“We used to solve our problems over Coffee and Cigarettes… now, they are our problems” - Anonymous.
There was a time when I used to drink almost 10 cups of tea a day… I’ve changed… now; I drink 12 cups a day. I believe in having my bed tea… not early in the morning as I rise and shine, but late in the night when I have hit the bed like a sack of ‘rotten’ potatoes.
How I became a ‘Tea’totaler:
You must wonder, if you are a normal human being, how I could drink a cup of black tea and nonchalantly go to sleep. But then, who said I was a normal human being? I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs, I don’t gamble, I don’t get into a brawl(with anyone twice my size), I don’t… leave it, it’s getting too personal. The point is, how can anyone say I am normal when I lack all the estimable qualities required in today’s fast paced, “go and get it” world?
My family always patronized tea, and when I was just a few months old my maternal(does it really matter who?) Grand aunt poured a spoonful of tea into my ‘trap’ and I lovingly gulped it down as if it was Manna from Heaven… at least, that was what I was told and that’s how I got hooked to ‘Tea.’
Why I like Society Tea:
Over the years, many brands changed hands in our family. If we liked a particular brand for flavour, other brands appealed to us for various other reasons like colour, fragrance, texture of leaves, or consistency. Each brand was, unique in its own way. Since the last couple of years, we’ve been using Society Tea and I find it to be much better than some of the reputed brands in the market. Of course, it all depends upon the way one prepares tea. A good quality tea if not prepared in the right way can taste like ‘soap nut soup, ’ on the other hand an average quality tea if prepared in the right way, lovingly and caringly, can taste like ambrosia.
Hasmukhrai and Co., the owners of this brand use the Assam crop of CTC leaves for its highly popular product. Society Tea comes in both ‘leaves’ as well as ‘dust’ form. Though dust is more economical and hence used in commercial establishments, leaves are a better bargain for home consumption. Society Tea has a distinct aroma and with a rich honey colour. It also tastes much better than most tea brands available in the market. It is, also, heavy on quality and light on your purse strings.
The tea is packed in convenient tamper and pilfers proof triple-laminated polyester foil packs of various capacities. It is, also, available in attractive PET jars. Both seal effectively the rich aroma and freshness of the tea as well as increasing the shelf life.
“In a world full of labels, one name that’s a brand apart.” I quite agree to what they proclaim.
How to get best results:
Use one tea spoonful(topped off) for one average size cup. Allow the water to reach close to boiling stage. Before the water starts boiling turn the knob on your stove to ‘Simmer.’ Place the tea leaves in a strainer or a clean cloth with the ends neatly tied so as to form a sac, in a ‘china’ tea pot. Pour the near boiling water over it and place the lid on the tea pot. Keep the strainer, or the cloth sac for about 3 to 5 minutes depending upon whether you like light flavoured or strong flavoured brew.
Never leave the strainer or the cloth sac with tea leaves in the container or pot or whatever vessel you are using to brew the tea as this would leave a bitter after taste in your mouth. Always use ceramic containers to store your tea. Avoid metal containers(steel, copper, brass, or aluminum) as the brew tends to react with metals and results in oxidation. It would also spoil the taste of your tea.
Always serve your tea in chinaware. Most South Indians prefer to use metal ware to serve tea. It is preferable to avoid this practice.
Why Tea must be sipped black:
Most Indians prefer to drink tea with milk added to it. There is nothing wrong with that, but there is nothing beneficial one can derive from adding milk. Where Coffee has none, Tea has many benefits to offer. Coffee has close to 190mg of caffeine whereas Tea has only 40-50 mg of Caffeine. Green Tea contains even less amounts of Caffeine. So, you start off with an inherent advantage.
Tea is rich in antioxidants which protect you from many diseases. “Antioxidants may help protect our body from free radical damage. Indeed, tea ranks as high as or higher than many fruits and vegetables in the ORAC score, a score which measures antioxidant potential of plant-based foods.” - Gloria Tsang R.D.
“After water, tea is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world. This is good news, because tea offers important health benefits.” - Pat Kendall, Ph.D., R.D. Food Science and Human Nutrition Specialist Colorado State University.
Many Medical Journals that feature health articles stress the importance of Tea as an effective Cancer prevention remedy. And to those who already are suffering from it, Tea acts as a ‘retard’.
Regular drinkers of Tea have 30 percent less chance of getting heart attacks than non tea drinkers.
Tea has anti creasing and anti aging healing properties which help you in retaining your youthful freshness, skin radiance, and sparkle.
Tea helps you develop resistance to common colds, change of season sickness, sinusitis. One can add many spices and roots to cure many ailments such as tummy aches, cramps, gas, and heartburn.
Coffee, because of its high Caffeine content, may lift your spirits, but you tend to get addicted to it. The downside is that once you’ve missed your coffee you tend to get jittery and out of sorts. Tea, on the other hand, soothes you without making you addicted to it. There is no downside to it if you take it in acceptable quantities. Of course, there are benefits galore.
If one has an illness or disease, Coffee can aggravate it or prevent it from healing. Tea can provide the calming soothe ness without aggravating any illness or disease. It can actually heal most illnesses.
Add milk and you lose out on all the above benefits of the wonder leaves. When taken with milk, Tea loses its efficacy as a ‘healer’ and joins the rank of ‘fun’ drinks which offer nothing beneficial, except pandering to your tastes.
Never drink Tea either too hot or too cold. Contrary to common belief, you get the best taste when it’s lukewarm, and it’s best for your health too.
I make it a point to sip only black tea devoid of any milk, or sugar, or additives while at home. However, when I am out and cannot get black tea, I go for the normal tea.
This review is not meant to hurt the sentiments of Coffee enthusiasts, but only to drive home the ‘healing’ properties of Tea.
If you really want to ‘drink,’ then drink Tea by all means… Cheers!
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