Why would you bother adding honey to your tea? I mean, apart from the fact that it tastes great and is a much better option for sweetening your tea than sugar.
So, what’s the benefit of honey in your tea?
Well, we all know that honey is good for us, so it should go without saying that when you add it to something else the benefits get passed along with it but what makes it such a great addition to your mug of tea?
It is an antioxidant
Have you ever heard of free radicals? They are a significant factor in the cause of inflammation in the body. Inflammation can be linked to causing a variety of significant illnesses. So, if you can find something that will reduce the number of free radicals in your body then it can only be a good thing, right?
Well, guess what, honey does exactly that. It is high in antioxidants; this is due to the variety of phenolic compounds within it. These compounds support the neutralisation of the free radicals in your body.
It has antibacterial and antifungal properties
Not all honey is equal, some can be better than others when it comes to the level of impact they can have on your health. The source of the honey and the amount and quality of the flowers that provide the pollen play a huge part in the quality of the honey and in turn the health benefits it can provide.
Some variants of honey have been shown to offer antibacterial and antifungal properties both when ingested and also when applied externally to an area of concern.
It helps with digestion
Honey is filled with prebiotics that when ingested will nourish the good bacteria in the digestive system. A healthy digestive system is key to overall health.
It soothes a sore throat
Honey is great for soothing the throat, this is not new news. It is common knowledge that mixing honey with some lemon helps with the ache and roughness of a sore throat and even helps with a cough.
There is a reason that a lot of cold and flu remedies revolve around a hot drink that contains honey and/or lemon. We know our lemon and ginger tea is great for helping with a cold, especially when you add a big dollop of honey to it
I can hear you all asking, "but does adding it to tea, make it any better?"
Tea is brewed using plant material, regardless of the kind of tea you're drinking. If we take green tea as an example, it is packed full of polyphenols. These polyphenols provide many different benefits such as reduction in inflammation, there is that word again. improving brain function and increasing metabolism.
Sounds familiar right? A lot like the benefits honey can provide.
So, it makes sense, when I say, adding honey, that is proven to support health, to something like green tea, that is also proven to support health, can only result in an increase in the benefits.
In short, yes adding honey to your tea will benefit you when looking at the health benefits linked to both. But does honey even go with tea? We think so!
So, what's the best way to add honey to tea?
A bit of honey in a mug of earl grey tastes great, it's same with lemon and ginger or to sweeten up our red berry if it's a little too tart for you. The best advice we can give, is to start by replacing sugar, if you have it, with honey and see how you find it.
You might find that adding honey to green tea changes the flavour too far away from the grassy earthy notes that you're after when drinking green tea. That's fine, it's not for everyone, but any tea that you have sugar in, is well worth having a go at swapping out the sugar for honey. You never know, it might end up being your new favourite.
Let's not forget, replacing or removing sugar and artificial sweeteners, is, in itself, a great way to make whatever you are consuming better for you.
With all this in mind we, at Berty’s Brews, thought what better way to celebrate the joys of honey in tea, than to give everyone 15% off our lemon and ginger until 06/12/2022. This way you can stock up on the perfect cold and flu, pick me up for the coming winter months.
It might even make someone a great Christmas stocking filler.