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In case you haven’t heard, we’re big fans of drinking tea around here. After all, it’s among the most delicious of beverages and also happens to be filled with health benefits linked to boosting your mood, gut health, cognitive functioning, and maintaining bone health as we age. Honestly, the list goes on and on, and research continues to show that tea is a real-deal overachiever in the health department.
Case in point: In one recent study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that drinking two or more cups of black tea a day was associated with longevity-boosting benefits. The study examined nearly 500,000 individuals aged 40 to 69 years in The UK Biobank—a large-scale biomedical database and research resource containing in-depth genetic and health information from half a million UK participants. These individuals completed a baseline touchscreen questionnaire from 2006 to 2010.
In the study, participants self-reported tea intake and mortality from all causes and leading causes of death, including cancer, all cardiovascular disease (CVD), ischemic heart disease, stroke, and respiratory disease. The conclusion? Higher tea intake was modestly associated with lower all-cause mortality risk among those who drank two or more cups per day. And coffee drinkers, findings were similar regardless of whether participants also had a cup of joe or not.
So, if you’re not totally keen on the idea of drinking black tea, well, black—and you still want to reap its bounty of longevity-boosting benefits—we have some good news for you. The study’s findings also suggested that a splash of your favorite milk, alt-milk, or sweetener of choice wouldn’t significantly reduce the health benefits of consuming black tea (although, like all things in life, consuming added sugar in moderation is key).
Ready to start adding more tea into your daily routine? Here are a few delicious black tea recipes to sip on, stat.
4 ways to drink black tea (that aren’t just black)
Photo: Fit Mitten Kitchen
1. Vegan Chai Latte
Fall weather is here, and if you feel you’re missing out on the PSL trend because coffee isn’t your cup of tea (literally), this vegan chai latte recipe by Fit Mitten Kitchen is for you. This soul-warming recipe features a DIY chai recipe with anti-inflammatory spices like cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and nutmeg. Get ready to snuggle up with a cup of this drink on a cool, crisp fall evening.
Get the recipe: Vegan Chai Latte
Photo: Minimalist Baker
2. Vegan Thai Iced Tea
Since a little sugar has the green light for sprucing up a cup of plain old black tea, this vegan Thai iced tea recipe by Minimalist Baker is the perfect dessert-like drink to satisfy your sweet tooth (and your black tea quota of the day). It’s made with rich and creamy coconut milk and muscovado sugar for a sweet concoction that’ll make you feel like you’re traveling through the busy streets of Bangkok.
Get the recipe: Vegan Thai Iced Tea
Photo: Half Baked Harvest
3. Black Tea-Infused Irish Porridge
If you want to have your tea (and eat it, too), this black tea-infused Irish porridge recipe by Half Baked Harvest is the perfect solution. It has alternating layers of creamy steel-cut oats infused with coconut milk and black tea, an açaí berry ripple with a vibrant purple hue, and a decadent pistachio cream to top things off. Talk about a powerhouse combination of fiber, antioxidants, and magnesium-rich ingredients. Yum, yum, and yum.
Get the recipe: Black Tea-Infused Irish Porridge
Photo: Minimalist Baker
4. Peach Iced Tea
And, of course, we can’t go without including one of our tried and true faves, a pitcher of peach iced tea like this recipe by Minimalist Baker that’s equal parts delicious and easy to make. The three-ingredient recipe comes together with a few ripe peaches, sugar, and, you guessed it, black tea. Plus, it’s the perfect way to enjoy the end of stone fruit season with peaches, an RD-approved, potassium-and-antioxidant-rich fruit.
Get the recipe: Perfect Peach Iced Tea
Time to wind down? This calming tea might help: