Tea trends have really changed, from Boba Tea and Kombucha to Thai Iced tea and Chai. If you're a tea lover, and especially a cold-tea lover, this is a great post for you to get caught up and find the ones that are not only beneficial to your health but the ones that just taste damn good!
BOBA TEA/BUBBLE TEA
This Taiwan invention has taken over. Tea mixed with milk and sugar and then some tapioca pearls of flavor added. They burst on your tongue and it is an experience unlike any other. You can find these in malls and also Boba Tea Houses. This new rage is catching on for a reason. It's really amazing. These balls (above) were watermelon flavored. Sharon had them in a Boba tea that was cherry flavored, sweetened and creamed. They served it with a fat straw the bubbles float up in and you can drink the drink, press your tongue to the roof of your mouth and get a new level of flavor. It might be a fad, but one worth trying.
THAI ICED TEA
For those who enjoy Thai food, you might have had this unusual and addictive tea in a restaurant. It is a very strong green tea with red coloring in it. The taste is very botanical and powerful. Sweetened condensed milk or half and half and sugar are added to make the most intense drinking experience. You can buy restaurant-grade thai iced tea leaves online and make per directions (like 4 T per 1 c of water!) Strain. Serve with sugar and cream.
KOMBUCHA
With the "yuppie" generation concerned about their gut flora, fermented drinks are the new kick. Kombucha is a good one to add to the diet. This fermented green tea has an effervescence and a slight mellow almost alcoholic relaxing feel to it. Don't worry, less than 1/2% alcohol so listed as non-alcoholic. Although you can make this yourself, lots can go wrong with it. I'd suggest you buy a manufactured one in the health aisle.
CHAI TEA
You can't get better than mixing black tea with a lot of delicious rich spices. Chai is often served with sugar and cream and it contains things like white peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, cloves and allspice.
Tea has been a healing and nurturing ritual throughout time. Whether you go to a tea house and have a "high tea" as the Brits do or you go to a Taiwanese restaurant and enjoy bubble tea or a Thai restaurant for Thai Iced Tea or Indian restaurant for Chai or you decide to make it at home - tea is making a comeback in the biggest way!
There are also a lot of "healing" teas made of special herbs that can do wonders. If you grow goji berries, they make a wonderful healing tea, as does ginger and turmeric. Chamomile is fantastic for sleep and mint tea for the belly.
And southerners, don't be afraid to sex up the sweet tea with some ginger root or lemongrass.
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