We’ve both been sidelined by a nasty cold this week (me the first half, Erik the second).  That means we’ve both been drinking a lot of tea, when we were able to work up the energy.  Tea is good all the time, but especially when you have a cold because the steam can help clear your nose, it can help soothe your throat, and it can help your insides feel nice and warm.  Since I can’t taste any food well enough to write about it this week, I’ve decided to write up a review of some of my favorite teas that I’ve been drinking instead.

Ready for some tea?

A quick word before I start: I’m not a fan of just straight black teas.  I find them too bitter for my personal taste.  That doesn’t mean that there aren’t good black teas out there…there just won’t be any on this list.  Sorry guys.

Chamomile:

This actually isn’t my favorite brand, but it’s what I happen to have on hand right now.

Chamomile with honey is one of my favorites and is generally my go-to tea, if I feel like drinking tea.  Not only is it yummy, but it has some surprising health related benefits as well.  It’s caffeine free, so it can help you relax after a long day.  It can also help soothe an upset stomach.  And super bonus for me this week, it has antibacterial properties and can help you recover from a cold quicker.

Green:

My second go-to tea that I drink a lot is green tea.  Green tea is also good for you because of its high amounts of antioxidants.  Drinking a lot of green tea will help keep all those free radicals running amok in your body in check.  Just regular green tea is good, but this year Erik and I also discovered this green tea that also has added white tea, and it tastes really good.  It’s quickly become tied for favorite tea with chamomile.

And it has a cute elephant on the box.

Rooibos:

While I don’t drink it as often, another tea I enjoy is vanilla rooibos.  Rooibos teas originate from South Africa, and the plant they come from is actually a member of the legume family.  I actually first discovered the tea at Starbucks.  Of course when I went to go buy it myself I discovered that Tazo was discontinuing theirs.  This brand isn’t as sweet, but is still tasty.  Also, it’s just really fun to say “rooibos.”

Strawberry:

Another fun tea is this strawberry tea from Snapple.  It smells really nice, and is sweet and tasty.  While I haven’t actually made it that way, it would probably also be really good iced.

All the teas here are easily found in stores (actually I’m not sure about the Snapple one anymore, but it was).  There are a lot of good, fancy, loose teas out there.  But they’re also stupid expensive (seriously, check out the prices in Teavana some time), so I consider them more special occasion teas.  For just everyday drinking the tea from the store is sufficient.  So whether you have a cold, or just are cold – go get that kettle a boilin’.