I love Boxing Day as much as I love Christmas Day, I don't feel the need to go mad in the sales but it's another excuse to eat some more food and see other family members. It's buffet time isn't it? We had a lovely time with good company and tasty foody bits.
We watched some Boxing Day tv together which included a documentary on Polar Bears which I had to hold my breath throughout while these cute cubs and their mum diced with death to get to their summer destination. Gosh I felt exhausted, I never had that much trouble with my mum on the flight over to Majorca when I was young. Just when I thought I'd hit the pinnacle of drama for Boxing Day, my mum announced that she wanted to watch Easteneders, well I haven't watched it since Bradley fell off the top off the roof of the Queen Vic. things haven't changed, they are still falling off the top of the Queen Vic but just different people, someone should put some railings up there, health and safety is not good in the square. So I was ready for a brew and accompanying chocolates which are an essential part to any Boxing Day. My dad makes the best brew ever! Thanks dad - I love you and I love ya tea. I hope you had a wonderful day too, let me know what you got up to. I hope it ended with a brew. Thank you for joining me for my last Teapot Tuesday for 2017, join me again tomorrow for Whatever Wednesday. Take care for now.
0 Comments
Apparently drinking hot tea could help reduce the risk of glaucoma. Can it though or is it one of these theories that is true one minute and then dismissed the next? A bit like red wine is good for you and then next minute, no... it's totally bad for you.
I get a little excited about scientific research, I like to believe that there are really clever people finding these important breakthroughs and especially those that involve improving my health by drinking loads of tea. Who was involved with this research and why wasn't I consulted? I am more than happy to drink tea to help with medical research. Such a chore but I could do it. Glaucoma is believed to effect around 50 million people around the world and is caused by the pressure of fluids inside the eye damaging the optic nerve, this can lead to loss of sight if left undetected. The research which took part in the US involved approximately 1500 people 40 years or over and monitoring eye examinations as well as collecting nutritional data. This included their intake of coffee, tea, iced tea, and soft drinks taking into consideration caffeinated and decaffeinated varieties too. The results led to a link to hot tea with a consumption rate of just one cup a day, so those who consumed hot tea seemed less likely to receive a diagnosis of glaucoma compared to those who didn't drink tea. The research is also a bit vague at this time and there are many factors that may not actually lead us to believe that tea makes any difference at all. I think what they are saying is they may need to invest in more tea to get a more accurate result and I back them 100%. It isn't clear whether there is a difference between caffeinated or decaf, there may be errors regarding diagnosis and lack of information on the actual tea which was consumed. But what we do know is that tea does contain many antioxidants and natural anti inflammatories to make it well worth drinking anyway. I do love these studies which get people quite excited but then say, in not so many words, well we're not completely sure but hey it won't do you any harm to consume it so carry on. All I can say is that I'm a tea'aholic so I'll keep you posted on whether I develop glaucoma. Think of me as a lab rat sponsored by Tetley (other teas are available). Watch this space. Thank you so much for reading today I do appreciate it. If you would like to pop back tomorrow I will be writing a post for Whatever Wednesday so feel free to join me for that. For now though...... Take care.
I like the idea of a milky tea, and the Chai Latte is a great creation. It consists of black tea brewed with Indian spices and herbs, a lovely beverage at this time of year. Traditionally a mix of cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and black peppercorns go with the tea to make Masala Chai, the latte part comes when you make the tea with milk.
Now I had a problem when I first tasted this, it seemed a bit soapy to me but since drinking a few times now I've really got to like it. Cinnamon is always around at Christmas so although not necessarily a winter drink it just feels nice to have now. It may be the cardamon that put me off the taste initially, it's not one of my favourite spices but when it's wrapped around all these other spices it does fit so well. You can buy Chai Latte ready to mix and make up in most supermarkets and Tassimo offer a Chai Latte in their collection. There are many recipes online to make it yourself which I think is good as you can alter the ingredients to you own personal taste. Most of the big coffee chains offer a chai latte so you can buy one on the go too. It can be served cold on ice or a milky shake and is just as refreshing. So no excuse now really....... Have a taste and tell me what you think. I will put a link below (affiliated) for the option to buy from Amazon. Thank you for reading today, please pop by tomorrow for my Whatever Wednesday feature when I talk about.....well Whatever really. The world is my oyster tomorrow, no limits no restrictions.......mmmm now what can I write about.........oh you'll see!!
What's going on here Sue from the Brew? Why is your tea literally green I hear you say? Well this is a Matcha and Mint Green Tea Latte, I bet you thought it was something from a bush tucker trial on I'm a Celebrity. No beasties in here only goodness, well ok apart from the squirty cream but it is low fat.
Matcha Tea is a blend the actual green tea leaves themselves and have ten times more health benefits than a cup of standard steeped green tea. It does contain caffeine and one cup would be the equivalent to a good cup of coffee so for me I have to drink it in moderation, I'm not good on too much caffeine. It is good though for brainpower, calorie burning and contains many antioxidants so it certainly packs a punch as far as lowering blood pressure and preventing heart disease. It can taste a bit bitter so I tend to go for this one from Teapigs flavoured with mint. I just find it does need a bit of sweetening. You can have it with hot water or cold water as an iced tea, I tend to make a latte up so I add warm milk to the powder and in this case added a creamy top too. At this time of year I tend to add squirty cream to everything. It Christmas!! Matcha Tea can be on the pricey side so I do tend to make it last, I just like it as a change to other other hot drinks. You can add the powder to baking, desserts and other recipes too making it fun to experiment with. So if you fancy a bit of a detox and reaping some of Matcha's benefits you can purchase it from most retailers and also health shops. I purchased a box of 10 handy sachets from Amazon which I'll include a link below for (affiliated). Let me know what you think. Thank you for reading today, please pop back for Whatever Wednesday tomorrow but for now take care. |
Teapot TuesdayEverything tea related, from teashops, teabags, teapots, teacups, tea bags or loose leaf tea. Archives
May 2020
Categories
All
|