5 Teas to Help You Relax This Season

by Natasha Nesic
Are you the kind of person who likes planning things in advance?

Guilty. (Capricorn, here if you know your astrology, all of us Earth signs are chronic plan-ers with a fondness for planners. There are few things like the smell of a fresh notebook with lines waiting for you to scribble projects in them!)

What if you're not the kind of person who likes planning things in advance?

That's okay, too! (I adore your sense of spontaneity and flexibility. The world needs that as well to balance out the order and overthinking that many of us also fall prey to.)

No matter what kind of person you are, fall is the time of year for planning things. However, not all planning is fun. Sometimes it can be a little harrowing, and a little stressful.

That's why we came up with a list of teas to combat stress in advance! With these, you can rest a little easier going off to your intrepid adventures and hardcore campaigns of not necessarily the Dungeons and Dragons variety word on the tea-leaf-vine is that Pathfinder and Vampire: The Masquerade are making a comeback as well. And what better method to de-stress from life than through tabletop roleplaying games, where you don't have to be in the world where your stress exists at all?

1. Earl Grey Bravo

The main players here are black tea and bergamot.

Now, obligatory Picard jokes and references aside come on, you've got to watch at least one episode of Stark Trek at some point in your life, just for the existential credit! Both of these are studied for their effects on stress levels in the human body.

A double-blind trial indicated that tea helps alleviate psychophysiological stress, and bergamot as well was noted to have positive effects on cortisol a (pesky stress hormone) levels.

You'll want to brew this one in a low-stress way as well, with regular boiling-temperature water in a handy IngenuiTEA for about five minutes before you lovingly place the tea into your favorite ceramic mug. Enjoy!

2. Mindful Mint Chai

This is one of Adagio's newer teas, and frankly I could not be more in love with it!

If you like mint in any incarnation, you're going to fall in love with this one, too. It's just got so much soul and heart to give, you can practically taste how badly this tea wants to help you de-stress your day away.

It helps as well that it's made with hojicha, which is a roasted type of Japanese green tea that not only imparts the toasty flavor, but also contains less caffeine than the previous tea, and even less than most green teas in general. Some caffeine still remains, so it's not one hundred percent clear for those who are super duper caffeine sensitive, but if you're resilient enough to caffeine to be able to have a little bit before bed and not be kept awake, then this will be fine for you.

And you can always try the Adagio version of Hojicha straight!

3. Coconut Grove Pouchong

Want to hold onto summer a little longer? Say no more, and sip on this a little more instead!

Coconut Grove is exactly the kind of take-me-away cup that you'll need when the tough really gets going. The sweetness of the coconut offers a pleasant uplifting sense to the pouchong's wide and varied profile, so many different tastes and palate preferences will enjoy the different nuances of this tea.

Since that makes it a great tea to share with friends, try brewing it fancy-style in the VelociTEA maker and you'll be the hit of any party! (Adventuring party or otherwise. Tea this good will have you feeling like you have successfully restored all your spell slots without needing to take up extra hours for a Short or Long Rest!)

4. White Strawberry Basil

Basil is another powerhouse of potential de-stressing prowess. One variety's extract was proven in a double-blind study to have a great effect on the nervous system of reducing cortisol levels, which is good news for the basil plant in general!

The great thing about this blend is that it doesn't give in to the flavor of basil entirely, since strawberry is in there to kick things up a notch and make sure that your cup is super sweet. You'll also get a beautiful ruby color to drink, which is de-stressing for the eyes as well as the frontal cortex!

To get the most out of a picture-pretty tea like this one, try infusing it in a see-through or transparent steeping device. Adagio's single-serve glass teapot is ideal for this, and it makes a lovely gift to anyone else in your circle who might also need some de-stressing tea right now.

5. Chamomile

Sometimes, it's best and least stressful to keep it simple. And chamomile doesn't get much simpler than that. It speaks for itself, with modern science backing up its use as a traditional caffeine-free sleep aid before bed.

That being said, if you're drinking it before bed, then try infusing it in something that doesn't take much cleanup for when you get sleepy. Adagio makes fantastically convenient little self-serve teabags that will keep you feeling like your own barista and let you worry less about any extra work before you tuck yourself in for the night.

What are your favorite teas to de-stress with? Let us know in the comments! (And like we said before, feel free to drop your end-of-summer reading list as well!)