OK, OK, I know coffee is an important lifeline for me, but every so often, like when I’m shivering cold, nothing is finer than a cup of tea with honey. It’s probably because I’ve had so many hot cups of coffee by then that I need to trick the system. So it’s tea, and it’s mostly green. I let it seep way longer than the 3 minutes several companies recommend.

Let it Seep, let it Seep. OK, too much coffee already.

Green tea is a health writer’s favorite beverage. There have been articles about its staying power for all kinds of ailments, illnesses, and diseases.

Saw one this morning that may provide an interesting combination: Continue smoking–BAD–and drink Green Tea–Good. Sometimes these studies (this one is hospital-based from Taiwan as a follow-up to an earlier epidemiological study) just spell trouble for analysis.

With smoking still fairly common in numerous cultures, it would seem that those individuals consequently at risk for lung cancer could help themselves a bit with a cup of green tea. If they are so committed to continuing to smoke, then maybe they should keep a pot of green tea on the burner at all times as the study found that smokers who did NOT add this beverage had a 13-fold increased risk of lung cancer. Nothing to ignore.

For non-smokers, green tea has its own list of healthy attributes from its antioxidant powers and studies that link it to helping with cancer, heart, and diabetes.

One of the most popular green tea games is using the Matcha powdered green tea which has a beautiful, strong, powerful green color. So many commercial grade green teas are almost pale, an essence of green, in color. Brewing Matcha can turn a basic drink into an expensive pleasure, but one with the highest antioxidant attributes.

If tea’s your pleasure, you can spend a considerable amount of time in the tea aisle: So many flavor choices as this continues to be a burgeoning beverage market.

Keep the honey dipper handy!