If I find that I’m having a stressful week I’ll drink this tea as the aroma is calming, relaxing and it helps to soothe anxiety. Chamomile is also great if you feel like you’re coming down with a cold or flu.

Oolong tea

Oolong tea is the most diverse type of tea. Similar to green tea, there are loads of different varieties with different strengths, tastes and aromas. With that being said, it does contain high levels of caffeine – similar to black tea – so if you’re looking for an alternative to black tea, I would avoid drinking oolong tea as a substitute. However, this is a good option if you’re on a budget because the strength of the tea means that the leaves can be used again and again before they’re disposed of.