A cup of your favorite matcha at the end of a hard workday can lead to insomnia. However, it is possible to befriend tea even after 7 PM. The main thing is to wisely choose it for the evening scenario.
Black tea: when you need to reboot between tasks
The office is falling asleep, while the rest of life awakens. Some rush to the gym, others to pick up their children from classes. And almost everyone is heading home through traffic jams or crowded subway cars.
To maintain a balance between activity and a gentle evening routine, avoid strong tea and refrain from "Assam," "English Breakfast," and other rich varieties and blends. A good choice would be a cup of Chinese Dian Hong with delicate honey notes, but a more conventional "Ceylon" — aromatic and moderately astringent — will also do.
Taiwanese oolongs: when you crave home relaxation
If an evening spent at home is a small celebration, then the tea should be festive too. You can drink ordinary tea at work.
The secret to the sweet honey-nut notes of Dong Ding lies in the slow roasting of the tea leaves. This tea warms you up perfectly; all you need to do is wrap yourself in a blanket and turn on your favorite movie. The refined Alishan with a floral aftertaste will quench your thirst while taking a bath, while the creamy aroma of Jin Xuan oolong will smooth out the rough edges of the day.
All Taiwanese oolongs contain little caffeine, so your date with the pillow will happen right on schedule.
Fruit blend: when you want dessert without dessert
The evening is a challenge for those who have been counting calories all day. A safe "snack" in terms of calories would be fruit tea.
You can make dessert tea yourself by adding pieces of fruit and crushed berries to the drink. Cinnamon, ginger, star anise, and other spices will turn the infusion into a refined warming drink, while ice will create a refreshing cocktail. No energy for culinary experiments? Choose a ready-made blend where the combination of sweet fruits and tart berries has already been thought out. And most importantly, fruit tea can be made without actual tea, so that even the shadow of caffeine won’t interfere with sleep.
Herbal tea: when the dream is a deep sleep
In one day, dozens of meetings and events can happen, both pleasant and not so much. Often by evening, all desires boil down to wanting to quickly put on pajamas and fall into sleep. And the conduits to the realm of Morpheus will be the essential oils in the herbal tisanes.
Each evening has its own tisane. If you’re anxious before a morning meeting, drink bitter St. John’s wort at night to relieve anxiety. Want to get rid of the images of the past day before sleep — brew calming motherwort or chamomile. If you’re heading to relax in a warm bath, take a cup of lavender tisane with you. And if you simply dream of lying down and sleeping, mix valerian, oregano, mint, and hops in the teapot.
GABA: when after work you need to work more
Sometimes it happens that work doesn’t end with leaving the office. Messages that cannot be ignored light up on the phone screen, corporate chats continue to buzz with life, and the laptop awaits final edits to the report.
GABA is not a variety, but a method of producing tea, where during fermentation in an oxygen-free environment, tea leaves are saturated with gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). In the body, it participates in metabolic reactions in the brain, regulates muscle tone, and reduces the activity of the nervous system. Therefore, with a cup of GABA tea, you can focus on your tasks without worrying about them after shutting down your laptop and quickly fall asleep.
