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Drink More Tea to Boost Your Health

by Nicole Dorsey Straff

Tea is 2014’s notable beverage trend, gaining popularity among mixologists and chefs alike. It doesn’t have to be green tea, either, though a great body of research proves just how beneficial green tea leaves can be.

Seeing that different tea varieties exhibit distinctive flavor profiles much like wine, why choose one type of leaf over another? I’ve cooked chicken with oolong tea and thought it delicious. Plus, I doctor most tea with honey and milk—so even my tea is more like food than tea.

Of course, the caffeine drinker in me swears by black tea, which provides a jolt of energy in the late afternoon, preventing all sorts of slumps.

David DeCandia, Director of Tea at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf chain, is a certified tea specialist and master blender with 15 years in the industry, and his role encompasses everything from sourcing and purchasing tea directly from tea estates to creating the company’s signature blends. Here he suggests new things to do with tea, and I am all in. Delicious.

New ways to look at tea:

• When pairing hot tea with food, it’s best to keep temperature in mind. This means hot foods work best with hot tea, etc. Make sure the food does not overpower the tea, but instead complements it.
• Spiced foods work well with unflavored origin teas. This is because you can experience neutral tea in a unique way when combined with the flavor and aroma of spices.
• Light meals, like seasoned roasted chicken, work well with a jasmine—or lightly flavored teas like white tea, rose hip or peach.
• Straight woody green teas work well with citrus, fish or Asian cuisine, while the darkest, blackest teas pair best with turkey or red meat, such as lamb.
• Oolong teas are very versatile and can find their way into almost any meal; when in doubt, steam or sauté with oolong.

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