Green Tea To Make You Healthy, Wealthy and Wise
It is not always that we are so fortunate that something we enjoy is good for us. How lucky we are that green tea fits that role so well!
The role of green tea in promoting health has been much in the news in the last few years. There is ample evidence that, consumed in moderation, green tea indeed does aid many aspects of functioning. Some of these benefits have been known for over a thousand years.
The polyphenols, flavonoids and even caffeine (in moderate quantities) present in green tea are all known to help the body protect itself. Green tea helps lower cholesterol (the ‘bad’ kind), absorbs free radicals that can damage cell membranes and reduces the prospect of certain cancers.
Despite Federal FDA denials, many studies lend strong support to those who tout green tea’s benefits. Black tea, as well, has most of the same benefits.
But green tea has many virtues beyond the medicinal. It tastes delightful and provides a relaxing form of enjoyment in a hectic world.
Just as with black or Oolong tea, green tea comes from the leaves of an evergreen called Camellia Sinensis. They are plucked, then processed. But unlike black tea, green tea leaves do not go through a long oxidation process.
Instead, green tea leaves are steamed, which retains the EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) antioxidants. Black and Oolong teas undergo ‘fermentation’ which converts the EGCG into other compounds. ‘Fermentation’ in tea, despite the use of the same word, is not the same process as in winemaking. No sugars are converted to alcohol. It’s simply a synonym for oxidation, more or less.
As a result, the tea flavor is much more delicate and the aroma and taste retain much more of the ‘vegetative’ quality from the original bush. That flavor is enjoyed in a hundred varieties by tea drinkers the world over.
The Long Jing tea from Hang Zhou in China, pan dried and flat in appearance, often goes by the name Dragon Well. This green tea is among the most common drinks in China. Yet for all its commonality, it makes a fine brew. The Gyokuro, also known as Jewel Dew as a consequence of its color, is another fine green tea from China.
The Ryokucha from Japan is a green tea that is so common there that a form of the word (ocha) is often taken to mean simply ‘tea’. Connoisseurs regard the green tea from the Uji region of Kyoto to be among the finest. Matcha is a powdered green tea once used primarily in tea ceremonies. Now it is so popular throughout Japan and elsewhere that it finds its way into ice cream and other sweets.
Gunpowder, which has nothing to do with the explosive, is another popular variety. The leaves are rolled into tiny pellets, making for a very intense infusion. Its muscatel overtones make for a wonderful brew.
There is even a green tea-style Earl Grey. Though without the heady flavor of the more common black tea type, the bergamot oil combines well with green tea.
So if you have always been a committed black tea drinker, it’s time to open up your horizons. It may not make you wealthy, but it can give you enjoyment and promote your health. And isn’t that very wise?
Flavored Teas-Jasmine, Chrysanthemum, Rose, Ginger and More
Cornucopia: ‘A symbol of prosperity and affluence, dating back to the 5th century BC.’ In modern parlance, ‘a great many very good things’. And that exactly describes the flavored teas that are available today.
Though counting them could be difficult, the variety of flavored teas to be found could quite possibly exceed those of coffee. Devoted tea drinkers everywhere are the beneficiaries of that wide array of choices.
Flavored teas are created by adding, what else can one say, flavors to tea. During the process of preparing tea leaves, particularly as they oxidize, they can absorb a great many additives. Today, those additives range from floral aromas to fruit flavoring to syrups.
Most of the tea used is the black variety, since green tea is barely oxidized at all (it’s steamed instead), and Oolong only moderately so. But all types have been used, even the rare white teas that make it to Western shores only rarely.
The teas used are almost as diverse as the flavorings themselves. Ceylon, Darjeeling, Wu Yi and even African Rooibos are often used.
Among the flower-flavored teas are Jasmine, Chrysanthemum, Rose and many others. These have a delicate flavor and a lovely bouquet revealing their twin origins as tea and flower. They are popular at all sorts of functions, and even those who enjoy a robust Turkish in the morning may long for one after a hectic day.
One can easily find ginger combined with a Ceylon black. Peaches added to a Formosa Oolong are a specialty of many sites. Yunnan from China, flavored with calendula petals is all the rage, too. Even the rare China white, blended with sweet melon, shows the endless creativity of tea creators.
Cinnamon has long been used as a delightful spice sprinkled atop a rich black cup of coffee or hot chocolate. Infusing it into a black tea is just as delicious. In the Middle Ages cinnamon was sometimes used as a currency among the elite. Modern devotees of tea can find out why if they try this superb combination.
The variety of fruits used to flavor teas simply staggers the imagination, not to mention taxing the pen. Blueberry, cherry, banana, apple, raspberry and every other fruit grown on the planet have made their way into one of the world’s most ancient beverages.
Flavorings that have only recently delighted coffee drinkers have been used in teas for decades. Coffee drinkers have to generally be satisfied merely with adding the syrup after brewing. Caramel, chocolate and even candy syrups are being used right in the preparation of the leaf grinds or powder.
Whatever tea you favor, whatever flavor you prefer, you can find combinations that only a computer could keep track of. So don’t rack your brain. Just open your palate and try something new!
Relax With New Decaf Teas
Decaf tea is a great addition to the tea tin. There are times when you don’t need a pick-me-up, just a great tasting cup of tea. In fact, having tea often means the very opposite - taking a few minutes to relax, clear your mind and let the cares of the day flow away. A cup of decaffeinated tea can fit the bill very nicely.
In the past few years many have touted decaf coffee and tea as a healthier alternative. But that view is only partly correct. It’s true that excess amounts of caffeine can make a person jittery, that it can affect blood pressure and may cause stomach upset.
But decaffeinated green tea has been shown in more than one study to be less effective as an antioxidant than the caffeinated variety. That reduces tea’s natural cancer prevention ability.
The process of removing caffeine can have other health implications, as well. There are a number of common decaffeinating methods, but two are used most often: Direct and CO2.
In the Direct method, tea is steamed then rinsed with ethyl acetate for several hours. The organic solvent is then rinsed away with water. No one need to worry about any remaining chemicals in the tea, the process is very efficient. But the polyphenols that are responsible for many of tea’s health benefits are 70% removed by the process.
In the CO2 method, the leaves are soaked in a bath of carbon dioxide and run through water in a process called ‘effervescence’. CO2 in water makes carboxylic acid, the bubbles in soda that makes the tangy feeling on your tongue. Hence, the term. The CO2 method leaves 95% of the polyphenols intact, while removing most of the caffeine.
There’s a home-brew method for removing the majority of caffeine from tea as well. Steep the tea in hot water, then pour off. Steep again, this time retaining the result to drink. Much of the caffeine will be removed in the first pass, with a minor reduction in taste for the second cup.
To get a true decaf tea, purchasing a quantity that has gone through the CO2 method will give you the most benefits. But tea varies naturally in the amount of caffeine present, so there is another alternative to review. The average is about 40-50 mg per cup. Some teas will naturally have more or less of that. Decaf often still has some, typically around 5 mg.
The leaf processing, called fermentation, generally has little effect on the amount assuming no deliberate decaffeinating process has been employed. But the amount present in the original plant varies from one type of tea to another. Rooibos is lower in caffeine than others, though not so low as green tea. White tea is the lowest of all.
So, whether you want a decaf tea comes down to several factors. Some simply prefer the less bitter taste of a decaf, others want that extra soothing quality of a fine no-caffeine herbal. Add some to your collection of fine teas and enjoy it the way you like.
