Drinking tea offers a multitude of health benefits, making it a delightful and nourishing beverage. Packed with antioxidants, tea helps combat free radicals in the body, contributing to improved overall well-being. The moderate caffeine content in tea provides a gentle energy boost without the jittery effects often associated with other caffeinated beverages. Regular consumption has been linked to enhanced cognitive function and a reduced risk of certain chronic diseases, such as heart disease and stroke. Additionally, the calming properties of certain herbal teas can promote relaxation and stress relief, fostering a sense of tranquility. With an array of flavors and varieties, tea is not only a versatile and flavorful drink but also a simple and enjoyable way to support a healthy lifestyle.

Yum Cha Tea Co. has added functional mushrooms to their best selling organic tea line.  The inclusion of beneficial Reishi mushrooms for overall health and wellness complements the essential Cordyceps, Matcha, and Lion’s Mane offerings for immune support. Yum Cha Tea Company, located in Jacksonville, Florida is a well-known tea brand offering popular and seasonal flavors, and announces the addition of Reishi mushrooms to its collection of best-selling products. Tea lovers now enjoy the benefits of functional mushrooms in the Organic Matcha Reishi Tea and the Dual Extracted Organic Reishi Powder.

In addition to functional mushroom teas, Yum Cha Tea Company offers such popular varieties as Cordyceps, Matcha, and Lion’s Mane to its expansive collection for immune support and overall wellness, essential for the upcoming cold and flu season.

With the holiday season passed and everyone goes back to work, the mushroom teas are a non-alcoholic drink option for social settings, providing a relaxing aid for those with anxiety. The delicious offerings also work well for mocktails (like a tea ‘mosa with seltzer), detoxifying and even helping you sleep better.

The venerable Reishi mushroom, a cherished component of holistic wellness harking from ancient Eastern cultures, is known for its potential to bolster the immune system and enhance vitality with its antioxidant properties, helping individuals stay healthy during the fall and winter. Further, it is known to reduce oxidative stress and improve mental and physical well-being in a thoughtfully crafted extract.

Co-founder Zac Holzapfel is a beekeeper and shares his love for tea and nature through his mission. Along with his wife, Nicole, the pair have cultivated a unique collection of sought-after teas with plenty of benefits and flavorful notes that appeal to tea lovers worldwide.

Yum Cha Tea Company offers over 250 teas, tea gifts, recipes, and teaware. The collection features popular fall tea flavors, including Almondina Biscotti, Sugar Shack Maple, Caramel Vanilla Candy Rooibos, and Pumpkin Pie. The brand donates a portion of proceeds to create beehives that their team plants.

Surf Rider

Surf Rider has all the flavors of Pina Colada with a touch of Barbados cherry (also called acerola cherry). The sweetness of pineapple and coconut are rounded out by the tart cherry and orange. Leaving you with a blend that has a natural sweetness from the fruits and a satisfying tang at the end.

Like the acai berry, the Barbados acerola cherry is full of potent antioxidants known as anthocyanins which gives the superfruit its bright red color. Baobab isn’t the only superfruit known for it’s high vitamin C content! Acerola’s primary superpower is its high vitamin C content. One cup of acerola cherries packs 1,700mg of vitamin C. You’d have to eat 16 cups of oranges to get that amount!

• Tea Cocktail Recommendations

Surf Rider has the flavors of a pina colada. So rum shines here. Wine also does a fantastic job making a quick cocktail. Steep ¼ glass surf rider in 16oz boiling water for 5 to 20 minutes. This will make a concentrate. Fill a glass with ice, then fill a quarter full with surf rider. Add rum and top with soda water. Sweeten to taste. For a wine tea cocktail or teamosa, fill glass with ice. Pour ¼ glass full of surf rider. Top with sparkling wine.

For a non-alcoholic option, fill your glass with ice. Fill half of your glass with surf rider concentrate. Transfer contents of the glass to a blender. Add a scoop of coconut ice cream. Blend to perfection. If you want to get crazy, before you do any of the above, cube pineapples, roll in brown sugar and butter. Add a pinch of salt to the mix. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F or until they look candied. Let cool. Add some of these to the bottom of the glass when you transfer your drink back to the glass. Serve with a wide straw so you can sip the candied pineapple pieces with your Surf Rider Shake.

• Ingredients

pineapple cubes, apple cubes, hibiscus blossoms, rose hip peel, orange peel, coconut chips, freeze-dried Barbados cherry pieces.

• Directions

Iced 16oz cup: 3 tsp tea steeped for 2 minutes in about 8 to 10 ounces of water. This concentrates the tea a bit so your beverage isn’t watered down. Fill glass with ice, pour and strain brewed tea into your glass. Enjoy! Hot: 1 tsp per 8 ounces of water steeped for 2 minutes. Strain and enjoy!