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Health Benefits of Black Tea

More and more health conscious people are changing their diet to gain better health and wellness. One such change is going from coffee to tea. And black tea drinkers are now opting to add a little honey, stevia or agave nectar to sweeten it instead of sugar, which makes it healthier. Due to its robust flavor black tea is becoming more popular as a morning wake up drink.

Black tea is not actually a drink that is black in color. It is termed "black tea" because of the preparation process. Black tea is simply tea that has been fully oxidized, a process that causes the leaves to develop a dark appearance. The actual brew is light, like amber or golden, depending on the tea variety and the strength or steeping time of the tea.

Quite a number of studies have been made in recent years to ascertain the health benefits of tea. Black tea also has its own benefits when compared to white tea or green tea.

Black tea has a higher level of caffeine, more caffeine than in all the other varieties of tea but half the amount as is in coffee. So if you are tea drinker, drinking black tea is a better choice. Green tea has a greater level of those much touted antioxidants.

Black tea is also known for medicinal properties. Studies have shown that black tea has more theaflavins and thearubigins. Both of these are believed to have anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy properties. This is useful for someone with chronic arthritis or with a high level of environmental allergies.

There are also studies that indicate the usefulness of black tea in slowing down certain cardiac conditions. Some researchers believe that the catechins found in black tea are the reason for the cardiac health assistance. Catechins is also the substance that makes dark chocolate healthy.

For someone wishing to enjoy the health benefits of black tea but without the caffeine, there are decaffeinated options on the market. Tea is also relatively easy to decaffeinate at home, when loose tea is used as opposed to tea bags.

To strip most, but not all, of the caffeine out of tea, simply soak the tea for about 30 seconds in hot water. Then strain the leaves out and re-soak as you usually would in a second cup of hot water. The first steeping will remove the caffeine, and the second is what you drink. This home process won't remove all the caffeine but enough is removed to ensure a good night's sleep. Decaffeinating does not alter the health properties of the tea.