Resolve to Drink Tea the Proper way

We are not talking about holding the cup in the correct, genteel way, rather in actually brewing the tea correctly and in a way that retains its best nutrients. There is an optimum time for steeping - more and it may turn the brew bitter, less and you don’t get the best out of your cup of tea. Use the correct temperature for steeping, depending upon the kind of tea it is - the rule of thumb usually is highest for black tea, then oolong, then green and white tea.

Also one needs to remember that tea is best had by itself, without milk or sugar if you want to take advantage of all its health giving properties.

Also remember that loose leaf tea will offer better taste and also more health benefits and so if it is at all possible make the switch from bags to loose leaf.

Use filtered water

Have you considered how much the taste of your tea is impacted by the water that is used to make it? Chlorine, metal content, excess fluoride in your tap water may well be impacting the taste of your tea, and not in a good way either. So consider using filtered water to reduce this mineral content in your water or perhaps you could try using bottled water.

Detox with Tea

Tea that is made from the tea leaf as well as tisanes have their own benefits and help detox the body. Green teas are known to be great antioxidants and therefore help detox the body. Also the Japanese green teas are high in vitamin C.

If you have a weight loss routine consisting of healthy eating and an effective exercise program, this could be helped in no small measure by regular tea drinking; just make sure that it is tea without sugar and milk.

White tea is known to have the lowest caffeine content and is highest in antioxidants and hence is beneficial for boosting the detox process.

Pu-erh Tea is used as a post meal digestive in parts of China and is also used to keep the heart healthy.

Kombucha tea is also thought to stimulate the liver and help in the detox process. It is also thought to improve the mood and help the digestion process.

Rooibos, red bush or red tea is also known to be very high in antioxidants.

Out with the old and in with the new

And by this we don’t just mean that new teas must be tried, which is always a good idea - those dedicated to black tea could examine the wonders of green and those devoted to green tea could try white of oolong just for a change! Try some kombucha, pu-erh and white tea; or some exotic Japanese green teas such as Matcha, Sencha, and Gyokuro.

Also you could make sure that stale left over tea is cleared out particularly if you have been remiss in storing it properly to preserve flavor and freshness. Henceforth resolve to store tea in air tight containers to preserve aroma, flavor and freshness.

Find out more about the goodness of tea

We have all probably heard about the natural antioxidants that tea has, which makes this a healthy and beneficial beverage to have on a regular basis. But did you also know that regular consumption of certain kinds of tea can help to prevent cancer, heart disease and even help to keep weight in check. Tea is also able to cure a number of common ailments as we have spoken of from time to time on this blog.

Tea also helps enhance the body’s defense systems so that it is better able to repel infection and improve immunity.

Treat yourself to some Tea Implements

For many of us, tea drinking is that special time of day when we not only enjoy a favorite drink, but also perhaps obtain some quality ‘me’ time; some much needed relaxation. Enhance this special time by investing in a lovely tea pot, some beautiful teacups, an antique tea cozy and so on. A new tea kettle for brewing, a new infuser may all be just the thing that will help to enjoy your tea drinking ritual even better!

Our next January post will offer even more details about more ways in which to make that cup of tea more special this Hot Tea Month!

Cardamom tea is a favorite with people all over India; a special guest will have the honor of being served cardamom tea. However cardamom is far from the only spice that is added to traditional spicy Indian masala chai, a cup of which could have all of these ingredients -

• Whole Black pepper (3 to 4 pieces)
• Cardamoms (1 or 2)
• Cinnamon (one inch stick)
• Cloves (2 - 3 pieces)
• Half inch piece of ginger
• Half cup milk
• ¾ cup water
• Sugar to taste (generally people add 1 to 2 tsp of sugar)
• Strong black tea - I heaped teaspoon

The way to go about it is to first roughly crush all the dry spices together and also cut the ginger into two or three pieces. Then take a pan and boil the water. To the water add the spices and let this boil for a minute or two. The color of the spices will infuse the water with a tint of color so you will know that the flavors have seeped into the water.

Now add the milk to the mixture. (You can add the sugar at this or any stage; even to the cup at the time of actual serving) Bring the mixture to a boil and then add the tea leaves, and boil some more until you get that nice light milk chocolate color to the whole thing and the lovely spicy tea smell.

