7 Amazing Loose Leaf Tea Benefits

If you want to boost your health, support your immune system, and indulge your mind, learn more about loose leaf tea benefits and which kind to buy.

As a Certified Nutrition Coach, I've used loose leaf tea for everything from mental clarity to helping amp up antioxidant intake. Loose leaf tea has been around for thousands of years and is a wonderful addition to your daily routine.

As a Certified Nutrition Coach, loose leaf tea has become a staple in my house and even my toddlers love it! (herbal of course).

I drink loose leaf green tea daily and keep a bottle of chilled herbal tea in the fridge for them to sip on when they're bored of water. My girls don't drink juice boxes so they call it their "special tea" and it makes my heart melt!

Loose leaf tea has been around for longer than I can mention but never before have their been so many studies on it.

And thankfully, because of its popularity, there are more flavors, blends, and known health benefits to sipping on loose leaf tea than ever before!

This post is sponsored by Adiagos tea, all opinions and photography are my own. I received no compensation for this recipe other than a free sample of the product. Thank you for supporting companies I believe in, as it helps me to continue developing new content for you. Full disclosure.

Fun Fact: I am not a doctor or a scientist. I'm sharing what I've learned and read personally. Always chat to your doc before implementing anything new especially if you're already on medication! Do your own research friends

Loose Leaf Tea Benefits

Below you'll find the more overlooked benefits of drinking loose leaf tea. If you purchase a quality tea, you'll not only enjoy a rich and delicious flavor but all the health benefits that come with it.

1. Loose Leaf Tea Is High In Antioxidants

Perhaps the most well-known health benefit of all. Loose leaf tea, even gourmet tea, is high in antioxidants.

Antioxidants help to neutralize damaged cells which help us not only look and feel better but also prevent and improve disease.

2. Has Been Said Lower Cholesterol

I think it's white tea especially has been said to help lower cholesterol because it is the least processed out of the teas. This makes the number of antioxidants in the tea higher than the others and thus is a special perk of white tea.

That said, green tea has been shown to lower levels so, having a balance of teas might be a great perk.

3. Cardiovascular Disease

It's been said that loose leaf green tea has been shown to prevent atherosclerosis and lower bad cholesterol while raising good cholesterol. That said, much of this area of tea is still being studied (source)

From my understanding, green tea helps improve circulation which is why we initially used it with figure competitors. Improved circulation combined with healthier overall habits would most likely lead to a reduction in risk of CVD.

4. Loose Leaf To To Reduce Inflammation

Loose leaf tea, green tea especially, has been shown to reduce inflammation, specifically in the bowels.

This means that it's actually a gut-healthy drink that can help boost the immune system.

5. Weight Management

One of the reasons I started drinking tea personally as a Certified Nutrition Coach was the studies on how green tea can boost metabolism.

I noticed when coaching figure competitors how beneficial it was right before competition to have them drink tea and pull out all their water weight.

Basically, green tea can help boost your metabolism which aids in weight loss.

6. Cancer Research

Just like with turmeric (learn about the benefits of turmeric), studies are constantly coming out about the benefits of loose leaf tea and disease.

It`s been rumored that loose leaf green tea, because of its potency, has been shown to help in protecting the body from cancerous cells accumulating and progressing (source).

These types of studies are still very new and, nothing is overly conclusive but I find it insanely intriguing that it's being tested!

Chris Beat Cancer chats especially about Tulsi Tea (holy basil tea) when it comes to anything tea and cancer-related.

Keep in mind that (like everything) quality here would be crucial. Dried out, processed tea bags are not going to be gems. If you want to reap the benefits of loose leaf tea you'll want to focus on quality before anything else.

7. Mental Clarity

Loose leaf tea has a calming effect on the body. Matcha especially helps boost mental clarity. Matcha tea is extremely potent and can help boost memory and concentration.

The truth is, loose leaf tea has many more benefits than I could ever list. Herbal teas have been used in tinctures and healing for ages and each flower, herb, and tea come with their own health benefits.

But, just in case you missed it: quality matters. If your goal for drinking loose leaf tea are health related, you'll need to ensure the tea is potent, unprocessed, and yes, still tasty!

Some of the sources cited in this blog post include:

• Are there benefits to drinking green tea?
• Tea and its phytochemicals
• Green tea and cognitive function

Loose Leaf Tea Vs. Tea Bags

With so much conflicting information out there, it's hard to know where you should start when looking for a brand of tea.

