Some Great Tea Facts

The Truth About Tea by Maxine Glass

Some facts are fundamentally universal: when it is cold and damp outside, the human body craves something warm. Now, whether that warmness be in the form of steaming soup, hot tea or fresh-brewed coffee is up to the chilly consumer. But while the United States has become a seemingly Starbucks-infested coffee culture, a growing number of Americans are choosing tea for more reasons than simply warmth.


In 2005, the tea industry had its fourteenth consecutive year of sales increases, while retail supermarket sales alone surpassed $1.9 billion. This number is expected to continue to grow over the next five years. No longer just for the British, tea is fighting back as the beverage that is hard to ignore. In fact, 1.42 million pounds of tea is consumed every day in the U.S. and 519 million pounds are imported into the country each year.


But similar to choosing the perfect coffee bean or a complimentary bottle of wine, picking out the tea for your taste can be a dizzying task. Amazingly, all tea comes from the same plant called the Camellia sinensis, which is an evergreen native to China. It can grow up to 90 feet tall and in the past, some cultures taught monkeys to pick the tea leaves that they couldn't reach. However, modern times and technology have allowed farmers to grow the trees to just three feet for easier cultivation. The plant's leaves range from smooth and shiny to fuzzy and white-haired - each making up a specific type of tea. In total, the plant yields up to 3,000 varieties of tea, which can easily be broken up into three main categories: green, black, and oolong teas. Flavored and herbal teas also deserve to be mentioned, though they are not officially "tea."


Green Tea
What it is: Making up about 10 percent of the world's tea consumption, green tea has gotten a lot of recent media coverage for its health benefits.
Where it grows: Far East: China and Japan
What is tastes like: Green tea is greenish-yellow in color with a delicate taste that is slightly astringent and grassy.
What you should know: It is high in antioxidants and may protect against certain types of cancer (lung, ovarian, breast, prostate and stomach) as well as the precancerous condition of stomach cancer, gastritis.


White tea
What it is: The rarest of all teas, the leaves are the same as green tea leaves, but they are plucked from the plant when they are still very young, giving them their extremely light color.
Where it grows: a Fujian province on China's east coast
What is tastes like: As one would expect, the tea is nearly colorless and is delicate in flavor with a slighty sweet and nutty quality.
What you should know: You may recognize white tea from recent Snapple commercials launching their new line of "Good For You" white and green tea bottled drinks.


Black tea
What it is: This is the most common type of tea, which accounts for about 87 percent of America's tea consumption.
Where it grows: Africa, India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia
What is tastes like: Black tea can come in a range of flavors, but is usually found to have a heartier taste than green or oolong teas.
What you should know: The main difference between black tea and green tea is the oxidation process. Black tea leaves are fully oxidized whereas green tea leaves are lightly steamed before they are dried. This process contributes to the tea's taste as well as caffeine content. Like green tea, black tea has also been shown to have health benefits. Research has suggested that the antioxidants found in black tea may play a preventive role in conditions like heart disease, stroke and some cancers.


Pu-erh tea
What it is: Also speller Puer, this tea technically falls in the black tea family, but is fermented twice (instead of once), which elevates it to its own category. The double oxidation process followed by a period of maturation allows the leaves to develop a thin layer of mold.
Where it grows: Southwest China, Burma, Vietnam and Laos
What is tastes like: Due to the layer of mold, pu-erh tea takes on a soil-like flavor with a strong, earthy quality.
What you should know: Although the tea is distinctly dirt-tasting, pu-erh is often used for medicinal purposes as a digestive aid.


Oolong tea
What it is: Considered to be among the finest (and most expensive) teas in the world, oolong Tea is semi-fermented, which means that it goes through a short oxidation period that turns the leaves from green to a red-brown color.
Where it grows: Taiwan
What is tastes like: Pale yellow in color, the tea has a floral, fruity flavor reminiscent of peaches with a hint of smoke.
What you should know: Tea connoisseurs consider the oolong flavor to be the most delicate and frown on drinking it with milk, sugar or lemon as to preserve the natural taste.


Flavored tea, Blends, Herbal Infusions and Tisanes
Because tea naturally absorbs other flavors quite easily, cultures have been adding herbs, spices, oils and flowers to their tea for centuries. In China, adding flowers such as jasmine, orchard, rose and magnolia to teas is quite popular. In many Arabic nations, they add fresh mint leaves and heaping spoonfuls of sugar to their tea. And in India, they make spicy masala tea by adding spices like cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and peppers.


If black and green teas are considered "purebreds," then blended teas are considered "mutts." Tea producers use different strains of tea to create flavors like English Breakfast and Earl Grey.


Unlike flavored tea and other blends, herbal infusions and tisanes are not technically tea as they are not made with leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant. Instead, tisane (tee-ZAHN) is an herbal tea made from herbs, spices and flowers and added to boiling water. Herbal drinks are typically recognized for their caffeine-free quality and also for soothing and rejuvenating effects. Commonly found herbal teas include chamomile, peppermint, fennel, rose hip and lemon verbena.


