If is an often asked question; what is the best time to drink tea? And while there is a simple single answer to that, ‘Anytime!’ as many tea lovers would say, this is not a complete answer. Tea has several health giving properties, and for the body to be able to utilize these to the optimum level, one needs to know what the best time to drink tea is.

Morning Time is Great

Many will swear by the fact that the first thing is the morning is the best time to drink a cup of tea. Many people find that drinking tea in the morning gives a boost to the metabolism and is therefore beneficial.

Tea does contain some small amounts of caffeine, so it is advised by many that tea is best not taken later in the evening or at night, since it can interfere with sleep. Some advise taking tea no later than 5 pm in the evening if such interference with night sleep is detected. Tea however does not contain such significant amounts of caffeine as, say, coffee, so many may find that tea causes no such sleep interference.

As an Accompaniment to a Meal

Chinese restaurants, often offer little cups of fragrant jasmine tea along with the regulation chopsticks to accompany a meal. Generally speaking however, the Chinese do not drink tea along with their meals; but rather after their meal. Since tea drinking is so integral to the Chinese way of life and such a daily necessity, it is in fact part of the Chinese dining experience; which however, comes as the end of the meal. The Chinese are known to drink their cup of tea after a meal, (particularly a big one) to ‘wash away the oil’ and also to aid digestion.

Tea is also known to be a palliative when one is feeling a bit sick or uneasy in the stomach. At such times tea can soothe and aid digestion.

Summer Time

Iced tea can, of course, be a marvelous cooling, refreshing drink at any time during the summer months. It can be taken any time during the day and 3 or 4 glasses a day will not have any ill effects either!

So while on a balance you can say that tea is best taken in the morning, any time of the day is good enough, as long as it works well for the drinker.

Tags: caffeine, Chinese, Health, iced tea, meals, morning, tea