It's tea time!

I have never been a coffee drinker, unlike the rest of my family who drink the foul stuff by the gallons. I do, however, enjoy a cup of hot tea. Especially on cold, damp, dreary days like today. Many of you know that Scott and I visited Great Britain the summer of 2007. Even though we visited in August, the temperature rarely got above 60 degrees. It was amazing to come home after a long day of sightseeing to traditional tea, complete with cream, sugar and biscuits.

As I'm typing this, I'm curled up on my couch with a cup of English Breakfast tea watching television with my puppies. Interestingly enough, I was reading a borrowed February 2009 Ladies Home Journal and there's an article about the health benefits of hot tea. It states that scientists are finding that drinking tea may keep your heart healthy, protect you from cancer, boost your body's ability to fight off germs, strengthen your bones, prevent cavities and sharpen your concentration (it also may stave off Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.)

"White, black, oolong and green teas have different aromas and flavors, but they're all healthy, " says Jeffrey Blumbrerg, Ph.D, director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory. Tea's healthy benefits come from antioxidants called flavnoids; these destroy highly toxic free radicals in the body which can trigger disease.

Another tip from the Ladies Home Journal article: Here's how to eliminate most of the caffeine in regular tea: Steep loose tea or a teabag in hot water for 45 seconds, then pour off the water. Add more hot water and brew tea as usual. This won't change the flover or affect the health benefits!

How do I like my tea? I like English Breakfast tea or Earl Grey tea, with a little half and half and sugar in the raw. YUM.

Did I intrigue any of you to give hot tea a try? Hey, I don't call this "Carmen's blog of useless facts..." for nothing. Maybe these won't be just useless facts if someone finds them useful...