I’m trying to choose the perfect Christmas breakfast tea. My family celebrated early this year so I’m planning a relaxing morning for the 25th. Hot tea sounds warm and friendly. So does a fire, but I don’t have a functional fireplace.
Orange and Spice, Peppermint, and Chai all sound festive. But Earl Gray and English Breakfast tea are delicious with a scone or biscuit. The many varieties add to the appeal of tea. I can choose whatever matches my food or my mood. The question is what to have on hand.
Another question is whether I should choose based on health benefits? For a holiday, I lean toward choosing based on taste, but my health may end up benefitting anyway. Obviously, a wide variety of teas will have a wide variety of possibilities for both taste and health benefit.
Peppermint is a favorite Christmas flavor appearing in candy canes, ice cream, and mocha. I often drink peppermint tea. It contains no caffeine and calms my digestive system. I don’t know of any studies showing peppermint tea has this effect, but there are both animal and human studies showing peppermint oil can have an analgesic effect on the GI tract.
Orange and Spice reminds me of the cinnamon sticks and orange peel I used to throw in boiling water while we decorated the Christmas tree. A blend I like has black tea in addition to orange zest, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and allspice. The caffeine is welcome as a morning drink and black tea offers some documented health benefits.
I also drink an herbal blend without black tea. That eliminates the caffeine and helps me limit the amount of black tea I consume. While it has proven less problematic for me than green tea, black tea is considered higher histamine.
Chai tea also contains black tea and some of the same spices found in orange and spice. While the caffeine content may be a concern for some, the amount is less than that found in coffee. I’ve had delicious chai tea milkshakes and I’m eager to try a chai latte martini. Perhaps I’ll save the chai tea for Christmas evening.
Earl Gray is a blend of bergamot and black tea. Its distinctive taste makes it a staple in my pantry. The bergamot changes the flavor profile just enough for it to feel special enough for Christmas breakfast.
English Breakfast Tea has breakfast right there in the name. It’s typically a robust blend of black teas that will pair well with milk and sugar. My big question is whether a cup of tea can actually calm any situation like it seems to in British and Australian TV shows. If so, maybe it’s best saved for a holiday when the family will be around.
The bottom line is that most teas contain beneficial herbs and teas that are high in polyphenols with antioxidant properties. Drinking a single cup of peppermint tea may calm my tummy, but it would take regular consumption of these drinks to have a significant overall health effect.
That leaves me free to choose the flavor that will bring me the most enjoyment for Christmas breakfast tea.