Whether you call it pop or soda, we all know by now that the majority of fizzy soft drinks out there aren't very good for you. Just one average 16-oz bottle of soda contains ten teaspoons of sugar—the total recommended intake for an entire day! As we know, heavy sugar consumption is linked to several serious health factors; aside from the weight gain and obesity connections, it can also increase the severity or likelihood of developing chronic conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and chronic inflammation. And the sickly artificial sweeteners you find in diet alternatives are associated with cardiovascular disease, kidney disfunction, strokes, and, again, type 2 diabetes.

One thing I often hear from many of our clients is that cutting down on sodas is one of the battles they are fighting to improve their quality of life. Trust me, I definitely understand; it can be hard to replace the cool, sparkly, refreshing experience of soda, but it's not impossible. Here at Discover Teas, we can help provide you with a mighty weapon to help you win the war: Sparkling tea!

In addition to being delicious, sparkling tea, particularly when made with all-natural loose-leaf, is healthful and easy to make. You don't even need to buy a pricey home carbonation machine! It is a simple process that can be done several different ways, depending on what best fits your needs and lifestyle, and all you need is sparkling water (preferably unflavored seltzer), an air-tight steeping solution, and, of course, tea.

If you missed our Sparkling Tea Workshop, don't fret, the steps are simple:
1. Add tea to your steeping solution, such as a tea filter or infuser. Our Urban Tea Tumblers are ideal for this!
2. Add sparkling water.
3. Chill, and wait!

For small quantities, the tea should be ready to go within an hour. For larger servings, 3-4 hours is better. If the sparkling water and steeping materials aren't kept cold prior to preparation and after serving, the carbonation may dissipate more quickly—so consume with gusto!

Making your own sparkling tea is also easy, efficient, and allows you to play around to create whatever flavors you want. It's a bright, refreshing experience that lets you enjoy the fizziness of a cold drink without the sticky, parched aftertaste of soda. You can do it on your own, or make a fun family affair out of it.

If you enjoy the energy boost from caffeine, there are plenty of black, green, oolong, and white teas to choose from; if you prefer something caffeine-free, you can choose from a whole variety of caffeine-free herbal teas, whole fruit blends, rooibos and honeybush.

These are some of my favorites I highly recommend sparkling up:

• Ontario Icewine
• Watermelon Oolong
• Williamsburg Port
• MetaboTea
• Strawberry Green
• Le Marche Spice
• Vanilla Cream
• Peach Apricot
• Piña Colada

You can also blend your own bubbly concoctions for extra fun. Why restrict yourself, when there's a whole world of sparkling tea for you to discover?

If you are looking to replace your soft drink consumption with something more healthful, sparkling tea can be your answer. Plus, if you are making your sparkling tea with real loose-leaf tea with no artificial ingredients, you're not just cutting out an unhealthy element of your diet, you're actually adding in the nutrients and powerful antioxidant properties of tea, for a double increase in benefit.