LONDON — We don't even want to imagine what this would have tasted like.

On Wednesday afternoon, Niamh McManus of Redcar, UK shared a mildly shudder-inducing story that involved a beauty blender, her brother and a Lidl mug.

Here's the tweet, which pretty much speaks for itself.

Oh dear.

That tweet — which has been shared over 8,500 times — sent shockwaves rippling through Twitter.

We're going to guess that'll be the last time McManus' brother picks up a mug of tea he finds on the kitchen side.

Well, fitness freaks out there might be swearing by green tea (primarily for weight loss reasons and social reasons too). But benefits of black tea cannot be undermined. No way, actually!

There might be ‘n’ number of thoughts going through your mind on the subject of black tea. For instance, what is black tea, is black tea good for you, what is black tea good for, Caffeine in black tea, does black tea have antioxidants, benefits of black tea for skin, black tea cholesterol, how to Drink black tea, side effects of black tea, black tea diet, black tea health benefits, black tea and milk, black tea weight loss, types of black tea, how to make black tea. Not to worry, I will attempt to answer all these.

First things first, black tea is not just your grandmother’s tea. It’s delicious and a smart choice for you as well. When you discover the powerhouse called black tea, you might not ever think of having tea with milk. Across the world, you are sure to be offered black tea as an option for a stimulating and refreshing beverage.

Types Of Black Tea

Variety is the spice of life, as they say. And this holds good for the different types of black tea which are grown and produced around the world.

[Also Read: Lipton Green Tea For Weight Loss]

Some popular varieties of black tea are:

Assam Tea

Ceylon Tea

Darjeeling Tea

Turkish Tea

Now that you are aware of the types of black tea, let’s take a look at the various black tea health benefits.

Benefit 1: Oral Health

According to the studies funded by the Tea Trade Health Research Association, black tea helps in reducing plaque formation. The polyphenols in it restrict bacteria growth which is a major reason of cavity formation and tooth decays.

Benefit 2: Better Heart

Many of you might be wondering – is black tea good for you? Well, regular consumption of it can turn out to be a boon to heart patients as it repairs coronary artery dysfunctions in many heart patients. Drinking 3 cups of black tea on a daily basis can decrease the chances of cardiovascular death by as much as 11%. That is why, black tea is said to protect heart health.

Benefit 3: Prevents And Manages Diabetes

Black Tea has powerful saccharides which work to slow blood sugar absorption. When you are a regular at drinking black tea, it may protect you from developing diabetes in the first place. Research shows that countries like Ireland and Britain that drink the most black tea have lowest cases of type 2 diabetes.

Benefit 4: Rich In Antioxidants

When you ask does black tea have antioxidants, you will be surprised to learn that antioxidants in black tea promote health, wellness, immunity and disables free radicals. It also means that taking black tea fights harmful inflammation and provides you protection against chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes, to name a few.

Benefit 5: Prevents Cancerous Growth

Talking further on black tea health benefits, it prevents development of breast cancer in women, especially those who are in the pre-menopausal phase.

Benefit 6: Keeps Bones Dense And Strong

It’s a known fact that with passing age we are bound to lose bone mass which can make our bones weaker and thinner. You can increase your bone strength and reduce the risk of a fracture when you indulge in a black tea diet. Studies have shown that drinking black tea regularly for 6+ years brings you stronger overall Bone Mineral Density (BMD) than those who normally don’t drink tea.

Benefit 7: Promotes Weight Loss

Nations with high black-tea consumption have been found to have lower levels of obesity. That’s because black tea regulates blood sugar levels, which leaves you feeling more satisfied and thereby causing lesser cravings for sweets. Moreover, the caffeine component in black tea can also induce weight loss.

Does Caffeine Present In Black Tea Make It Unhealthy?

Most of you might be thinking about the caffeine in black tea. Well, black tea does have some amount of caffeine as compared to coffee and other energy drinks. But mind you, it gives you the caffeine ‘positives’ like increased alertness, energy and concentration and bypasses the caffeine ‘blues’ like insomnia, irritability, headaches, etc., which happen when you drink excess of caffeine.

I hope you have got your myths cleared about benefits of black tea. Do write in and tell us what makes you like black tea and would you like to make a switchover to it any time soon?

By Caryn Murray

The question is one that many parents and grandparents ask, or should ask. Sadly, there isn’t much information available that will tell you what an appropriate age is for a child to drink tea.

Mother and Child in Tea FieldIn most cases, parents can use their own responsible discretion before serving tea to a child. Some parents have even served tea (with milk) in a sippy cup or baby bottle to children as young as 2. Other parents, however, refuse to serve tea to a child until they feel the child is read, but then the question surfaces once again—when is a child ready to drink tea?

The answer is both simple and complicated. The best thing to do is to talk to your family doctor or pediatrician. However, the general answer is that you can serve tea to children, and it’s a good idea to do so! Tea is a powerful source of antioxidants and many other health benefits. When sweetened with honey and milk (extra milk for younger children), tea is a tasty beverage that keeps children healthy!

Also, a warm cup of tea at night can serve as part of a bedtime ritual that will help your child fall asleep. However, you should never, ever, ever serve a child tea that contains caffeine!Serving tea without caffeine is a good idea, especially compared to many of the alternative beverages children often consume. It is not like serving coffee, even decaffeinated coffee, to a child because tea is a much better beverage to enjoy and a much better habit to learn.

In summary, consult with your pediatrician or family doctor before you serve tea to your child, otherwise stick to tea that contains little or no caffeine and dilute it with milk.