Why tea is the easiest way to kickstart your year

It's that time again, and whatever the lofty ambitions for the year ahead might be, we're here to help you balance them with something as simple as flicking on the kettle. Changing up your morning routine can have a hugely positive impact on your mental health and overall wellbeing, and choosing tea as part of that routine is a good idea for a plethora of reasons.  

The health properties of tea have been celebrated for centuries in different societies, but its properties are now being appreciated by a new generation of tea drinkers here in the West. The benefits are now acknowledged for both physical and mental health, with an increasing interest in mindfulness an important backdrop to the physiological benefits of tea.

It's good for your body

Our own messaging at Good & Proper has always been focused more on the simple enjoyment of a good cup of tea - the flavour of the leaves and the drinking experience - than on its appeal as a product doing good to our bodies. Nevertheless you would be hard pushed to find an everyday experience offering more benefits for your health. These range from reducing cholesterol and repairing ageing skin cells to aiding digestion and even fighting disease. In fact only back in September, the National Institute of Health released a report suggesting people who drink at least 2 cups of black tea per day could reduce their risk of dying from disease by up to 13%. 

It's good for your mind

The concept of mindfulness - the practice of tuning into the present moment, of taking a moment to stop and slow down - is also ideally suited to the drinking of tea. Unliked the fast-paced, functional appeal of espresso-based coffee, the ritual of loose leaf tea and the natural time frame it carves out are inherently slow. Both maker and drinker are obliged to take their time, and the experience is correspondingly deeper and more satisfying. Indeed, philosophical thought, accompanied by homage to the art of brewing, lies at the core of tea’s long cultural history in many countries.

It's natural

Finally tea is also, of course, a simple product of nature. While many products desperately struggle for acceptance through ‘clean labels’, the new holy grail for food and drink start ups, tea has nothing to hide. Tea is and always has been completely natural and unadulterated, and this super-clean label makes it the perfect choice for anyone looking to keep things as natural as possible in their diet.

Why not try incorporating making a delicious pot of tea into your daily routine and see how it makes you feel in both mind and body. If nothing else, you'll be rewarded with an invigorating drink, full of flavour - not a bad way to start the day!