We’ve all had (or at least heard of) a nice iced tea, green tea, English breakfast, and spicy chai. But these are some of the more popular types of tea out there.
Did you know that there are hundreds of different types of tea? You’re not limited to the chamomile you buy at the store — tea can be made of almost anything and provide a myriad of health benefits to those who drink it!
In this post, we’re going to be looking at 4 different types of tea that you probably didn’t know about. Who knows — maybe you’ll discover your new favorite drink! Maybe because of the taste, maybe because of the ways they will help your body, mind and overall wellness! Let’s dive in.
Mushroom Tea
Did you know that mushroom tea has been around for thousands of years? It was often used by monks in order to calm the mind, focus, and stay grounded to the Earth.
Many cultures around the world depend on mushrooms for health and medicinal treatment methods. However, mushroom tea is now also becoming more mainstream with people all over the world finding the many benefits of these teas, including:
Anxiety reduction
Improved focus
Natural energy (without the crash caffeine brings!)
Relaxation and serenity
Balance
Connection with the Earth
Some studies have even linked the adaptogens in mushrooms to helping patients during cancer treatments and improving the immune system.
If the taste of mushrooms doesn’t excite you, no worries. Mushroom tea can be delicious and paired with a variety of familiar flavors and spices like chai, cinnamon, turmeric, and more.
Yerba Mate
You might’ve seen “yerba mate” making the rounds on some energy drinks, and that’s because it’s packed full of energy in the form of caffeine. The caffeine in yerba mate is completely natural, making it one of the few plants to naturally produce the energy-boosting chemical.
Yerba mate is a tea made from an herb native to South America. Traditionally, it was used to help increase the stamina of the local people while they worked. It was relied upon so heavily that it was dubbed “an herb of the gods.”
With a slightly bitter taste, this interesting type of tea can keep you going all day long.
Maple Tea
Not much to explain with this one. Maple tea originated from, you guessed it, Canada!
Using twigs, leaves, and other parts of the maple tree can provide you with a sweet and earthy tea that tastes like a dessert! Be warned though: it has a very strong maple taste. So if you don’t have a sweet tooth or maple isn’t your favorite, this won’t be the type of tea for you.
Panda Dung Tea
Let’s keep things interesting, shall we? We’re going from the delicious and sweet maple tea to something with “dung” in the title.
Panda dung tea is considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, and it’s one of the most expensive teas you can buy. 50 grams of this stuff will cost you a whopping $3,500… and that only makes about 16 cups of tea! That’s over 200 dollars per cup!
Why are people drinking panda dung tea? Well, the panda’s digestive system is pretty poor — they only digest about 30 percent of what they eat.
That means that their dung is loaded with vitamins and nutrients that can provide a ton of health benefits… if you want to drink their dung, that is.
The teas don’t stop here. We encourage you to explore what flavors you like and try something new or out of the box!