Why Do You Drink Tea?

40 Replies

I agree with everyone who says tea is relaxing and slows things down. I also drink tea because there are so many tasty variations of it. There is a tea for every mood, for every season, for every occasion, and for multiple purposes. It can be as practical as calming a disturbed stomach or it can be as frivolous as a dessert tea! I also love that the process of making it and the flavor can be as simple or as complex as I want it to be. I can toss a tea bag in a cup and just leave it there or I can carefully measure out some loose leaf and control the temperature and time in a teapot.

Because of that I often reflect on how a person’s tea-drinking is a reflection of his or her personality. Some people stick to one type of tea every morning unvaryingly while some people experiment with all types, flavors, and processes. That’s kind of another reason why I love steepster- every person’s choice of teas and notes on teas reveals so much about them. It’s such a varied group!

(Obviously tea gives me the space to be philosophical.) ;-)

There is a reason tea is a favorite of scholars and poets.

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The addict in me just loves that there is such a wide variety to choose from so I don’t need to drink the same thing every day unless I want to.

The practical reason is that tea doesn’t upset my stomach like coffee or soda does. Also, the dessert teas that I have been buying lately help me curb my sweet tooth. They’re just sweet enough that I don’t go out and buy a candy bar when I’m craving sugar. I’ve lost 5 lbs since I’ve discovered those as a substitute to my chocolate addiction so it has managed to improve my diet in the one area that i’m notoriously bad in.

Oh how I wish chocolate teas would stop me from wanting chocolate. They usually just wet my appetite! Lol! That’s awesome that it’s helping you that way!

ifjuly said

My problem is I think biscuits go so well with tea and normally I don’t eat stuff like that, but with a cup of tea every day around 4? Oh no. (:

That said, aside from that one time of day, yeah tea definitely has helped curb my appetite. Especially genmaicha.

I always want cookies or pie with my tea.

ifjuly said

Yeah, cookies are soooo much better when quickly dipped in some. (:

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ifjuly said

Yeah, all the reasons people have already mentioned for me too!

-It provides a small structured contemplative calm in the eye of the storm that is most busy days. There’s so much I can’t control or don’t have time to do impeccably, but as a friend said recently, “That cup of tea? I’m making it perfect, darn it!” That bit of easy-to-earn perfection is lovely and comforting.

-It’s cheaper and much healthier than most beverages, while still retaining the fun of the ritual and variety and shopping/collecting aspects (so much cute teaware and packaging too!). And it keeps better than most beverages too, without requiring fridge space. I am/was a huge craft cocktail nerd and a lot of my geeking out had to do with history, lore, collection (of both liqueurs and barware), and learning how to make things just right. I still love it, but I gotta say, tea offers almost all the same details while being a lot kinder to my liver, more broadly socially acceptable, and muuuuuch easier on my wallet.

-There’s so much to tea history and variety and preparation-wise that you can enjoy learning something new about it whenever you feel like it. The cross-cultural aspect is pretty great too.

And the most obvious: It tastes great!

Bonus: online tea shops abound, and getting packages in the mail is FUN!

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tperez said

ALL the reasons!

I love the tastes of tea and it’s seemingly endless varieties. You can try as many as you like and there’s still more out there waiting for you.

It’s a healthy habit. Tea has vitamins, etc. and no calories. I tend to drink more fluids than most people, so tea satisfies my cravings for “something other than water.”

I guess I’m sort of an “everyone-elses-culture-ophile.” I sort of view culture as a human thing as opposed to sectioning it off by nation or race. I’d like to think I’ve learned at least a thing or to about other cultures through tea.

Finally, I have some persistent anxiety issues, so kicking back and enjoying a cup of tea gives me a chance to slow down. Firing up the kettle and sipping slowly helps me to relax and take stock of things, and be mindful of how I’m feeling.

Tea is good :)

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Because it’s good.

Ding ding ding! Winning answer! :-)

Haha, yay! What do I win?

A cookie?