And despite what you may think, there is a difference between loose leaf tea and tea bags you find at the grocery store.

The truth is, the tea in the bagged tea your purchase is often the dust and broken pieces from the actual tea leaves.

Because they are broken (and sometimes almost just dust), the tea has lost most of its quality. Often when steeped it tastes bitter (the aroma has been released in the breaking of the leaves).

There's also a good chance that the tea at the grocery store has been sitting on its shelves for a while. Even if it was a loose-leaf variety has probably lost some of its potency.

On top of that, most bagged tea has been so heavily processed that there's little left of the goodness of the actual tea. Thus, if you're looking for health benefits of loose leaf tea bagged isn't really the way to go.

Quality Loose leaf tea on the other hand, still in its purest form, is often much less processed from picking to steeping.

Because of this, it not only retains its delicious aroma and flavor but all of its original loose leaf tea benefits as well.

Where To Buy Loose Leaf Tea?

As I've alluded to above, not all teas are created equal. I've been devastated on learning that many companies add artificial ingredients, sweeteners, and sugars to their teas to create flavor.

When the point of loose leaf tea is to boost your health profile, adding in sweeteners only cancels out the benefits.

Instead, my advice is to find a company that focuses on quality and still has really delicious tea. And I finally found one! Adagio Teas are one of the best that I've tried.

They're a family-owned company based in New Jersey and the reason I love them is because they focus on quality and healing versus additives. Plus, their loose leaf tea tastes amazing!

I recently placed an order with them and here's what I got:

• Turmeric Bliss
• White Fuzzy Navel
• Rooibos Apple Cinnamon
• Green Rooibos Blueberry
• Matcha Apple Cinnamon
• Wild Strawberry

By far my favorite was the Turmeric Bliss- but I expected that! The tea is so light and fruity I absolutely adore it. Note: the bag says to only use ½ a teaspoon per serving but I personally enjoy the flavor with a bit more

All of the teas I ordered this time around taste amazing. The Apple Cinnamon is perfect on a cold night as it's extremely flavorful. The Blueberry tea was a great pick me up mid-morning and the fuzzy navel is uplifting anytime.

And of course, my daughters loved (and drank all of!) the wild strawberry. Not only is it fruity and refreshing chilled but the color is a deep pink so it was a pretty big win with them.

How To Make Loose Leaf Tea

Making loose leaf tea is simple though you will need some equipment. 

1. Because the tea leaves are not contained, you either need a mesh strainer, tea mug, or tea baggie to contain the leaves.
2. Then, because each kind of tea requires a slightly unique temperature, boil the water according to the package instructions (heat to a specific temperature for best flavor results).
3. Pour the water over top of the leaves and let steep for 3-5 minutes. 

There's also the option of making your tea in a sun tea jar which is absolutely amazing if you haven't tried it.

I've grown accustomed to my tea and let it steep indefinitely (I don't remove the leaves, I just start drinking).

 

 

Kinds Of Loose Leaf Teas

There's actually a different types of loose leaf teas and each with their own unique perks.

Oolong tea: known as a fat burner, it tends to have a light, fruity or floral flavor. I find this blend really calming.

Black tea: a caffeinated tea that tends to be potent, strong tasting, and very high in antioxidants.

Green tea: all the benefits above and can be a very powerful taste if you choose a traditional blend or a lighter taste with added fruits.

White tea: very delicate, light, and simple.

Herbal tea: a non-caffeinated tea so a great one for kids. Normally a blend of fruits, flowers, roots, and anything else in nature.

Final Notes

Each kind of loose leaf tea comes with its own perks. So, I personally rotate between drinking loose leaf green tea white tea, oolong tea, puree tea, and black tea.

Black tea tends to have more caffeine in it than the others and this ease off if you're pregnant. Also, try not to drink any after about 1pm in the day so you can actually sleep!

It takes a while to get used to the potency of straight tea- give it time! It also depends on how long you steep the tea so play around before giving up on loose leaf tea together.

This is my favorite travel loose leaf tea container and you can snag it on Amazon. Likewise, check out these amazing gifts for tea lovers!

Truthfully, if you're looking to get started drinking loose leaf tea or need a new variety of teas, check out Adagio.

The prices are fair, the tea is insanely delicious, they have a great variety, and best of all-they focus on quality and service. It really doesn't get much better than that!

Frequently Asked Questions About Loose Leaf Tea

Don't forget to pin these awesome loose leaf tea benefits!