Rediscovering Green Tea.

The colour of tea.

It was roughly twenty years ago when I first discovered green tea as a healthy beverage but then got distracted and lost interest in the green variety. Black tea with milk (and the occasional spoons of sugar for overcoming emotional events ) was of course the go to of anyone even remotely connected to the British Empire and South Africa might have severed political ties but never the cultural ones. Drinking tea is an art form, a form of comfort and a nice way to while the day away and a lasting connection to the English way of life.

Back then drinking green tea meant making it from loose tea leaves-also an art form many of us have forgotten due to the ease of dunking a tea bag in a cup of hot water. Loose tea leaves do make washing up a bit of a bother but having rediscovered it now, actually not that much of a bother.

Green tea has so many health benefits that one can taste them... the tea is an acquired taste. We bought a portion of loose green tea at the weekend and when I brewed my first cup, I must have oohed and aahed with enthusiasm because Bob suddenly wanted a cup as well. When I brewed a cup for him I was sure he'd pull a face and not partake in more than a sip, but strangely enough, he enjoyed it. So much so that now he has a cup a day. Brilliant, although it is only Tuesday after all.

Apart from it being healthy, it is a fantastic way to cut a swathe through the daily challenge of drinking 8 cups of water. At the moment it is especially vital due to indoor heating as one soon finds out if not enough water was had - speaking in tongues takes on a whole new meaning when one's tongue is stuck to the roof of one's mouth.

Why do I bother to live healthily? Well, food is more than fuel, food is medicine and I would rather take this sort of medicine now than the pill variety later on in life.

Biggi