Yogi Tea for the Summer

Sure, we all enjoy a delicious cup of piping hot tea on a cold winter's day, but we've had some hot weather here in Oregon lately. How about some cooling, if you please?

An Ayurvedic note of full disclosure here. According to the principles of Ayurveda, ice-cold beverages are a distinct no-no, based on the idea that cold potions slow down the digestive processes and lead to incomplete digestion. How critically important this is a matter of debate. At the least, do not drink iced beverages with your meal. Maybe you can sneak by with some iced drinks between meals, if you wait a half hour or so after your last bite of food, especially if you have high pitta and it's a broiler outside.

But you can get away with cool drinks. To enjoy cool herbal teas, brew them normally and allow them to cool to your preferred quaffing temperature.

Here are some that many people like as a cool afternoon drink on a hot summer's day:

• Classic India Spice. Tastes as good cool as it does hot. Sweetening it makes it more cooling in the body.
• Green Tea Mint Garden. Includes a generous allotment of spearmint, one of nature's most cooling herbs. Mix it with sweet fruit juices for an elevated cooling experience.
• Green Tea Kombucha Decaf. Another cooling formula based on spearmint. With no caffeine to speed you up, it's perfect for a lazy summer afternoon.
• Comforting Chamomile. A calming, cooling tea that is enjoyed around the world. The finest chamomile in the world comes from the Nile valley in Egypt, and Egyptians have certainly learned how to deal with the heat.

Have you tried any of these chilled? We have reviews and star ratings now on each tea's product page, so please feel free to share your thoughts.