It’s three o’clock in the afternoon and you’re starting to drag. You need your daily Diet Coke to revive you. Full of artificial sweeteners, caffeine and chemicals, it gives you that energy boost you need to finish the rest of the day. It is a mid-afternoon necessity that you have come to rely on.
Maybe you drink soda to curb your hunger or sugar cravings, or because of the caffeine jolt it brings. Whatever the reason, a soda addiction can be a hard one to kick. The good news is you can get all the perks of pop (and more) by switching to tea. Tea is a healthy alternative to soda that packs a punch of caffeine and a variety of other health benefits.
You may be thinking, “Well that sounds great, but tea isn’t nearly as sweet or refreshing as a Diet Coke.” Think again. Check out these six ways to make your tea taste even better.
1. Think outside the leaf.寻找茶，包括倾向于天然甜的成分，例如干苹果，椰子，菠萝和可可或可可或富含抗氧化剂的可可鼻，以帮助抑制糖的渴望。
2. Create a tea mocktail.Tea can be added to a variety of mocktail recipes that are full of other fun, fresh ingredients. During the summer, you can make a ginger peach tea punch with chilled chai black tea, fresh ginger and ginger syrup, and fresh peaches. Pour it over ice and you have an instantly refreshing, hydrating seasonal sipper. Also consider adding sparking water to your tea mocktails to curb that hankering for carbonation.
3. Drink whole leaf tea vs. broken leaf tea.Tea made from whole leaves contains more amino acids, and also offers a sweeter, fuller-bodied flavor for a more satisfying experience.
4. Do some research on your tea + how to steep it correctly.Know your supplier and where the tea comes from. Use purified or filtered water, mind the recommended steep time and temperature. All of these factors play a role in brewing the perfect cup of tea. Some teas may require a longer steep time to pull the maximum sweetness from the leaves, while other teas may require only 60 seconds.
5. If you need to add a sweetener, find one that is minimally processed.If drinking tea on its own still does not curb your sweet tooth, we recommend trying a natural sweetening source, such as coconut sugar, date sugar, whole stevia leaves or local raw honey found at your farmer’s market.
6. Try it cold brewed (or as an iced tea).茶可以像热一样美味。要冷煮所选的茶，请将茶叶放在带有过滤水的密封容器中。放入冰箱，静置8-12个小时。从水中取出叶子。您剩下的是一杯完整的圆形冷酿茶，没有多余的单宁，当您浸泡茶热时可以找到。（单宁是可以在口腔中产生这种涩味和干燥效果的原因，通常是在大酒，咖啡，巧克力以及当然还有茶中发现的。）
Steve’s favorite tea: “My favorite tea of the moment isFukamushi, a high-quality sencha I discovered on a recent sourcing trip in Japan. I like it cold brewed for 30 minutes after a long workout.”
你最喜欢的茶是什么？分享以下评论！
