If tea is your preferred morning or midday caffeine boost, you’re in great company, Sis.
Oprah has spoken fondly of her morning chai tea ritual. “I like everything about it. I like the coloring. I like pouring it from the pot. I like putting it in and watching the tea leaves expand,” she said in a video clip from OWN. “I like mine savory and strong. I like at the end of one cup, to be able to go YES!”
Around the world, tea is the most socially shared drink
Like Ms. Winfrey, nearly half the U.S. population enjoys a tea beverage every day, including caffeinated black, green and oolong teas, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
In West African countries like Gambia, Mali and Senegal, tea is commonly served as part of an informal ceremony called Ataya, which means “gifts” or “God helps.” This leisurely tea time can stretch for hours and includes several steps – first a kettle of Chinese green tea leaves brews for a long time, mint and sugar is added, and finally the tea is repoured back and forth between small glasses and the kettle, which creates a thick foam.
For African Americans, the traditional use of tea can be traced back to our enslaved ancestors who brewed herbal medicines that were handed down over generations. Then between the 1920s and 1940s Black-owned tea rooms flourished and were a safe haven for their elite patrons.
That tradition of tea as cultural and ceremonial continues today
Black sororities, including Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta, throw fascinator-ready tea parties to fellowship and to raise awareness about health issues affecting Black women. And fancy afternoon tea parties that promote self-care – with scones, tea sandwiches and pretty pots piping with assorted fine teas – are popular social calendar events, hosted by organizations like the Los Angeles–based Tea Party for Black Girls and entrepreneurs like New Yorker Shelby Olatutu Banks of the small batch “tea apothecary” Campbell and Carr.
“I have been hosting tea gatherings for years with women in a variety of settings [like] cultural centers, churches, event spaces [and] my home. I love being a woman and love holding space for women that is safe and allows us a moment of respite from the pressures of the world,” says Banks.
Research suggests that drinking tea can aid in weight loss, support digestion, lower the risk of developing glaucoma, and reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and potentially certain cancers.
“As I’ve grown into myself, I’ve discovered that like me, many women have found it harder to take moments for ourselves. So, why not tea with a purpose?”
Another benefit, as any Caribbean auntie will tell you, is that drinking a spot of tea a day may help to keep the doctor away. Because it’s rich in polyphenols (protective antioxidants found naturally in plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, tea, dark chocolate and wine), research suggests that drinking tea can aid in weight loss, support digestion, lower the risk of developing glaucoma, and reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and potentially certain cancers. Green tea in particular packs a powerful wellness punch and has been linked to improving brain function and cognitive health in middle-aged and older adults.
“I believe in tea for overall wellness. In my personal experience, there are countless stories from my customer base of tea bringing balance to health challenges such as hot flashes and gout,” adds Banks, who comes from a family of herbalists, healers and farmers.
To find a place to unwind solo, spill the tea with your girls and keep the community spirit flowing, here are six Black-owned tea cafés to support across the country (this is just a sampling, so search for tea businesses closer to home).