I spent the final days of 2005 stuck in a hyper-caffeinated vortex of peppermint lattes and gingerbread mochas. ‘Twas the season, ‘twas the stress, but my boxes of herbal, green, and black tea remained jammed against the back of the pantry with three cans of kidney beans and an old box of couscous.

I don't know how it happened, but suddenly I was a coffee drinker.

Sometimes I'd catch the smiling eyes of the Swami glinting off a box of Yogi Tea when I reached past for a coffee filter, and I'd feel a flash of nostalgia for the gentle life of the tea drinker, but mostly I chugged my café – light, no sugar – with abandon.

It's now 2006 – time for a change. I had a cup today, but my java days are nearly done. January is National Hot Tea Month and I'm determined to go back to the leaf. Down with the bean! Back to the leaf! And green will be my primary tea of choice. The studies have come – green tea is overflowing with powerful antioxidants – but the good news keeps getting better. Not only is green tea all about antioxidants, but it can also help you lose weight. That's right, switch your morning beverage to a cup of the green stuff and you may be one notch closer to keeping your New Year's Resolution. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found that the catechins contained in green tea interact with other naturally occurring substances in the brew to promote fat oxidation. Three to four cups a day can help burn an extra 70 calories a day.

Caution: you can tea too hard. Green tea is said to become toxic after the 10th cup and fatal after the 16th consecutive cup consumed in one day.

Have you made the jump from coffee to tea?

[via IdealBite]

(Image Yogi Tea)