Caffeine Conundrum
People find all sorts of reasons not to drink tea, but two of the most common center around the avoidance or obsession with caffeine. Consider these facts about tea and caffeine from the UK tea council:

- 4 cups of tea per day offer good health benefits without the contraindications of other caffeinated drinks. - Four cups of tea contain only moderate amounts of caffeine, which has been shown to increase concentration, thereby improving performance. - When drinking a normal cup of tea, you consume significantly less caffeine than a cup of instant coffee or one you would buy at a coffee shop. - Tea contains at least half the level of caffeine than coffee.


Tea Traditions
Though not nearly as common in America as in other parts of the world like Ireland and Britain, the custom of tea still penetrates many households in this country. Afternoon tea is said to have originated in the early 1800s by Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford who wanted some sort of mid-afternoon snack to ward off hunger pains until dinner. The tradition continues today, and while every British family does not sit down for a formal tea each day, many of the most elegant hotels in London (and in America) still serve a lavish spread for tea each afternoon. International chains like the Ritz-Carlton and the Four Seasons often offer a tea time treat, but check with your local hotels for times and pricing.


Plan Your Own
Nothing is more elegant and lady-like than a tea party. A creative idea for a shower, birthday party or just a girl's luncheon, here's everything you'll need make tea fit for the queen.

- Tea: buy your favorite black or herbal tea at the store or make your own: Spicy Green Tea Relaxing Tea Blend Chamomile Herb Tea Lemongrass and Mint Tea Spicy Ginger Tea

- Tea Accessories: milk (provide 2 percent and skim), sugar (may be cubed or loose, brown or white), lemon

- Sandwiches Cucumber Tea Sandwiches Shrimp Butter Tea Sandwiches Finger Sandwiches Mini Ham and Cheese Rolls

- Scones White Chocolate and Dried Cherry Scones Apricot Scones Orange Poppy Seed Scones Orange Pecan Scones Strawberry Scones Maple Scones

- Breads and Cakes Mini Lemon Tea Bread Buttermilk Scones with Raisins Thyme-Rosemary Tea Bread Chocolate Tea Bread Lemon Verbena Tea Bread Lemon Blueberry Tea Muffins Mrs. Perry's Crockpot Pumpkin Tea Bread Cherry Almond Tea Ring

References: United Kingdom Tea Council - An expansive database of information on tea. Everything from health benefits to types of tea - even a printable form to help you remember how your colleagues take their tea. Tea Association of the USA, Inc. - Facts and figures about tea in the US. StarChefs - An easy reference guide for all things tea-related.

Copyright © 2006 Ampere Media LLC
About the Author

Recipe4Living.com features more than 10,000 user submitted recipes, ideas and recipes from Wolfgang Puck, reference guides, healthy living advice, tips for kids, and much more. You can find all recipes mentioned in this article at www.recipe4living.com.

Loose Tea in the Spotlight

This is a super close up picture of loose leaf green tea on top and loose leaf black tea on the bottom.

This was 1 tsp of loose tea each which is all you need to make 2 cups of tea.

The black loose leaf tea is a little more compact as it is dried for a longer period of time.

Green loose leaf tea is not dried or withered for very long, depending on the type, it is steamed dry and either rolled by hand or just left as is.

Of course this is what will change the flavour of the tea as it does all come from the same plant.

Here is an article that sums it up pretty good:

Tea Varieties
by: John Gibb

The second most consumed beverage behind water is tea. Interestingly enough the 3,200,000 tones of tea produced worldwide come from only one plant species, named “camellia sinensis.” But how a plant becomes a beverage? Tea is made by steeping processed leaves, buds, or twigs of the tea bush in hot water for a few minutes, a great variety of tea tastes, aromas and colors can excite even the more skeptical drinker. If you do like tea drinking, but simply never had the opportunity to learn more about it beyond the fact that you enjoy it, you should know that there are thousands of kinds of tea offered on today's market. Shades in flavor derive from the region of cultivation and the method of processing the tea leaves. It is the processing techniques that produce the four simple tea categories are considered the art of tea making. In its most basic form, processing is the taking of the raw green leaves and deciding whether or not, and how much oxidation (or fermentation) should take place before drying them out. Oxidation is the reaction of the enzymes contained in tea leaves when they are broken, bruised or crushed.

The first category is that of black tea. Black tea is nothing more than the leaves of the camellia sinensis after being exposed to 8-24 hours of open air. After the leaves are picked up they are spread out to let the water they contain evaporate. You have probably witnessed it happening to a flower that is left without being watered. The foliage curls up and begins to dry. After this part of the process, the tea leaves are balled into rolls that encourage oxidization. When fully oxidized, the leaves turn into a rich black color. Tea producers then put the tea leaves into the final drying period before sorting and packaging them.

