by Kimberley K
February 24, 2021
Whether you're studying for school, college, further education or just self-learning, ensuring you consume the right food and drink will not only help you focus and stay concentrated, but could also play a big part in helping you to retain information.
While most people out there want the maximum jolt of caffeine and energy that they can find, turning to energy drinks and coffee can often result in energy crashes as the burst of energy they give usually only lasts a 60-90 minutes and both can also sometimes cause jitters, depending on how sensitive you are to caffeine.
While teas still do contain caffeine, the caffeine in tea works with naturally occurring L-Theanine. This provides you with a similar buzz to that created by coffee and energy drinks, without causing the crashes and the jitters.
The great thing about teas is that there are so many different options out there, so today I thought we'd pick out some of what we consider to be the perfect teas and tisanes for studying from Adagio's current range and help you avoid having to do extra research on top of your studying.
Matcha Matcha is produced from shade-grown tea leaves called Tencha, which are stone-ground into a fine powder that can be prepared in a number of different ways depending on how you prefer to drink your tea. Matcha is very high in caffeine and does contain almost as much caffeine as coffee, however, it's also very high in L-Theanine which is a unique compound that has been shown to aid in reducing stress and sharpening focus. Matcha is also incredibly versatile and as well as being drunk on it's own, it can be made into a latte (hot or iced), you can add it to food and smoothies, and it pairs beautifully with so many different things!
If traditional teas are your jam, we would suggest going for the Classic Matcha - it has no additional flavors added but it shines on it's own and if flavored teas are more your thing we have lots flavored matcha options. My personal favourite is the Raspberry Matcha, which I highly recommend having as an iced latte. I used to drink both coffee and energy drinks daily until they caused problems with my heart, so Matcha became the perfect replacement and it's what kept me focused through the latter half of my studies so I highly recommend giving it a go, you never know how much that change could help you!
Black TeaIf Matcha isn't really your thing, as we know it's not everyone's cup of tea, black tea is another great option and just like Matcha there are many fantastic traditional black teas and flavored black tea blends out there. Black tea contains about half the amount of caffeine that coffee does but also contains L-Theanine and has a whole host of other benefits alongside it's energizing effect.
My personal favorite Adagio black teas to drink while studying are Golden Monkey, Earl Grey Bella Luna, Thai Chai (as an Iced Latte), and Chocolate Chip. However, there are so many fantastic options when it comes to black tea that you'll have no trouble finding something to suit your personal tastes.
Green or White TeaGreen and White teas specifically have higher amounts of a compound called Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) which is known to help to stimulate short-term memory and aid in memorization. While both also contain caffeine, they are also incredibly relaxing to drink. We offer lots of fantastic traditional and flavoured options including Gyokuro, Cherry Green, Fujian Silver Needles, and White Strawberry.
Yerba MateThis is technically not a tea as it does not come from the Camellia Sinensis plant, rather from a plant in the same family as Holly, Yerba Mate contains more caffeine per 8oz than some black teas do. It's origins lie in South America and it produces an earthy / bitter cup when prepared on it's own.
Adagio offers a range of different Yerba Mate blends that are bound to keep you going while you power through your work, If you are new to Yerba Mate we would recommend starting off with a flavoured blend as sometimes it can take a little bit of time to get used to the way that it tastes on it's own so you may want to experiment a little with blends like Samurai Mate, Citrus Mate, Spiced Mate, or Toasted Mate before moving on to trying it on it's own.
I hope that this guide has given you some great ideas and you'll be able to find the perfect teas to keep you going throughout your studies be they at home, online or otherwise throughout this year. Good luck with everything going forward, from your friends at Adagio.