Purely Tea - It's All About Tea!

Milk First or Tea First? Why the British Put Milk in Tea

A friend who grew up in Manchester has one tea rule she refuses to bend: the milk goes into the cup before anything else. Her flatmate does the exact opposite, and their kitchen standoffs have outlasted three kettles. Neither of them could explain why their way was right, only that the other way was wrong. The milk first or tea...

Green Tea and Drug Interactions: What Every Tea Drinker Should Know

I used to pour myself a cup of green tea without thinking twice about it, the same way I’d grab a glass of water. Then a friend going through cancer treatment mentioned her oncologist had specifically asked her to stop drinking it, and I realized how little most of us actually know about green tea and drug interactions. It is...

First Flush vs Second Flush Darjeeling: Flavor and Brewing

I once brewed two Darjeelings from the same estate side by side, expecting near twins. The first cup came out pale gold and smelled like a spring garden. The second poured a deep copper and tasted faintly of ripe grapes. Same bushes, same hillside, picked about two months apart. That little experiment sums up first flush vs second flush darjeeling...

How Much Fluoride Is in Tea? Levels by Type and Safe Daily Limits

A friend of mine drinks black tea the way some people drink water: five or six mugs from breakfast to bedtime, almost always from the same big box of tea bags. When her dentist brought up fluoride in tea during a checkup, she brushed it off. Then she started reading. Tea turns out to be one of the richest sources...

Turmeric Tea for Inflammation: How to Brew a Cup That Works

A close friend started drinking turmeric tea for inflammation after her knees began protesting on morning walks. She stirred a spoonful of yellow powder into hot water, drank it faithfully for a month, and felt no different. When she walked me through her routine, the gap was easy to spot. Curcumin, the compound she was counting on, barely dissolves in...

Green Tea and Blood Sugar Levels: Why Drinking It Before Meals Matters

My friend Mei used to hit a wall every afternoon. Lunch was usually a rice bowl or noodles near her office, and an hour later she could barely keep her eyes open. On a whim, she started brewing a cup of sencha before heading out to eat. A few weeks in, the afternoon fog felt noticeably lighter. Her small experiment...