Strain into the serving cup, add the sugar if you have not already done so, and there you have it - a steaming hot cup of spicy, delicious masala chai!

If you don’t want to go to all the trouble of collecting the different spices and ingredients together, you also get packets of chai masala, which are basically powdered spices to add to the tea directly. 

The Tea Stick Infuser

This one is a great idea for those who want to use loose tea but not be bothered by the tedious straining process. The ‘teastick’ is made from stainless steel with a mesh that you put loose tea leaves into and put directly into a cup of hot water.  This is easy to use and something that you also use as a stirrer.

The Tea Timer

This one is for those who want their tea just so - not over or under steeped. These gadgets come equipped with a device that dips the tea bag into the cup of water to steep and then can be timed in a way that the bag will be removed when the time is up! And the timer goes off so you know that it’s time for tea!

The Tea Straw

This one can be used by those who don’t have or won’t use an infuser.  It requires the person to put the tea leaves directly into the hot water and then use the tea straw to sip the tea - the straw is equipped with a built in filter that prevents the tea leaves from getting into your mouth.

Tea of the Month Club Membership

What is better than a tea sampler? A few months or even a year’s supply of tea! Depending upon the kind of membership you get them, the receiver of your gift will receive a new tea each month; about 30 servings worth. The teas are seasonally selected and alternate between rare teas, classic teas and specialty blends.  You can choose from a 3 month, 6 month or 12 month duration for your gift.

A Matcha Set

A set of Japanese utensils to enjoy the perfect cup of tea is also a good idea for the tea lover. You can either get a match bowl, or a full matcha set of tea utensils that includes a bowl, a whisk, a whisk holder, matcha whisk scoop (usually made from bamboo) as well as the green ceremonial match tea.

So go ahead and indulge that special tea lover in your life. They will welcome the thoughtfulness of your gift and perhaps think appreciatively of you each time they sip a cup of the fragrant brew.

Tea Themed T Shirts

Most tea lovers know that they’re on to a good thing, and don’t mind announcing to the world, their love affair with tea. Consider getting a tea inspired T shirt for a tea lover and watch how pleased they are by such a thoughtful and lovely gift. Instant Human - Just Add Tea, would be an ideal choice for someone who finds it difficult to function in the morning without that first cup of tea. Some other popular choices are Make Tea not War!, or Tea is the new Black may work for the fashionista tea lover.

A Sigg Bottle

One of those distinctive bottles that the Swiss make from aluminum or stainless steel may be a great idea for a tea lover, since these are water bottles that can also be used to carry iced tea and so on. Look for the ones that are appropriately lined from inside to minimize unwanted tastes and scents.

A Book about the History of Tea

If a person really enjoys reading, get them a book about tea, tea philosophies, the history of tea and so on. Even if the person is not much into reading, get a coffee table variety of book with lovely pictures or perhaps a book that has lots of different tea recipes and ideas. The Story of Tea (A Cultural History and Drinking Guide) by Mary Lou Heiss is a great idea, as is The New Tea Companion by Jane Pettigrew or Liquid Jade - The Story of Tea from East to West by Beatrice Hohenegger.

Stain Teacups

These are those attractive little tea cups from Bethan Laura Wood, that change color when you put tea in them and use them over a period of time. They change and the pattern becomes clearer, with more use. So rather than getting damaged by use, these teacups reveal their pattern more clearly with repeated use.

Tea Sample Packs

For a tea lover, tea, obviously is a good gift, particularly when there is a fine variety on offer - tea samplers that combine samples of white, black, green and oolong, or a collection of fine Japanese teas. Help is not far to find, take a look at our Tea Store for a number of different tea collections.

Green Tea can Protect against Heart Disease and Stroke

A number of studies have demonstrated the positive impact that green tea has on cardiovascular health and according to some estimates, regularly drinking three cups of green tea a day can reduce your risk of heart problems my 11%. It is the flavonoids, antioxidants found in tea, that help to counter heart disease. While some studies have found that adding milk to the tea does not reduce its beneficial impact, others advise against adding of milk to tea.

