Part 1: The Science of Tea
Is there anything nicer than wrapping your hands around a warm cup of tea on a brisk fall morning? It’s hard to find an act so simple and yet so pleasing. Get the most out of your tea drinking experience by choosing your brews with care.
Why Your Tea Bag Matters
Types of tea bags vary almost as much as tea flavors do! Triangle or pyramid shaped tea bags have become popular in recent years because the shape of the bag allows more water to circulate throughout the herbs or tea leaves. Unfortunately, most of these tea bags are made out of plastic, and because these bags are single-use, a daily cup of tea can quickly start taking its toll on the environment and your body. Plastic mesh teabags shed microplastics into water, and being heated can increase this shedding effect. Paper tea bags are a more sustainable choice, but they are flimsier and still use plastic glue to seal the bags. One alternative is to purchase a stainless steel tea infuser and loose leaf tea. Loose leaf tea can also be added directly to water and then strained over a mesh wire strainer and into a cup if you don’t want to purchase a tea infuser. These methods take a touch longer, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing—making tea is a contemplative act, not one to be rushed through.
Healing Properties and Herbal Benefits
The healing nature of tea comes not just from its ability to slow you down. Many tea leaves contain healing properties. Green tea is full of antioxidants known to have an anti-inflammatory effect. Indeed, a good cup of strong green tea tastes like a tonic: pungent, complex, and nourishing. Herbal teas are also powerful, and can be used strategically to ease discomfort from indigestion, common colds, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, and more. As fall turns to winter, consider shopping for seasonal tea blends that include herbs such as peppermint or licorice root.
Peppermint contains menthol, which creates a cooling sensation and increases blood flow throughout the body. Because of this, peppermint can serve as a muscle relaxant and pain reliever, which make it useful for relieving bloating and stomach pain. Peppermint’s antibacterial and antiviral properties can help clear the sinuses—a whiff of steam rising off a cup of peppermint tea is reminiscent of an inhale of Vick’s Vapo Rub.
In addition to peppermint tea, many tea companies make some version of a throat comforting tea blend, usually made of a combination of slippery elm root, licorice root, marshmallow root, and rosehips. The slippery elm in such teas helps create a lubricating coating on your throat that can ease symptoms of soreness. Licorice root can have a similar effect on the throat and also works to loosen and expel mucus from the body. At the store, look for teas that contain these herbs—or make your own loose leaf blends based on your personal taste preference. You can purchase herbs online or in co-ops and some grocery stores.
A cup of tea can start your day off or help you wind down. When buying tea, look for tea that comes in paper tea bags, or brew your own from loose leaf tea. And don’t forget that a spoonful (or two) of honey can elevate a cup of tea. We won’t tell how much you add!
Part 2: The Evolution of Card Games
Just a deck of cards and a couple people—that’s all you need to have hours of fun. And sometimes, you don’t even need the people (see: Solitaire)! Card games have been amusing people since as early as the 10th century, when playing cards were mainly reserved for wealthy or royal individuals. As trade routes spread over the globe, playing cards did too. Thanks to the invention of woodblock printing, and later the printing press, more and more people were able to enjoy playing cards. This blog post will explore three common card games and their history.
Pinochle
Pinochle is a classic card game that came to the United States from Germany. It comes from the French game of “Bezique,” which is a melding card game, meaning that players of the game work towards obtaining matching sets of cards. The exact meaning of the word pinochle is contested, but some believe it stems from the French word “binocle,” meaning eyeglasses with two lens, and refers to the pinochle deck, which contains two cards of each the aces, face cards, tens, and nines of all four suits. Pinochle is so popular a game that the National Pinochle Association hosts a yearly tournament, but it is also pervasive among recreational players.
Pinochle quick fact: a pinochle deck has 48 cards in it as opposed to a normal deck, which has 52.
Gin Rummy
Another popular card game—Gin Rummy—has similarly contested origins. “Rummy” refers to the draw and discard method of playing cards and includes many different type of games, including Canasta. Some believe that the “gin” in “Gin Rummy” is a play on the fact that both words are types of alcohols, and posit that the first players enjoyed the card game whilst sipping gin. Gin Rummy reached the height of popularity in the 1930’s, thanks in part to Hollywood actors and actresses who played it both in movies and while relaxing on set.
Gin Rummy quick fact: In one study, seasoned players were found to have better hand-eye coordination and people-reading skills than non-players.
Solitaire
For the introverted among us, or those who live alone, finding a partner with whom to play cards can be challenging. So, patience…or Solitaire! Often called “Patience” in Britain, Solitaire is a single-player game that involves arranging the deck of cards in a particular order, based on suites. In some languages like Danish, Solitaire is called “secret,” which is thought to be the remnant of a time when the game was used as a fortune-telling tool.
Solitaire quick fact: The first online version of Solitaire was released by Microsoft in 1989.
Conclusion
Playing cards, whether by yourself or with a group of people, is an excellent way to decompress and rejuvenate. Be you a pinochle whiz or a go-fish fan, card games can improve mental agility, enhance your social life, and help you unwind. Of course, there is no better reason to play cards than simply for the fun of it—unless it’s 52 card pickup, which is never a good time!
