Move Over Coffee, Tea Just Got a “Big” Makeover

It seemed hot tea had taken a back seat, maybe even a trunk seat to venti mocha cappuccinos! I’ve even steered away from steeping at home. That was until my mom recently visited me and asked for hot tea. I fell in love her Lipton Bavarian Wild Berry Black tea made with long leaf tea and real pieces of fruit. It was simply divine. Brewing tea does require a little more work because you have to boil water, add a tea bag, steep it for a couple of minutes until its brewed, and then flavor it with cream or sugar, but that little preparation is well worth the comforting experience of drinking a hot cup of tea. If you think holding an iconic cup of Starbucks is cool, try drinking hot tea from your favorite mug with pyramid-shaped tea bags packed with tea leafs and fruit bits floating about.

But the best reason to renew your appreciation for tea is for the timeless health benefits. Teas like the newly launched LOVA Tea have “big” benefits and it’s not because Carrie Bradshaw’s “Mr. Big” is co-founder of this altruistic tea company. Like many of us, the former Sex and The City star is rediscovering the protective and revitalizing health benefits of black, green, chai, oolong and even rooibos tea. Rooibos tea is completely pure and contains no caffeine, so it’s the perfect choice for people who suffer from disturbed sleep or common headaches because of its soothing effects on the nervous system.

LOVA Tea has 26 signature tea flavors of whole tea leafs combined with real fruit and even chocolate to create the yummy teas, like Peppermint Patty, White Chocolate Mousse, Red Velvet and more. These exotic teas contain powerful polyphenols or natural antioxidants that do all kinds of wonderful things for us, like reduce cell damage, improve our cardiovascular health, and even reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. Who knew an innocent little tea bag could pack such a promising punch! And if it’s caffeine you don’t’ want to sacrifice, don’t worry because most of their teas contains 20-30 mg of caffeine per cup.

If you’re preoccupied about staining your pearly whites from tea, there’s a wonderful new product from Wisdom Wands that eliminates staining. It’s a portable, single serve, glass strainer attached to a durable, hand blown glass straw that brews and filters tea leaves, herbs, and infusions right in your cup. I just got one and I absolutely love it. Now when you get your teeth whitened, you don’t have to worry about ruining your smile. You can actually sip the hot tea or coffee right through the straw. It’s perfect for people with sensitive teeth and can’t drink cold or hold drinks. Plus, there’s a special miniaturized French Press wand one for coffee drinkers too which eliminates the need for coffee makers and filters. Both come in a biodegradable easy carrying case so you can take it to work and travel with it. It’s my best new eco-fab find to kick off 2011.