Green Tea Helps Cancer Patients

Drinking green tea is known to help breast cancer survivors. In particular, it is decaffeinated green tea that has been seen to improve metabolic biomarkers among survivors of breast cancer, according to a study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics.  It can also help cancer patients by helping them lose weight, and lower their LDL (bad cholesterol) levels.

In other studies, conducted in vitro, green tea supplements have actually shown their efficacy in fighting certain kinds of cancer. According to a study published in the American Society of Clinical Oncology green tea extracts that contain high amounts of epigallocatechin 3 gallate (EGCG) were seen to be of particular help when dealing with patients suffering from chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).  The potential of green tea to act as a disease stabilizing agent is what clinicians find to be encouraging.

Anti Aging Benefits of Green Tea

There is anecdotal evidence of green tea being able to cure minor digestive ailments, such as flatulence and indigestion, and it is also known to improve mental faculties according to some experts. Another benefit of green tea is that it can protect cell damage and thereby reduce signs of aging, keeping them at bay for longer. Green tea’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties are what could help slow down the development of certain kind of skin deterioration when applied topically, studies have suggested. Both drinking green tea and applying formulations containing its extracts topically to skin can help battle signs of aging.  

Agony of the Leaves - This refers to the relaxing of the curled leaves when they are steeped

Anhui, Assam, Darjeeling, Ceylon  - These are names of different tea growing regions of the world. Whereas Anhui is in China, Assam and Darjeeling are tea producing regions of India. Ceylon is the colonial term for Sri Lanka, and each of these has their types of tea and tea growing areas have their distinctive taste, flavor and aroma.

Antioxidant, Catechins, Polyphenols - These are all terms that are often spoken about in connection with tea and how tea is good for us and our health. Antioxidants are those substances that control oxidization in the body; in other words organic elements that counter the damage to body tissues. Polyphenols are the astringent properties that are good for health and which tea contains. Catechins are a class of polyphenols - they are found to a higher extent in green tea but are also present in black tea to a lesser extent.

Earl Grey, Bergamot - Earl Grey is one of the most popular types of tea and it is imparted its distinctive flavor due to the addition of essential oil of Bergamot Orange, which is mixed with the tea leaves to give the distinctive characteristic of Earl Grey.

Cambric Tea - A weak tea preparation with lots of milk and sugar

Gong Fu - Literally, the term means performed with care in Chinese, and it refers to the procedure of brewing tea with several short infusions in a small pot

Gyokuro - This means pearl dew in Japanese and indicates green tea that is grown in the shade.

Harsh, Brisk, Bisuity, Bakey, Brassy, Chesty, Flat, Full, Heavy, Malty, Metallic, Muddy, Raw, Pungent, Winey, Woody  - These are all terms that are used to describe the aroma, flavor, taste or after taste of tea. Tea tasters take their job very seriously, much in the same way that wine tasters do, and there are these specific terms that describe the tea’s taste.

Pekoe and Orange Pekoe - Rather than refer to the flavor, these terms actually refer to the type of tea leaf. Orange pekoe refers to the large whole leaf tea and pekoe is the small whole leaf tea, a term that comes from the Chinese ‘baihao’ which is a term for the whitish hair on the new buds of tea plants.

Sir Philip Sidney said about tea, words that some of us may well identify with - Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea! How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea”

Alexandra Stoddard said words that some of us probably thought of as we settled down to our favorite cuppa feeling the pleasure of drinking the cup of good health  - When we sip tea, we are on our way to serenity

Sir Arthur Pinero echoed similar sentiments when he said, Where there is tea there is hope!

William Cowper said nothing but the actual truth when he said Tea - the cups that cheer but not inebriate - for in fact tea is a stimulant that has no harmful side effects.

Ralph Waldo Emerson put it in a nutshell when he said, There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea

C S Lewis and Christine Hanrahan were two people who loved both books and tea and expressed similar thoughts, when the former said, You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me and the latter said, Tea and books - Mmmmmm, two of life’s exquisite pleasures that together bring near-bliss.

Henry James and many others apart from him still think of their afternoon tea time as being sacred and most important; a time that none should interrupt or spoil. There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea said he, expressing thoughts that many would echo.

