I was flipping through my “Tea Sommelier” book by Francois-Xavier Delmas and Mathias Minet for some fresh new ideas to chat about on this blog. I came across a page detailing all the advantages of tea over alcohol and also a page discussing how to enjoy a meal with both tea and wine. It’s true that wine can be healthy too, but tea has the obvious advantage of not making you tipsy (there is a phenomenon known as being “tea-drunk”, but this is different than the effects of alcohol). Tea definitely wins in the calories department unless you add sugar or milk, and it’s just as fun and delicious to pair it with certain foods as a wine can be.
A great example of tea being substituted for your typical alcoholic drinks is the recent trend of mocktail bars. Many of them have popped up around the states in the past few years or so, and even some regular bars are serving up mocktails. Many of them include the use of tea. The great advantage of this of course is not feeling left out if you can’t or don’t like to drink. You still get a nice-looking drink and can blend right in. You can also drink a mocktail at any time or day of the week with no one giving you the side-eye.
As another bonus, tea can aid in digestion and hydrate you. Tea is after all mostly water and alcohol is a well-known dehydrator. There are of course some teas that can be high in tannins just as some red wines are. They may dry the mouth slightly, but overall you will feel more hydrated and energized.
I may not be saying anything revolutionary or something you didn’t already know, but there are some interesting factors that you may not have considered yet.
This was a little different from my usual post, but I hope it gets you thinking about tea as more diverse and versatile. I may do a post soon about tea and food pairings. Let me know if that’s something you’re interested in!
Dina's Tea Notes 