Why people love loose-leaf teas: Uncovering the reasons
Of course, the tea-drinking process is a personal preference. So, it is totally up to you how you would like to enjoy your tea as long as it provides you with inner satisfaction. When it comes to the form of tea to select from, you have options to go for either tea bag or loose-leaf tea. Though tea bags seem to be convenient in use, loose-leaf tea is on the rise recently winning the hearts of many tea-loving souls with its exceptional health benefits.
So, what are the health benefits of loose-leaf tea that overshadow the easy-to-use teabags? Keep reading and find out. Let's get into it.
What is loose-leaf tea?
Before diving into the benefits of loose-leaf tea, understanding what exactly is loose-leaf tea is important to learn its distinctive characteristics that offer those health perks. So, what is loose-leaf tea? In simple words, loose leaf is the tea available as the whole or broken tea leaves which are not packaged in the teabags. They are made available in tin, glass jars, or tea chest boxes in the tea market.
Unlike tea bags, they are not crushed to dust during the processing, therefore, maintaining the original flavor and aroma for the best value of loose-leaf tea.
Health Benefits of Loose-Leaf Tea
The fact that loose tea leaves are minimally processed than tea bags indicates that they are much more likely to hold onto maximum antioxidants and nutrients. And, when those teas are made available in the market, they are still in their purest form. So, it is not surprising that loose-leaf tea may just offer double the health benefits of tea bags. Check out those impressive benefits of drinking loose-leaf tea on your health here.
May Aid in Weight Loss
Loose tea contains ample flavonoids named catechins that are highly acknowledged for their metabolism-boosting property.
For offering the weight loss perk, the catechins in loose-leaf tea aid in burning extra calories and breaking down excessive fat. Plus, caffeine also contributes by elevating the energy for your body to use.
Therefore, caffeine and catechin form a great team for healthy loose-leaf tea to provide you with a fit body. However, you may want to drink loose-leaf tea without sweeteners if you are especially looking for this particular health perk.
May Boost the Immune System
The polyphenols in loose-leaf tea help you to fight against pathogens to reduce their ability to infect your body, therefore, supporting your immune system. This antiviral and antibacterial property of the tea keeps you far from sickness and illness. This is why people who drink tea regularly are less likely to suffer seasonal colds, flu, or infections. Even if you are unfortunate to get caught by a bacteria or virus, drinking tea regularly helps you to ease the symptoms and aid in fast recovery.
May Protect against the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
Do you know, that cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death globally? So, every step you take in preventing this life-threatening disease is of utmost importance. It turns out, regular tea drinkers have a 20 % lower risk of suffering strokes and heart disease compared with non-habitual tea drinkers. Drinking tea regularly may be one of the simplest ways to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
To protect your heart, healthy loose-leaf tea with its catechins works to reduce LDL (Low-density lipoprotein), the “bad” cholesterol that can cause obstructions in your arteries. Additionally, tea also improves the functioning of the blood vessels while lowering blood pressure, which also benefits your cardiac health.
Improves Digestive Health
Have you ever been in a situation where you had eaten a bit too much and felt uncomfortable with a full stomach? It can be troublesome at times, right? Well, next time you face a similar situation, we encourage you to try a cup of loose-leaf tea, you will certainly feel better. This is because the polyphenols and antioxidants in the tea promote the boost of healthy intestinal microorganisms to aid smooth food digestion.
Just so you are aware, the Chinese medicinal practice has included tea as an important part of the treatments for different digestive issues considering the loose tea health benefits to boost prebiotics for gut health.
Best Loose-Leaf Tea Variety
So, loose-leaf tea in general offers numerous medical perks as mentioned above. However, the effect level does vary from one tea to another as each tea is distinctive with a unique composition.
In the tea market, you will come in contact with numerous varieties of loose-leaf teas and it can be strenuous to select the best value loose-leaf tea for health benefits. To make it easy for you, we have compiled the best loose-leaf tea varieties for you to adapt to your healthy lifestyle.
Green Tea
Green tea is highly praised as a “superfood”, and there is a valid reason too. After all, green tea is the tea with the most antioxidants among the wide tea varieties.
Drinking green tea regularly helps you to reduce the risk for numerous life-threatening diseases including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes.
Black Tea
Unlike green tea, black tea is fully oxidized which reduces the flavonoid content by a bit, but it is still loaded with multiple health-beneficial properties.
The polyphenols in black tea have been studied to be especially effective against smoke-induced apoptosis and, therefore, may help to reduce the impact of cigarette smoking on the lungs.
White Tea
White tea is especially known for its delicate flavor which is the result of the tea being minimally processed. The least processed tea also means it has a hold on the maximum good for health antioxidants. So, tea may help you to fight against different forms of cancer.
