Tea and sugar. Pros and cons

Drink tea with or without sugar? Of course without sugar - you might say. But let's not be so categorical. Everyone knows that sugar is harmful, that Chinese tea with sugar is not drunk, that wise Chinese do not admit the proximity of tea and sugar, that sugar is calories and so on. Moreover, some tea gurus claim that if the tea requires a sugar addition, then it is of poor quality. Perhaps there is some truth in this.

But if we omit snobbery and think - since sugar is extremely harmful, would our body require sweets?

Let's see why we love sugar so much.

Harmful - but tasty. This dramatic conflict describes our relationship with sweets as accurately as possible. Nutritionists compare sugar addiction to drug addiction. Healthy eating habits and weight loss seekers limit sugar in their diets, but tend to lose the fight.

Why? The reason is simple. Because sugar is the most accessible source of energy for our body.

Sugar, or rather glucose, ensures the normal course of all vital processes in our body. Physical and mental effort requires energy and consumes this "fuel". Lack of energy reserves leads to lethargy, slow reaction and generally reduces efficiency and ability to work - both mental and physical.

The habit of drinking tea with sugar has been developed since childhood. Tea with cake, jam, and biscuits is a traditional element of our tea culture. After all, we learned about the Chinese tea of ​​elite quality relatively recently, you must agree.

The conflict between the traditions of Chinese and European tea drinking is obvious. And if we talk about elite Chinese tea, then sugar is really inappropriate here.

What tea should not be drunk with sugar?

Let's not use the categorical "no" - it's a matter of your taste. Nothing bad will happen if you add sugar to the chic alpine oolong. In addition, you hopelessly spoil the richest bouquet of aroma, taste with sugar and get no more pleasure from tea than from ordinary tea in bags. And the annoyance will remain from the fact that you uselessly spent a significant amount on tea, when you could buy it 10 times cheaper and get the same effect.

Pu-erh and sugar are also somewhat incompatible. However, if you drink pu-erh, then you understand why you are doing it - to get a surge of energy, a special tea state. At the biochemical level, the effect of puerh can be compared with the effect of glucose - the body receives an energy resource and is ready for action. Of course, sugar can enhance this effect, but the fact is that the state that pu-erh gives is the result of a complex effect on our receptors, including taste. In addition, pu-erh is most often brewed by spill in a gaiwan or Gongfu teapot - adding sugar during such brewing is inconvenient even from a practical point of view.

White tea with sugar is sacrilege. Yes, I'm sorry, but here we are going to be absolute snobs. Elite white teas are very rich in L-theanine, an amino acid that gives tea its characteristic, delicious, sweet - creamy taste and finish. This sweetness is an indicator of the highest grade of tea, the Japanese even came up with a name for this taste - umami, "the fifth taste". That is, four flavors are not enough to describe the sweetness of quality white tea. Not "sweet" but "umami". Adding sugar to white tea is like pouring vinegar into Dom Pérignon champagne to enhance the flavor.

Sugar green tea should not be drunk for the same reason as white tea. Although recently on the Internet, you can find information that sugar contributes to the absorption of catechins. But since we have not been able to find links to any credible source about the reliability of such studies, we prefer to remain unconvinced: green tea and sugar are an absurd combination.

What kind of tea can you drink with sugar?

Fortunately, of all teas, there is one that will tolerate sweetening. This is the most familiar black tea to us. But even among black tea, you should choose the most unassuming and budgetary varieties, since you really need to add sugar. Do not spoil the honey sweetness of the elite Chinese red tea Dian Hong or Jin Luo with sugar.

Among the Chinese tea of ​​excellent quality, Keemun goes well with sugar - it is this tea that is good to choose for family tea drinking.

If tea drinking will inevitably be accompanied by sugar and sweets, choose tea with a simple taste - English Breakfast, Assam and other varieties of Indian or Kenyan tea.

If you still want something sweet

A delicate sweetish sillage in the taste of real tea may seem insufficiently pronounced for inexperienced tea gourmets. You can add raisins, dried fruits or honey to your tea. Just do not put honey in tea, especially hot - boiling water destroys the healing properties of honey. It is better not to dilute honey in tea, but to eat it with a bite - the taste buds will thank you! :-)

Summary

If you like sugar tea, add it. In the end - in the end, thisabout the same you drink. Any rules for drinking tea are meaningless if you are not enjoying your own drink. But in this case, you should not spend money on elite varieties - you will not be able to feel all the facets of the taste of real tea if you add sugar to it. Real tea has a natural, rich, often sweetish taste and does not need any additions.

Drink good tea and be healthy!

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