Yep, we’re tea drinkers. Green tea is Lyssie’s thing. Tammy like anything berry related. When the weather outside chills you to the bone, there’s nothing like a nice hot cup of tea to thaw you from the inside out.

Tea has a lot of helfpul properties that will not only make you feel better, but will help stimulate your brain for mental clarity and give you longer focus. This is unlike other caffeinated drinks that just spike your brain function, making it hard to focus on just one task, as well as spikes your heart rate. Although some teas also contain caffeine, they also have an amino acid called L-theanine which helps relax and mellow out the effects of caffeine. One of our interns, Veronica Sommer loves to drink tea too and has some fabulous recommendations—(some of her favorites!) to keep your mood up throughout the winter months. You gotta try these!

• Matcha Green Tea – This tea is a highly concentrated green tea which really packs a punch with health benefits. It contains the well known catechin EGCG, which is an antioxidant that has cancer fighting abilities. Plus, it helps to boost metabolism! When using matcha powder you get the whole tea leaf finely ground, which equates to drinking about 10 cups of regular green tea in one cup!
• Citrus Tea Blends – Adding citrus peels or citrus oil helps promote warmth as well as nutritional value to your tea. Some great combinations are Orange-spiced Black Tea and Earl Gray which is scented with bergamot citrus fruits. These teas are strong caffeine-wise and can really help get your day started if you need that extra boost!
• Masala Chai Tea – This tea from India is very nice during the winter season since it is spiced with cardamon, ginger, cinnamon, and peppercorn. It goes great with or without milk. It can also be found with or without caffeine depending on the base tea being black or rooibos tea.

What is your favorite drink to keep you warm during the cold months of winter?