You wouldn’t know it with some of the snow storms hitting the northeast, but we have entered the spring season once again. It’s time to start planning outdoor activities and changing your wardrobe to match the new sunny spring days.
When you’re not hiking, having a picnic, or planting the next season of plants in your garden, why not relax with a hot cup of tea? Don’t let the warmer weather discourage you from a warm beverage.
Tea comes in a wide range of varieties. Each of them offers its own unique flavor and benefits. Here are our picks for five spring teas we’ll be brewing this season.
1. Jasmine Tea
Jasmine flowers have an absolutely intoxicating scent. I can often smell them from several steps away when I’m walking by. It’s only logical that these edible spring flowers make an equally aromatic tea.
Jasmine flowers open at sunset and the tea is best enjoyed during this time of the day as well; it has relaxing and calming properties. If you’re someone who suffers from anxiety or headaches, jasmine tea could really help.
One thing to remember: the base of the tea changes how long it retains its flavor. Green tea-based jasmine will only stay fresh for about six months, for example. A black tea base offers a longer shelf life. The nice thing about these tea bases is that both offer health benefits for your skin.
2. Oolong Tea
Oolong is a traditional Chinese tea that has a color somewhere between green tea and black tea. The flavor can also change based on where it is grown and the methods by which it is processed. You can usually expect a light and fruity flavor, but other variations have a woodier note.
My personal favorite is high-altitude Taiwanese oolong, which matches the bright and fun feeling of springtime. Oolong tea is very specific in how it should be brewed. You’ll want to steep it in water that is roughly 195 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 minutes for the best flavor.
3. Ginger and Turmeric Tea
Ginger and turmeric are extremely pungent flavors to put in your tea—this isn’t a warm and sweet tea. Instead, you’ll find that this one has a lot of bite. The ginger helps settle your stomach, while the turmeric adds a full-bodied spice to the tea.
In addition to the anti-nausea benefits of ginger and turmeric, this tea offers an antioxidant boost for your body as well. Drinking them on their own can be a little much for certain palates, however.
To make things go down smoother, consider adding honey and lemon to your ginger and turmeric teas. This will help balance out some of the harsh notes.
4. Pu-erh Tea
Next is a tea that comes from the Yunnan province of China. This tea is a lot like good liquor. As it gets older the flavors become more pronounced instead of fading. You don’t need to hunt down a centuries-old set of pu-erh leaves to get good flavor, though.
Young leaves have a sweeter flavor that resembles floral notes and a touch of bitterness. Spring is the best time of year to pick these leaves for making tea. In contrast, a pu-erh tea that has matured for 10-20 years will offer a more robust flavor.
Specifically, it gains rich earthy tones that are superb for those days when you’re working out in the garden. Some people claim that older Pu-erh tea is even better, but leaves that are aged longer than 20 years are hard to come by.
5. Rooibos Tea
Springtime isn’t always sunshine and rainbows for people. For a lot of us, spring means allergies. If you’re someone who dreads sniffles during the spring season, consider a hot cup of rooibos tea.
This red African plant translates to “red bush” in Afrikaans and is praised for its high flavonoid content. As a result, this tea gives your immune system a boost to help fight back against pollen and sneezes. Even if you hate spring for the allergies it brings, rooibos tea can help you enjoy the outdoors without fear of sniffles and sneezing.
For everyone else, this caffeine-free herbal tea is enjoyed for its mild and sweet flavor. You can add some additional flavor by brewing it with other teas like hibiscus or green tea for healthy benefits.
Tea is perfect for every season, but these five spring teas will help you get into a sunshine kind of mood. What tea do you enjoy the most during the spring season? Let us know in the comments!
