When it comes to tea, you can spend as much or as little as you’d like from loose-leaf tea to simply growing a mint plant in a pot and using the leaves, creating an individual tea ritual. As each tea has different benefits, it can be hard to know where to start because there are so many on the market with fancy packaging and appealing names such as ‘glow’ or ‘detox’. As an avid tea drinker, I’m going to give you the rundown on all the teas you need to know and where to go for the best tea in the city.
Boost your immune system: green tea, ginger, turmeric, peppermint and chamomile, echinacea, and dandelion tea (drink these when freshers flu hits you hard, as well as the correct medicines)
To de-stress and help sleep: Chamomile, peppermint, lavender, and passionflower (bulk buy in time for exam season! Or just when life feels a bit much)
Aids digestion: peppermint, ginger, fennel (great for when you’ve just eaten your whole week's meal prep because it just looked so good)
Reduce blood pressure and cholesterol: hibiscus, green tea, rooibos (a mini detox for the morning after those cheesy chips from Munchies)
Most supermarkets have a wide selection of herbal teas to choose from but for the more niche teas like elderberry (lowers blood pressure) or rose hip (great for period pains), Holland and Barrat, Grapetree or Whittards have a fantastic selection. Alternatively, if you want to treat yourself out and about, Claremont Teahouse right by campus is a great place to start. LemonGrass in West Jesmond has an incredible selection of loose-leaf teas (and the best cake) as well as the Estate Tea Co. in Heaton.
