What's the best throat soother tea? 🤧
In this article, we’re going to try and find out. We’ll also take a look at how throat soother tea works, and why it might be an effective way to alleviate the symptoms of a sore throat.
Finally, we’ll take a look at the best teas to drink when you have a sore throat and where you can find them.
Without further ado, let’s get started! 🍃
How does Throat Soother Tea Work?
Before we talk about the best throat soother tea, let’s first discuss how tea can help soothe your throat.
Here, we are going to take a look at different characteristics of tea and how they can benefits your throat.
Throat soother tea contains antioxidants
The first factor of a good throat soother tea is that it contains a lot of antioxidants.
Getting more antioxidants in your diet can be a great way to reduce inflammation.
Because throat soreness is usually caused by inflammation in the pharynx, in theory it can be reduced with antioxidants.
In a later section, we’ll talk about what types of antioxidants are found in green tea, and the types of teas that are highest in antioxidants.
Clears out discomfort
Another way throat soother tea can help is by clearing out mucus and discomfort. The warmth of the tea itself can help to remove mucus which is often the culprit for a sore throat.
Speeds up the healing process
Just like the warmth of a throat soother tea can reduce the buildup of mucus, it can also help to speed up the healing process. The warm liquid helps to dilate blood vessels and increase the blood flow to the problem areas of the body. This helps to increase the speed of recovery, which can be crucial when you are trying to get over a sore throat.
Keeps you hydrated
Finally, a throat soother tea can just help to keep the body hydrated. Sometimes it can be difficult to drink enough water in a day without constant reminders. When you get your water in the form of a delicious tea, it can be much easier to drink throughout the day. If you are well hydrated, your body is much better equipped to fight off whatever is ailing you at the moment.
What’s the Best Throat Soother Tea?
#1 Sencha
As we mentioned before, antioxidants can be a key ingredient in a good throat soother tea. This means that you should go for a tea that is high in antioxidants.
The main antioxidant in green tea is catechins, specifically Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). In a similar way to caffeine, catechins are produced by the tea plant as a defense mechanism. When the tea plant is exposed to sunlight, it begins to convert theanine into catechins as a protection against the UV light.
Strong concentration in catechin
These catechins produce a bitter flavor in the tea, but they can provide great health benefits. While some premium Japanese green teas are shaded to reduce the bitterness, sencha teas are unshaded for the most part. This means that they have a higher concentration of catechins, so they are often recommended for cold and flu.
Prepare it at a higher temperature to extract more catechins
If you really want to extract more catechins, and create a potent throat soother tea, you can prepare it at a higher temperature. Catechins are harder to extract, which is why we typically recommend using a lower temperature water if you want less bitterness in your tea. If you use hot water, you’ll get more antioxidants but the flavor will be much more intense.
#2 Gyokuro
Gyokuro is the most sought after leaf tea in Japan. It has become famous for its powerful sweet and savory flavor, which is perfected during a long and careful production process. During the production process, the tea plant is covered in a type of netting for 3 weeks before the harvest.
The covering prevents the tea from creating as many catechins, and therefore it is able to retain more of its sweet and savory theanine. While catechins get a lot of credit when it comes to explaining the health benefits of green tea, theanine can also have its fair share of positive effects.
Strong concentration in theanine
Theanine is thought to slow the absorption of caffeine and induce a calming effect on the brain. This is why when people drink green tea, they report having a longer lasting calm alert feeling throughout the day, without the crash or jitters. It appears that the caffeine and theanine in a tea like gyokuro work together in synergy to give you the best of both worlds.
A thick texture almost reminiscent of an oil
The reason why gyokuro makes for a good throat soother tea is because of the texture. One of the aspects that enhances the drinking experience of a tea is the mouthfeel. Gyokuro has a thick, heavy mouthfeel that is almost reminiscent of an oil.
When you drink gyokuro prepared with lots of leaves and very little water, you are not only meant to savor the taste, but also the texture as it glides over the tongue, drop by drop. This thicker tea texture also has the potential to help soothe your throat, making gyokuro another great throat soother tea.
#3 Hojicha
Another good throat soother tea on our list is hojicha. Hojicha is a special type of roasted tea from Japan. It’s typically made from the older leaves and stems of the tea plant, and after the leaves are processed and dried, they are roasted in either a large hot pan or a roasting machine.
Roasted tea
During the roasting process, the tea leaves change from green to brown, and the flavor is altered as well. The tea trades these fresh, citrusy and vegetal notes for warmer notes of coffee, caramel and chocolate. This makes the tea much more soothing and a great one to keep around as a throat soother tea.
Ideal for winter time
The flavor of hojicha is much more suitable for the winter months, which are of course when most people report having sore throats. Although this tea resembles a black tea, with its brown leaves and reddish liquor, it is actually a type of green tea. While black teas are allowed to oxidize, this tea is made from unoxidized, green tea leaves that have been roasted after the production process.
#4 Bancha
Bancha can be a great tea not only for a sore throat, but also for ailments in general. While most Japanese green teas are made from the younger leaves of the tea plant, bancha is actually made from the older, more mature tea leaves.
Lower in caffeine and higher in minerals
These leaves are tougher, lower in caffeine and higher in minerals. The reason they are low in caffeine is because caffeine is produced by the tea plant as a defense mechanism to protect itself against insects. The younger, more tender tea leaves are more vulnerable, and therefore they require more protection. The older, thicker leaves are tougher and they don’t require as much protection.
Good for digestion
Bancha is also thought to be good for digestion, which is why it is often drunk after a meal. The flavor is more mild compared to sencha, with earthier notes of wood. This tea can also stand up to higher temperatures, which as we mentioned before can make it a good throat soother tea. With bancha tea, you really can’t go wrong, and with an affordable price tag, it’s a good tea to keep around just in case you get sick or need a drink to enjoy after a meal.
#5 Matcha
Matcha is another example of a good throat soother tea, but there is a lot of confusion about it. Many people ask what matcha is, or whether or not it is even a type of tea and the answer is yes! Matcha is essentially a powdered green tea, but it needs to be made from special tea leaves.
Leaves are the highest in nutrients
Like with gyokuro, the tea plants used to make matcha are shaded for 3 weeks before the harvest. Then, the top 3 sprouts are selected, as these are the highest in nutrients and the smoothest and sweetest in flavors. Once the leaves are harvested, they are gathered up to be steamed, rolled and dried.
Next, the tea undergoes 2 steps that you will not see in the gyokuro production process. The leaves have their stems removed, which improves the flavor, color and health benefits of the tea. These yellow stems detract from the green matcha color and the smooth, naturally sweet flavor of the tea, so they are removed in the production of premium, ceremonial grade matcha.
You are consuming the entire leaf
With so many different matcha benefits, it’s no wonder that people everywhere are using it as a throat soother.
The reason why matcha works so well as a throat soother tea is because when you drink it, you are consuming the entire leaf, along with all of its health benefits.
This makes it different from teas like sencha where you are just consuming the water soluble components on the outside of the leaf. This means that matcha has more caffeine, more theanine and of course, more antioxidants as well!
Final Verdict on the best throat soother tea
When it comes to finding the best throat soother tea, it all comes down to what you enjoy drinking most. In order to add a new habit to your daily routine, it is much easier if it is something you enjoy.
That’s why our biggest recommendation is to just try a lot of different teas first to see which you like. Once you find your favorite throat soother tea, you can then keep that handy for the next time you get sick!
If you liked this article, make sure to read our 👉 Ultimate Guide for Cold and Flu Tea