Also, white tea offers you abundant tannins, catechins, and fluoride which is good for your oral health as they help you fight plaque and strengthen your teeth.
Oolong Tea
If you are dealing with high blood pressure, then you may want to include oolong loose-leaf tea in your routine. This is because oolong tea is linked to elevating good cholesterol and reducing bad cholesterol levels.
Oolong tea is also highly praised for speeding up metabolism and fat burning. So, it can also be ideal as a weight loss supplement.
Herbal Tea
Also referred to as tisanes, herbal tea is a tempting blend of different fruits, herbs, or other plants without caffeine.
Though the tea is not from the camellia Sinensis as other true teas, it still offers exceptional health benefits for you to cherish. The tea is especially known for its calming effect to relieve you from stress and anxiety, and you can enjoy it at any time of the day even just before bedtime, thanks to its caffeine-free characteristics.
The Loose Leaf Tea Brewing Process
To grasp the most potential health benefits from loose-leaf tea, you must follow the right process to prepare your tea. This is because factors such as steeping time, temperature, tea-to-water ratio, etc. play a big role in the overall quality of your tea including the flavor, and health perks it has to offer. So, how to properly brew loose-leaf tea? Let’s check out.
Step 1: Start by arranging everything you will require to prepare your cup of tea. The utensils to gather are a kettle, mug, pot, cup, and teaspoon. Also, bring the loose-leaf tea of your preference by your side.
Step 2: Fill filtered water in your kettle or pot and heat up. Be mindful, the water temperature has a big influence on the final quality of your tea. So, you must maintain an accurate temperature to ensure that you get the best flavored healthy tea.
Here, we have put together a list of the perfect water temperatures for preparing healthy loose-leaf tea.
Loose Leaf Tea Types |
Temperature to Follow |
Steeping Time to Follow |
Green Tea |
175 degrees |
3 minutes |
Black Tea |
212 degrees |
3 to 5 minutes |
Oolong Tea |
195 degrees |
3 to 5 minutes |
White Tea |
175 degrees |
5 to 6 minutes |
Herbal Tea |
212 Degree |
3 to 4 minutes |
Step 3: Place an infuser in the cup or pot, and then put tea leaves into it. The weighing of tea leaves to be used depends on how strong you would like your tea to be. Typically, 1 teaspoon for 10 ounces of water is considered good to go with.
Step 4: Now, pour hot water into the tea leaves and let them steep. Once again, the perfect steeping time depends on the type of loose-leaf tea you are using.
Step 5: After steeping, remove the tea leaves from your pot or cup and your favorite cuppa is ready. Enjoy each sip for a soothing and refreshing effect on your mind and body.
FAQs
Is Loose Leaf Tea good for you?
Yes, loose-leaf tea is good for you. The fact that loose-leaf tea contains more antioxidants than tea bags makes it a healthier tea option.
Is loose-leaf tea healthier than bags?
Yes, loose-leaf tea is healthier than bags. Unlike tea bags, loose-leaf teas are not crushed to dust during the processing which helps the tea to hold on to maximum antioxidants resulting in a much healthier tea.
How many teaspoons of loose-leaf tea per cup?
The amount of loose-leaf tea per cup depends on the type of tea you are using and your flavor preference. In general, one teaspoon of loose-leaf tea is considered ideal for 10 ounces of water.
How many times can you use loose-leaf tea?
You can use loose-leaf tea at least 2 times. However, the flavor in the latter one may be somewhat lower than the previous one. Also, we encourage only to reuse the true times as herbal tea may not offer pleasant quality upon reuse.
Which loose-leaf tea has the most health benefits?
Green tea has the most health benefits among the tea varieties. The green tea production process does not go through the oxidation process which helps the tea retain most antioxidants and polyphenols.
Buy the Finest Loose-Leaf Teas from the Himalayas
Considering the incredible benefits, it is not surprising that loose-leaf tea is deservingly taking over the tea market.
Moreover, loose-leaf teas are available in different varieties, each with a unique flavor. So, there is always the best loose-leaf tea to choose no matter your taste preference or health needs.
If you are looking to explore the varieties of healthy organic loose-leaf tea in the USA, you will find them in the Danfe Tea inventory. Our loose-leaf teas are not only loaded with healthful nutrients and antioxidants but are also presented with a distinctive aromatic Himalayan flavor that you do not get to experience most often with other ordinary tea products.
Danfe Tea brings you the finest loose leaf tea from the Himalayas. With over 30 natural loose-leaf tea variants, we offer 1 lb variants and also offer monthly tea subscription.