Many people are used to adding various spices when cooking dishes. But few people know that with spices you can prepare a very tasty and healthy drink that will warm and invigorate on a cold winter evening. By adding this or that spice to tea you can get an amazing aroma and unique subtle taste. Tea with spices strengthens immunity, accelerates metabolic processes in the body.

Anise
Anise has a bright and sweet flavor. Anise tea helps with dizziness and nausea, is used as an antitussive, antipyretic and cold remedy. If you drink such a drink before bedtime, it will help you fall asleep faster. It is not recommended for high blood clotting, pregnancy and allergic reactions.

Cinnamon
Cinnamon has antimicrobial and antiseptic properties, contains vitamins E, B, C, A and vitamin K, tannins, folic acid.Also cinnamon prevents the formation of blood clots, reduces blood sugar. If you have a high temperature, during colds, it is better not to use cinnamon, as it can cause a severe headache.

Ginger
Ginger is the most popular spice to add to tea. It has a pronounced anti-cold effect. Tea with ginger "warms" the blood, thereby accelerating metabolic processes in the body. This helps in weight loss.The use of ginger is contraindicated for people with peptic ulcer disease.

Cardamom
Cardamom gives the drink pleasant citrus notes, which are replaced by shades of eucalyptus and camphor. Cardamom relieves fatigue, improves digestion, and enhances potency. The seeds are used to add to tea.

Nutmeg
Nutmeg is considered a natural antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent, but when used in large quantities can cause poisoning and adversely affect the work of internal organs. It has a slightly spicy flavor with a sweet tartness.

Conclusion
A wide variety of spices are suitable for tea, which opens a large scope for imagination and experimentation.

Spices give the finished dish a certain depth of color, expand its flavor profile, improve digestion and assimilation of food, and extend its shelf life. In the past, they were used to mask the odor of rotten foods. Many spices have antimicrobial properties, which is why they are still added to dishes to keep them from spoiling. Today, with the current level of technological equipment of farms and kitchens, of course, no one puts black pepper in goulash to hide from the baron that it is "with a whiff". Therefore, the main role of spices in the modern world is to emphasize the merits of the product, to reveal its facets.

Spices contain essential oils, as well as more complex oil molasses, which work together to impart new flavors to the finished dish. They are categorized into functional groups: alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, esters, terpenes, thiols, phenols, etc. We will consider only the most important chemical components that play first fiddle in our favorite spices.

Let's start, of course, with black pepper. It bears the beautiful Latin name Piper nigrum and is cultivated for its fruit - a small fruit from which white, green, red and, actually, black pepper are obtained.

Dried or ground, this spice is considered the most popular in European cuisine due to its aromatic, medicinal and organoleptic qualities. Like almost everything in our world, pepper was once called "black gold" and "the king of spices": it cost as much as a cast-iron bridge, and the rich who possessed it could be called "bags of pepper".

Pepper was used to pay taxes and bribes, and was offered as a dowry or ransom to the Visigoths besieging Rome. At one time, the Guild of Pepper Merchants was established in London to ensure that no one tampered with the spice.
The punishment for such a transgression could be severe, up to and including being buried alive.

Today, of course, no one will take pepper to pay taxes (hmm... has anyone tried it?), because it has long become a mass product and uninteresting for the average consumer. But we still appreciate it for piperine - an alkaloid responsible for the burning in Piper nigrum, thanks to which you can "revitalize" any dish. It is believed that this is the secret of steak au poivre - steak with pepper: its recipe was created to resurrect tasteless frozen beef delivered to French chefs from America.

Supposedly, piperine has beneficial effects on the human body because it can inhibit the growth of cancer cells, although scientists don't understand how this works. And researchers also believe that piperine interferes with the activity of genes that control the formation of new fatty tissues - in other words, pepper helps to lose weight. But that's not accurate.

In fact, not much has changed in a couple thousand years. The ancient Greek physician Dioscorides probably didn't understand how Piper nigrum worked either, but he still recommended it as a warming and digestive and urinary aid. But my favorite recipe is an Ayurvedic paste of ground white pepper and butter to be licked occasionally to cure the throat.

If black pepper is king, cardamom is considered the queen - the most expensive spice in the world after saffron and vanilla.
It grows in South India and Sri Lanka, Guatemala and Tanzania. Cardamom has such an ancient history that it is mentioned in Vedic texts and by the ancient Greeks. It is believed to have been cultivated in Babylonian gardens and in Scandinavia.

Cardamom seeds are used as a spice, preservative and stimulant. Its main chemical component is cineole, which is actively used as a sedative, antiseptic, expectorant and laxative. Cardamom seeds are often chewed for fresh breath and to detoxify the body after excessive coffee consumption. In India, they are still used to relieve asthma and flatulence attacks? to treat anorexia and debility, and to brew delicious masala tea!

1. Tea is the second most popular drink in the world after water. People drink tea all over the world, and in some cultures it plays an important role in rituals and traditions.

2. All major types of tea (green, black, white, oolong, and pu'erh) come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. Differences in taste, color and aroma are due to differences in processing and fermentation of the leaves.

3- One of the most amazing properties of tea is its antioxidant activity. Tea contains high amounts of polyphenols, which help fight oxidative stress and harmful free radicals in the body.

