Mail Online – Britain’s First Master Tea Sommelier Reveals…

“For most Brits a nice cup of tea and a sit down really does make everything better. 

And a recent YouGov poll revealed that while the average Briton enjoys around 884 cups of tea, women turn to a brew for comfort more regularly than men.

Now tea expert Ajit Madan, the UK’s first and only certified master tea sommelier, has revealed that rather than just something to sip each afternoon, there is a special blend to go with every occasion.

From the worry of a first date and anxiety ahead of a nerve-racking job interview, to even avoiding a bad hair day, apparently there’s a cuppa for everything.

To find out which brews can help you with your problems, read on…

FIRST DATE

As many will testify, a first date can be a tense experience, Ajit Madan says tea ingredients can help things along.

The sweet ingredient of cinnamon can go a long way, reveals the Tea Master, as it is a great aphrodisiac.

Why? Cinnamon acts to heat up the body, a process which is believed to enhance ones libido.

Alternatively, suggests Ajit, try ordering a Lavender tea after dinner. Lavender is known for its alluring scent.

In times gone by, women have been known to decorate their clothes with sprigs of lavender, in the belief that the scent would entice men, being an aroma they could not resist.

JOB INTERVIEW

While it’s natural to feel anxious or nervous before a job interview, it’s important to appear cool and collected.

The best way to appear confident and relaxed is to reduce your stress levels and anxiety, for this, Ajit suggests lemon verbena.

Although native to Argentina and Chile, it is grown all around the world and has been used in tea for many years now.

Renowned for its antioxidant properties, lemon verbena is believed to help strengthen the nervous system, and ease stress and tension in your body.

TIME OF THE MONTH

Many women suffer with added stress, tension and cramps during menstruation, and so Ajit suggests drinking soothing chamomile tea.

Not only can the brew relieve tension and cramping, it can also help to reduce bloating due to being a digestive aid, and might even ease hot flushes.

He says it is rich in vitamins and minerals that help the body to deal with the strains of menstruation.

EXAMS 

Long deemed a superfood, green tea has been linked with many health benefits over the years.

In a recent study, conducted in Switzerland and published in the March 2014 issue of Psychopharmacology, a link was also found between drinking green tea and memory.

Participants who had consumed green tea extract ahead of a series of tests which focused on their working memory scored notably better results than those who didn’t.

Researchers believe that drinking green tea helped to improve the participants’ cognitive function, which is essential ahead of exams and tests.

POST BREAK-UP 

Far from just offering tea and sympathy, Ajit and his sister Lubna Madan, also a co-founder of Camellia’s Tea House, have created a specially blended Happiness Tea.

Designed to boost your immune system, energy levels and positivity, the blend contains a high dose of fennel, believed to high levels of Vitamin C, and also thought to help soothe inflammation.

‘Fennel in tea is also believed to improve metabolism and weight loss when drank regularly,so that could be another thing to be happy about!’ say Ajit and Lubna.

Rosehips are also a key ingredient in happiness-boosting tea, as they contain more vitamin C than oranges, and are also believed to have great beautifying benefits for the skin.

BAD HAIR DAY

Can a tea blend really help you to overcome a bad hair day?

Instead of reaching for chemical-packed hair products to tame your tresses, Ajit suggests adding horsetail extract to your daily cuppa.

He believes that the key to enjoying a good hair day (nearly) every day, is to nourish your body from within, by drinking natural, caffeine free, herbal teas.

Horsetail contains the highest level of silica known to exist in the plant kingdom.

Though not an instant fix, silica helps to strengthen weak, brittle and damaged hair, giving it vitality and shine.”

You can find the whole article here: Mail Online – Britain’s first tea sommelier reveals the brews to get you through anything from a bad hair day to a break-up