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We’re under constant bombardment of modern instant crap and fast food garbage, so it’s nice to take a little quite time to enjoy something that’s been around for thousands of years . . . and enjoy a few self-satisfied feelings.

This does seem to be a popular theme. The tea making ritual somehow does tie us to past tradition and it is pretty cool to think that one is a part of something that has been going on for thousands of years and in so many different places.

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graceatblb said

I was on a 3-5 cup of coffee a day habit. It was terrible with the jitters and the headaches. I always liked tea but didn’t drink it too often. I started off on flavored black tea but quickly began to prefer unflavored varieties and then a friend introduced me to pu’er and I loved it. And that’s that, I guess. Tea is more relaxing and every cup of tea is different from the last—coffee is the same every day.

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mrmopar said

The calmness involved with the preparation and the ability to adjust it to your liking slows you down from the bump and grind. It allows you to slow the hectic pace and find a little snippet of time to enjoy something you have had the time to slow down and hold it in your hands and slowly enjoy it. I think the personal time you give yourself to allow this undertaking always has the ability to calm you down and no matter what kind of day you have had.

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Its definitly helping my diet, and it helps me keep from drinking pop. I was an addict to the nth degree before I switched. Not to say tea and willpower have cured me entirely, but I’m down to 1-2 cans of Mt. Dew a day, from 1-2 one liters, and several cans of monster.

I love having the variety, and the fact that even though I have a crapton, it takes up very little space storagewise. We have five people in this house and space is a very precious thing.

And its a healthy addiction, or healthier anyway. I get constant new stimulus, as well. The ADD kid in me is greatly assisted by the fact that if I don’t want Earl Grey I can have something fruity.

I have heard drinking tea does burn a number of calories with each cup. However, I think the big benefit from a weight loss perspective is from what you mentioned where it becomes a substitute for worse options. I also think tea has a filling quality that makes one less likely to overeat so in that way can help with weight loss. That being said, I too am still addicted to soft drinks so know where you are coming from.

Katiek said

I also started with tea to avoid drinking so much soda. I’d tried to limit soda before, but water and flavored seltzers never really did the trick. But I enjoyed iced tea so much that I never missed the soda. In the 18 months since I really started drinking tea, I’ve enjoyed the variety of flavors plus they help keep me from getting bored. I’ve also started drinking more hot tea whih is good because even when I’m out of the office in meetings, there is usually hot water available as an option (although I tend to bring my own tea). I really enjoy the taste and the sense of fun that comes from purchasing new varieties, especially from smaller companies.

It feels like a treasure hunt, it truely does. Finding that next new fun thing to try. I love that thrill.

Plus with the fact that I’ve cut pop, I’ve also started using Stevia in my tea instead of sugar if I decide to sweeten it, which is becoming less and less often. So yay for less sugar in my diet as a whole.

I’ve actually found that since I started drinking tea, on my days off I don’t crave soda as much. Which is interesting because at work, where its the easy option because we have a can vending machine in the break room, I crave it all day. It must be an out of sight out of mind situation, honestly. Trying to figure out a way to cold brew tea to take in my water bottle to work with me so I can have it there and be less tempted to buy flavor packets/drink modifiers for my water. I hate drinking plain water, unless I’m dying of thirst, so I have to find ways around that.

Katiek said

I make some tea at home and refrigerate it overnight and then bring that to work in a thermos. Sometimes I’ll get ice, but even if I don’t the tea is a nice alternative to soda during the workday as well.

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Dr Jim said

I used to be a serious wine drinker (tasting notes, comparative tasting, wine cellar) but my doctor insisted I cut way back on my alcohol intake. After about 10 years without wine, I discovered that fine tea has many of the same intellectual pleasures as wine. This month I am doing comparative tastings of over a dozen estate Darjeelings I bought from Upton.

There is less variety of flavor than there is for wine, but the different effects of water temperature and steeping time can make it even more interesting. I also find it relaxing, and of course enjoy the taste.

ifjuly said

Agreed!

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