4. Green tea is one of the healthiest beverages on the planet. It contains high amounts of catechins, which are antioxidants that can help fight a variety of diseases, including cancer.

5. Black tea typically contains more caffeine than other types of tea, but still less than coffee. It is also rich in theaflavins and thearubigins, which can improve heart health.

6. White tea is the least processed of all tea types. It retains maximum nutrients and antioxidants and has a delicate, subtle flavor.

7. Oolong is a type of tea that is halfway between green and black tea in terms of fermentation. Its flavor can be very varied depending on the processing method.

8. Pu'er is a unique fermented tea from Yunnan Province in China. Its long maturation gives it a deep and complex flavor as well as a range of health benefits.

9. Herb and fruit tea is not "tea" in the strict sense of the word, as it is not made from the leaves of the tea bush. However, it is also popular for its flavors and aromas.

10. Tea was originally used in China as a medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine uses different types of tea to treat different conditions and improve health.

11. In the UK, tea is a national symbol and an integral part of the culture. Britons consume an average of 3 cups of tea a day.

12.Tea ceremonial, or Chado, is an important part of Japanese culture. It is more than just drinking tea, it is an art that requires years of study and a meditative approach.

13. Tea can help improve mood and reduce stress levels. Theanine, an amino acid found in tea, promotes relaxation and reduces anxiousness.

14. Matcha is a powder made from ground green tea leaves that is used in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. It contains all the beneficial substances from the tea leaves as you drink them whole.

15. Tea is not only used in cooking but also in cosmetology. Due to its antioxidant properties, it can be used to improve skin and hair.

16. Milk tea, known as masala tea or chai, is popular in India. It is a sweet and spicy drink that is usually made with spices such as cardamom, ginger and cinnamon.

17. In Turkey, tea, or "chai", is usually served in glass tumblers and is an important part of hospitality. Turkish black tea, is usually served with glasses and is very strongly brewed.

18. Mate tea, popular in South America, especially in Argentina and Uruguay, is not really tea in the strict sense of the word, as it is made from the leaves and branches of the yerba mate plant. Mate is usually drunk from a traditional calabash using a metal tube called a bombilla.

19. Tea can help improve memory and concentration. Due to its caffeine and L-theanine content, it can stimulate brain activity and improve cognitive function.

20. Tea tree, not related to the plant from which tea is made, is used to produce an essential oil that has strong antiseptic and antimicrobial properties and is used in medicine and cosmetology.

21. Tea Ledum, or Sencha tea, is the most popular type of green tea in Japan. It has a refreshing flavor and is high in antioxidants.

22. Gunpowder tea, also known as "explosive" or "screw" tea, gets its name because its leaves are twisted into small balls similar to ancient gunpowder. It is usually a green tea that has a bright, slightly tart flavor.

23. Darjeeling tea, known as "the champagne among teas," is produced in the area of the same name in India and has a unique musical and fruity flavor.

24. Earl Grey tea is a black tea flavored with bergamot oil. It was named after the 19th century British prime minister, Earl Grey.

25. China has a special kind of tea called pearl tea. These are young tea leaves rolled into small balls that unfold in water, creating a spectacular effect.

26. Lapsang Souchong Tea Lapsang Souchong tea is known for its strong smoked flavor, which comes from drying the leaves over an open fire.

27. Flower tea, or flower tea, is an unusual type of tea made from dried flowers such as chrysanthemum, jasmine and rose. It is not only delicious but also very beautiful.

28. The tea tree can reach up to 9 meters in height, but is usually pruned to a height of about 1.2 meters for easy leaf collection.

29. The most expensive teas in the world can cost hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars per kilogram. They are usually produced in very small quantities and by hand.

30. In some regions of China, trained monkeys are used to pick tea. This is a tradition that comes from ancient times when monkeys were trained to pick leaves from tall trees.

31. In traditional Chinese medicine, tea is used to reduce inflammation, improve digestion, and even strengthen the immune system.

32. Tea is often associated with improved heart health due to its antioxidant properties, which can help lower "bad" cholesterol.

33. Although tea contains caffeine, its effects are different from the caffeine in coffee. Thanks to L-theanine, tea provides a smoother and longer-lasting energy boost without feeling anxious or irritable.

34. Tea ceremony in China, or Gong Fu Cha, is the art of preparing and drinking tea that emphasizes meditation and respect for nature.

35. Tea velvet is a unique phenomenon that can be observed when brewing tea. It is a cloud of microbubbles that form on the surface of the tea when it is brewed.

36. During the Victorian era in England, "afternoon tea" or "high tea" was popular when tea was served along with sandwiches and sweet dishes.

37. Moringa tea, made from the leaves of the Moringa tree, is becoming increasingly popular due to its high vitamin and mineral content.

38. Rooibos tea, or "red tea," is made from a South African shrub. It is caffeine-free and has a sweet, slightly nutty flavor.

39. The oldest tea in the world was found in the tomb of a Chinese emperor from the Han Dynasty. It is over 2,100 years old!

40. Recent studies have shown that regular consumption of tea may help reduce the risk of developing some cancers, Alzheimer's disease and even depression.