Tea is for work. Forget all the people who say tea is just for relaxing and only there to help clear your mind. To define tea that way, and to limit tea like that is nonsense. Far more people probably drink tea in the middle of their work day, or while doing household chores. A lot of people don’t even take a tea break to do it. They boil up some water, toss in some leaves and pour. Then, of course they hope to make it back to the pot in time to retrieve them – assuming they even remember.

How many pots or cups of tea have been ruined by hard-working folks deep in the middle of cleaning, writing, fixing, making, or just doing?

There is a lot of marketing hype out there about the relaxing nature of tea drinking. Though tea drinking certainly can be calming, the truth is, few people have time to sit back with their cuppa and put their feet up while listening to soft tunes on their iPod. Yes, it’s awesome to do that, but how often does that happen? And are those the only times you really drink tea?

Like so many others, you probably work hard every day – maybe even on weekends. Bosses, families, friends, everyone has things to do for somebody, and not enough time to get it done. Relaxation is often the last thing people ever get to do. More often than not, you are tired, but keep working, or you’re distracted and you keep going. You may even be thirsty and force yourself to wait for a chance to drink. For many hard-working people, tea really has less to do with taking a break, and more to do with staying hydrated so you can just keep getting things done.

Sure, you could drink sports drinks, “improved” water, or even fruit juice. You could even have a glass of plain water to hold you over…but tea just tastes better. It makes water more palatable, and is far more satisfying than anything with sugar or flavoring additives. Hot or cold, tea simply refreshes you while you work.

Why is tea so good for hard-working people?

1. The chemicals do it together. Theanine and caffeine are virtually polar opposites, but they complement each other in tea. Theanine calms you down and reduces stress, it leaves your blood, hits your brain and makes it work better. It improves your ability to think. Caffeine stimulates you and makes your nerves work faster. These things complement each other with a balance that no other naturally produced drink has. Tea is perhaps the only naturally calming stimulant.

2. Liquid makes you wet. Face it; most of us could easily work 3-4 hours without eating, or drinking. It happens to a lot of us, we simply don’t drink enough. Nobody gets enough water. While you can make do, because your body adapts, you certainly could use more hydration. Water can get boring, but not tea! Making more tea, means drinking more water. Properly refreshed, your brain works better and your muscles last longer. Tea makes water taste good. Water that tastes good is more likely to be drunk.

For all you hard-working people out there who never really find the time to relax and slow down. It’s okay, don’t worry about it. Working hard, staying busy and being productive is just as important as putting your feet up. You don’t need to wait for a relaxing break to drink your cup of tea. You can make it now, and still get on with work. You can sit at your desk and slurp as you type, you can hop in the car and drive the kids to practice (just don’t spill!), you can keep your thermos handy in the truck to refill the mug you carry around at the job site. You can do all that, and feel much better simply because you’re drinking tea. Tea keeps you moving, keeps you focused, keeps you on the go. You can rest later, for now, it’s nice to drink and still get work done.

Loose leaf or bagged, hot or cold, mug cup or thermos – let us know below what you do with tea that helps you stay busy and on the move. What kind of things do you do on busy days to make tea convenient? Do you just give up on your tea while you’re waiting for the perfect moment or do you fit it in and keep on going?