Oolong tea is another tea category and is considered to be the most difficult of the four types of teas to process. The best way to describe oolong tea is that it is somewhere in between green and black tea. This is because the leaves are only partially oxidized during the processing. As with black tea, the leaves are spread out to dry for 8-24 hours, but after that, they are tossed about in a basket in order to create a bruising and partial exposure to the air. The final step involves steaming the leaves, which neutralizes the enzymes in the tea and prevents further oxidization.

Green teas, like white teas, are closer to tasting like fresh leaves of grass that the other two tea categories. This type of tea is also lower in caffeine and has higher antioxidant properties. The whole process of creating green tea revolves around preventing oxidization from taking place in the leaves. Though the tea leaves are sometimes laid out to dry for a few hours, then, in order to neutralize the enzymes and prevent further oxidation, the leaves are steamed or pan fried. It is this very technique which results in the preservation of the enzymes which have recently become the focus of medical research. After steaming, the leaves are rolled up, still quite green in color.

Finally, white tea has recently become a popular item in the west as it is the least processed tea and thus tastes the most like fresh leaves or grass. White tea is made of the little buds of the tea plant. Again like green tea, white tea is steamed or pan fried to prevent any kind of oxidization, and great care is taken to avoid bruising or crushing the tea. The dried buds have a silver-like appearance because the tiny white hairs of new growth are still present.

About The Author
John Gibb is the owner of http://tea-foru2k.info, for more information on Tea check out http://www.tea-foru2k.info

Health Benefits

Some health benefit information on the tea plant


Green tea is known to provide 10-40mg of polyphenols and has antioxidant activity greater than a serving of spinach, broccoli, carrots, or strawberries.

Studies show that green tea contains antioxidants, polyphenols, theanine, as well as a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. Green tea is definitely good for your body.

Enhances Health

Tea is known for its incredible power to prolong life. In recent research into green tea, results show its power in preventing disease as well.

Prevents Cancer

The death rate from cancer is known to be significantly lower for both women & men in Japan. Why is this you may ask? As much as 5-6 cups daily are consumed in areas that produce green tea, making it the main beverage to drink. This suggests that the main ingredients of green tea (tannin, catechin); in sufficient amounts lower the standard mortality rates for stomach cancer.

Restricts Blood Cholesterol

There are two types of cholesterol, one is "bad" cholesterol (LDL), and heavy accumulation of these in tissues can lead to atherosclerosis. The other is good cholesterol (HDL) that prevents accumulation of excessive "bad" cholesterol. It has been proven and demonstrated that green tea catechin restricts the excessive buildup of cholesterol.

Controls High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a serious burden on the vascular system and is known to cause heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. Green tea is known for lowering blood pressure.

Lowers Blood Sugar

Green teas given to diabetes patients cause a decrease in the blood glucose levels. Green Tea has the capability of lowering blood sugar. The sugars and carbohydrates in our food are digested mainly in the duodenum, where it is converted to glucose and then absorbed into the blood stream.

The agent that regulates the intake of blood sugar into tissues is insulin. Diabetes is characterized by lack of insulin or not the body not using insulin properly, which does not allow proper absorption of glucose into tissues and leads to a high blood sugar level that must eventually be excreted into urine. If this high concentration of blood sugar continues for a long period, it will affect the vascular system and cause serious diseases including arteriosclerosis and retinal hemorrhages.

Suppresses Aging

Oxygen plays a key role in metabolism, but can also be an unhealthful agent. As a free radical, oxygen in the body can corrode cell membranes, which will damage DNA and the fats. This then leads to diseases such as cancer, cardio-vascular disease and diabetes. Lipid peroxide created by fats combined with oxygen tends to build up in the body and create aging.

Consumption of antioxidants such as vitamins E and C promises longer life, and we already know that green teas are rich in those two vitamins.

Refreshes the Body

Green tea caffeine taken in proper quantity stimulates every organ in the body and clears your mind. The small amount of caffeine (about 9 mgs of caffeine) present in a normal serving of green tea can stimulate the skeletal muscles and smooth the progress of muscular contraction.

Deters Food Poisoning

It has long been known that green tea has the ability to kill bacteria and is known to deter food poisoning. Treating diarrhea with consumption of strong green tea. Green tea is a powerful sterilizing instrument for all sorts of bacteria that cause food poisoning.

Prevents and Treats Skin Disease

Soaking in green tea has been successful as a treatment for athlete's foot. Bedsores and skin disease can be prevented or healed by using a green tea bath.

Stops Cavities

Green tea contains natural fluorine and is thought to aid in the reduction of cavities in schoolchildren. It has been known for some time that small amounts of fluorine can strengthen teeth and help prevent cavities.

Fights Viruses

Green tea catechin and theaflavin, which are both present in black tea, have a strong effect on the flu virus. It is also thought that the anti viral capability of green tea catechin may have some beneficial effect on the AIDS virus.
Additional Information

· Green Tea drinkers appear to enjoy better health.
· Catechin is 100 times more potent than vitamin C and 25 times more potent than vitamin E.
· Green Tea drinkers have half the risk of fatal heart attacks. Compounds in the tea called flavonoids stop blood platelets from forming clots, much like aspirin does.