Ceylon Black Tea: Nutritional Profile and its Various Benefits

If we go through the books of history, the production of black tea in Australia started in the late 1880s when tea plants from Sri Lanka were planted in tropical northern Queensland. In Sri Lanka alone, Ceylon black tea is responsible for over $1.5 billion in global sales of the beverage. So what makes it this unique? This article will provide you a deep insight into this amazing beverage and its numerous benefits.

Sri Lanka is known to be an ideal location for growing it because of its excellent terrain and temperature. The beverage is basically available in 3 types and all of them differ on the basis of production and processing.

Nutritional Profile

A very good amount of antioxidants are present in pure Ceylon black tea which helps to counter the cell oxidative damage. The antioxidants such as quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol are present in it which can play a major role in protecting the body against chronic conditions such as diabetes, cancer or, heart disease.

Talking about minerals, manganese, cobalt, and chromium are known to be present in this beverage along with a small amount of caffeine as well.

Benefits of Consumption

#1: Weight Loss

Research has shown that regular intake of this beverage can drastically help you lose weight by blocking the digestion and absorption of fat. This further leads to lowering calorie intake.

The compounds present in it are helpful in activating such enzymes that are involved in breaking down fat cells. A study involving 6,472 people showed that regular consumption of this beverage leads to a significant fall in the waist circumference as well as the Body Mass Index in the people.  

#2: Stabilizing Blood Sugar 

High sugar levels in the blood can have many adverse effects on your health like fatigue, delayed wound healing, and more. Therefore, sugar levels must remain stabilized. Adding a cup of this beverage will drastically help you to prevent such health effects and maintain a steady blood sugar level.

#3: Supports Heart Health

Heart diseases account for nearly 31% of deaths worldwide and is thus a major problem. This beverage helps you to combat these diseases by significantly reducing the LDL (bad) cholesterol as well as triglycerides. 

   

How to Make It?

The beverage can be easily prepared at home with the help of the following 4 steps:

1. Fill the filtered teapot and the cup halfway with hot water. This is basically done to slow down the cooling.

2. Dump out the water and add the Ceylon Tea leaves of your choice to the teapot. Generally, it is recommended to use 2.5 grams of leaves (1 tablespoon) with 237 ml of water (8 ounces).

3. Now, fill up the teapot with hot water that’s around 90-96 degree Celsius or 194-205 degree Fahrenheit and cover the lid.

4. Allow the tea leaves to settle for at least 3 minutes before pouring into cups. Also, if the leaves are allowed to steep for more than 3 minutes because it will increase the caffeine content as well as the flavour.