January’s Tea Box is all about the detox. We put together this box to help you recover from the holidays and keep you healthy this winter. In this New Year’s Resolution Box, each tea tastes incredibly and comes with its own natural healing properties: weight loss, sharpened thinking skills, antioxidants, immunity-boosting and flu-fighting.
(1) China’s weight loss tea – Numi’s Organic Chocolate Pu-erh Tea.
Numi’s Organic Chocolate Pu-erh combines two well-loved indulgences: tea and chocolate. Using a rich, dark pu-erh tea as the base, Numi blends organic cocoa and real spices for a decadent treat and a healthy way to satisfy your cravings. The velvety infusion is accented by whole vanilla beans, sweet orange peel, and a splash of rooibos. Rounded off with nutmeg and cinnamon, this tea is sure to delight chocolate lovers and tea fans alike.
Known colloquially in China and Taiwan as ‘the skinny girl’s tea,’ pu-erh’s health benefits have been touted for thousands of years and it has been traditionally used to:
- Aid in digestion and stimulate metabolism
- Help with weight management
- Naturally boost energy (without the jitters)
For thousands of years, pu-erh has been used as a powerful digestive aid to cut fat; warm and energize the body; prolong the life of emperors; and end meals with a satisfying treat.
Although lower in caffeine than coffee and even black tea, pu-erh has a sustained, focused energy without the jittery rush and lasts gently through the day; making for the perfect coffee alternative and a restful night’s sleep.
(2) A blend to help sharpen the mind and ignite your metabolism – Samovar’s Organic Pineapple Coconut Oolong
Oolong tea is made from the leaves, buds and stems of the Camellia sinensis plant. This is the same plant that is used to make black tea and green tea; the difference is in the processing. Oolong tea is partially fermented, black tea is fully fermented, and green tea is unfermented. As a partially fermented tea, it is proven to:
- sharpen thinking skills and heighten mental alertness
- improve skin allergies such as eczema
- boost the immune system
- raise one’s metabolism for up to 2 hours
Oolong tea is also used to prevent cancer, tooth decay, osteoporosis, and heart disease. Is also treats obesity, diabetes, ‘hardening of the arteries’ (atherosclerosis) and helps lower cholesterol.
Oolong tea also helps boost your metabolism, helping you burn fat faster. The unique combination of caffeine and catechin (an antioxidant) ignites your body’s fat-burning furnace. As well, oolong tea contains polyphenols that help block fat-building enzymes. Studies have shown that drinking oolong tea has led to sustained weight loss and a smaller waist size. Be careful not to add sugar to your tea; this will negate the benefits.
(3) A blend to strengthen the immune system – Rishi’s Organic Blueberry Rooibos
Antioxidant-rich African rooibos and dried wild blueberries in a perfect balance provide tart, juicy and naturally sweet flavors that taste great hot or iced. Blueberry Rooibos is artfully hand blended in small batches using only 100% naturally caffeine-free botanicals and artisan herbal tea-blending techniques.
This fruity, succulent blend makes a bright crimson infusion highlighting the tart flavor of hibiscus flowers in harmony with the floral aroma and sweet-sour hints of wild schizandra berry.
This tea fights free radicals present in the body and the bloodstream. With the help of strong antioxidants, the human body gets the chance to stay strong and healthy for a long period of time. Rooibos features several minerals and vitamins in its composition such as manganese, copper, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and potassium. Due to the fluoride composition, in combination with manganese and calcium, the plant can help people have stronger teeth. The tea also has polyphenols which are known for their anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-carcinogenic properties.
(4) A blend to fight cold and flu season – Rishi’s Organic Ginger Lime Rooibos
The dry and pleasantly flavored West Indian Lime in this blend gives Organic Ginger Lime Rooibos a unique and zesty citrus flavour, with added notes of ginger and rare spices. This is ultra-refreshing as well as being super healthy.
The combination of ginger, green rooibos and lemongrass kills bacteria that causes flu and colds, while supporting the immune system. This tea is chock-full of vitamin C, making it the ultimate soother to nurse you through a cold quickly. The ginger and lemongrass also combine to make a wonderful numbing effect on your throat to help subdue irritating coughs that often come with colds.
It was so much fun putting this Tea Box together for so many reasons. We wanted to find teas that were exceptionally tasty and nutritious at the same time. This took a great deal of research and talking to the experts, but once we discovered them and brought them to our members to try, it was their thorough feedback that told us which to include. So in the end it was the collaborative efforts of our members, nutritionists and the Tea Sparrow team that made this box possible. And it was the teamwork that made this month so exciting for me.
We hope you enjoy this box with great heath and happiness. May 2014 bring you all the best this world has to offer.
Michael Menashy, Tea Sparrow Family