Popular culture has, over time developed its own ways of lauding tea, and tea drinking - an ancient Chinese proverb points to the preoccupation with tea drinking that the Chinese have as a people: Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one, it is said.

Sometimes we can find lessons on life from the preparation and drinking of tea - An anonymous thinker pointed to the way in which we can learn from the teapot or kettle - Remember the tea kettle - it is always up to its neck in hot water, yet it still sings! This is a salutary lesson to be optimistic and cheerful even in times of adversity.

Tea is Not Suitable for Children to Drink - Myth

Tea is quite suitable for children to drink. In fact it is a whole lot more suitable than a number of other beverages that children are allowed to drink in a shockingly routine fashion. Colas, sodas and other flavored drinks that children drink up without batting an eyelid are actually loaded with unhealthy sugars, empty calories or at the very least harmful artificial sweeteners. By contrast, tea has a number of health giving properties that are actually good for children. As we have talked out extensively in one of our older posts, tea is suitable even for young children to drink and parents can always take the extra precaution of using decaf tea.

Tea can Reduce Negative Impact of Smoking - Fact

Due to its antioxidant properties, tea is able to negate at least some of the hugely negative impact that smoking can have on health.

Tea can Help Avoid Cancer - Fact

While it would be inaccurate to say that tea can cure cancer by itself, it can have the positive impact of helping to shrink tumor size. It also changes the metabolism of carcinogens responsible for cancer and can hence delay or slow down the development of cancer. For cancer patients, treatment can be assisted with tea drinking.

Those with Gastric Ulcer Cannot Drink Tea - Myth

There is the misconception that tea causes gastritis, or that it is unsuitable for consumption by those who have ulcers. This is completely inaccurate. In fact those gastric ulcers that are caused by indiscriminate use of medicinal drugs, can actually be helped by tea drinking, which can help to heal the ulcers.

Tea should be had Piping Hot - Myth

Tea should be allowed to cool down before being drunk. Not doing so, with actually harm the internal skin of the body and aggravate ulcers and other problems. It is recommended that tea should be drunk at an average temperature of 56-60 degrees (133 to 140 F) - waiting 5 minutes of so after brewing it, should do the trick.

Tea is Best Drunk Without Milk and Sugar - Fact

The most beneficial way to drink tea is without sugar, without milk and by steeping for an optimum amount of time. Tea leaves are best steeped and not boiled.

Tea is a Diuretic - Myth

It is believed by some, and erroneously, that tea is a diuretic because of its caffeine content. Caffeine does in fact have the impact of causing a person to pass more urine and thereby lose water. There is the apprehension that this could cause problems related to proper hydration of the body. However the level of caffeine in tea is not so high that this could pose a problem. Tea contains, at most, only half the caffeine that a cup of coffee contains.

Further, with regular tea drinking, the body adjusts to the caffeine intake and the impacts of caffeine as a diuretic are negated. Tolerance for caffeine is created by the drinker and tea drinking does not cause any extra loss of water.

Green Tea Helps in Weight Loss - Fact

Numerous studies have been able to show that drinking several cups of green tea a day can help a person lose weight. Drinking green tea can help lose weight, because this helps with the natural process of Thermogenesis in the body, which increases the metabolism of the body and hence burns calories at a faster rate.

Of course it has to be clarified that green tea assists in weight loss rather than actually causing it. This is to say that drinking several cups a day will mean an extra 80 or so calories burned per day, which can be very significant if one already eats a sensible healthy diet and has an effective exercise regimen. In that case the green tea intake can actually help you lose more weight, and faster.

Tea can cause Sleeplessness - Myth

It is thought that one of the components of tea, L-theanine is responsible for keeping people awake, especially when tea is drunk close to bed time. However it has been seen that L-theanine may actually have the opposite effect - that of enhancing sleep quality.

Tea Lowers Stress, Increases Endurance -  Fact

This is another way in which tea can help with weight loss - it helps build the body’s endurance, letting you work out for longer and more effectively. Also it’s more than just an old wives tale that tea can lower stress, studies have shown that it helps lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone in the body.