The Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea and Coffee

The Chinese have used green tea to treat disease for many centuries. Today, Western culture is beginning to appreciate the benefits of green tea.
Recent research has revealed some of the health benefits of using green tea including the possible prevention of rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cataracts and even cancer.
Studies have shown that drinking green tea helps you burn more calories. Green tea aids weight loss programs.
Green tea can help fight food poisoning, as well. It also helps kill bacteria that cause plaque and subsequent tooth decay. This gives your immune system a boost.

One of the best benefits of green tea is its ability to fight bacteria.
In addition, green tea can help lower blood sugar and cholesterol. It even helps slow the aging process!
Why is green tea so beneficial? It has to do with the way it is processed.
Steaming the leaves keeps the antioxidants intact. Fermenting oxidizes the antioxidants in the leaves and renders the antioxidant much less effective. Black tea and oolong tea are fermented, but green tea is steamed.
One thing is certain: more is better, so drink as many cups as you like! Recommendations vary from 3 to 10 cups a day. How much green tea do you need to reap all of the great benefits?
Even though green tea has lots of great benefits, many of us are not about to give up our morning cup of coffee. Guess what? No problem!
You will be glad to hear that new studies have shown there are some healthy benefits of coffee drinking.
Coffee seems to offset some of the damage caused by bad habits such as smoking or heavy drinking. Some smokers who also drink coffee have been shown to have less heart disease than other smokers. Some heavy drinkers who also drink coffee regularly have less incidence of liver damage than expected.
Besides the caffeine in coffee, there are other ingredients that are beneficial to our health.
Coffee contains antioxidants including quinines, chlorogenic acid and tocopherols as well as essential minerals such as magnesium. All of these aid glucose metabolism and may, as a result, reduce the risk of diabetes.
Animal studies published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry suggest coffee antioxidants boost the activity of enzymes which may protect against colon cancer.
Trigonelline is another beneficial ingredient in coffee which may help prevent tooth decay. Other benefits of coffee include reducing the risk of Parkinson's disease, helping relieve asthma symptoms and tension headaches, and inhibiting the formation of gallstones.
Now you can enjoy your morning brew with no sense of guilt!

Private Label Loose Teas vs Private Label Tea bags

More choices, options, colors and kinds can make any decision difficult. Though this choice may seem relatively simple as there are a growing list of companies that can supply a line of private label teas, as the number of companies grow, so to does the difficulty. Though this choice may seem relatively simple as there are a growing list of companies that can supply a line of private label teas. Though this choice may seem relatively simple as there are a growing list of companies that can supply a line of private label teas.

In a rapidly growing tea industry, a variety of companies are looking to expand their product base by adding a line of private label teas.
But now with the rise of Gourmet tea bags, where a high quality loose tea is included in the tea bags, all of the sudden this is a very real, and potentially better option. Though originally the choice was private label loose teas, now many companies are looking to add a line of private label tea bags was far lower than the private label loose teas.
This is where a vast majority of competition is. Either high quality loose teas that are green tea, black tea or oolong tea, or regular tea bags with low quality green tea and black teas in them. For those looking to enter into the tea industry, and have done their research have found that there are a vast number of "standard" teas on the market.

One of the reasons that the market is growing so fast however, is the nearly endless number of possibilities; differentiation. An industry such as tea is rapidly growing, which means the number of competitors is also, rapidly growing; a barrier to entry.
And as non tea drinkers are looking to improve their health, but have been turned away by the bitter taste of green teas, your Private Label Herbal Teas will be their to save them. Also high health benefits of the herbal teas and smooth taste makes them a favorite among tea drinkers as well as chunk of the population, non-tea drinkers. The reason is due to a significantly lower number of competitors and a potentially endless number of herbal blend options.

This is where a high percentage of growth in the tea industry can be found. If a company is interested adding Private Label Loose Teas to their product base, the best option would be to have loose Organic Herbal Teas, and Organic Herbal Tea Blends. But now, we can look at the options.
So if we could mix the two, High quality Loose Tea (either herbal or standard) and the easy use of a tea bag, then this would allow the company to differentiate their product whether using "Standard" teas or unique herbal blends, instead of with loose teas where only the unique herbal blends will allow your Private Label Tea to truly stand out. This is large reason why commercial tea bags have become so popular despite their general low quality. Loose tea takes more time to make, special tea utensils, all of which may not work well in this every day reality. But for any tea drinker, and especially non tea drinker, who lives in the modern day reality of a hustling and bustling business world, loose tea may not be the best option.
And overall, which is best for you ? Which part of the industry do you see fits with not only today's market, but also tomorrow's ? Which part of the industry do you see the most growth and most potential?

This is a very important part of the decision tree when looking to either add a new product to your already established company, or looking to start a company from scratch.

Types Of Chinese Tea

Probably you are familiar with the Chinese saying, "Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea are the seven necessities to begin a day." Though tea is last on the list, we can still see how important the tea is for the Chinese.
These include green tea, oolong, black, red, white, yellow, flower, and compressed tea. However, if we will consider tea in terms of quality, there are actually eight classes of Chinese tea. These are usually classified by procedure, quality, and preparation methods and so on.

There are actually thousand of Chinese tea varieties.
Now, let's take a look at these classes one by one.
Green Tea
Green tea is said to be the most natural type of Chinese tea. It is usually picked, naturally dried and fried briefly to get rid of its grassy smell. Unlike the other types, green tea skipped fermentation process.
Today, about 50% of China's tea is green tea. The aroma of this type of Chinese type range from medium to high, while the flavor is usually light to medium. According to some experts, green tea has the most medicinal value and the least caffeine content of all Chinese tea classes.
Oolong Tea
Chinese also call it "Qing Cha" and its typical leaves are green in the middle and red on the edges as a result of the process to soften tea leaves. This type of Chinese tea is halfway between green tea and black tea in a sense that it is half fermented.
Then, it is fried, rolled and roasted. Oolong tea leaves are basically withered and spread before undergoing a brief fermentation process.
Black Tea
The leaves of this variety become completely oxidized after processing. Also, this type of Chinese tea undergoes withering, then left to ferment for a long while, and then roasted. The Chinese black tea produces full-bodied amber when brewed.
Red Tea
It is also considered that red tea has low aroma and medium flavor and it is now divided into three subclasses: Kung Fu Red Tea, Ted Tea Bits, and Small Species Red Tea. This color is strongly highlighted during the fermentation process. As the name implies, this type of Chinese tea has red leaves and red tea color.
White Tea
This type of Chinese tea is sometimes considered as subclass of green tea. Perhaps it is for the fact that it is only withered and then roasted. Just like green tea, white tea escaped fermentation process. And, it has low caffeine content.
Yellow Tea
Apparently, yellow tea has yellow leaves and yellow tea color. According to some experts, this type of Chinese tea is an uncommon class of Chinese tea. The flavor of yellow tea is usually mild and refreshing.
Flower Tea
Generally, this class has light to medium flavor and medium to strong aroma. The Scented Tea, on the other hand, uses green tea and red tea as base and mix with scent of flowers. Well, the Flower Tea is just based on a simple concept that dried flowers are used, without much processing, to make tea. It actually subdivides into Flower Tea and Scented Tea.

Here is a unique type of Chinese tea - the Flower tea.
Compressed Tea
The final type of Chinese tea is the compressed tea. This class uses black tea as base tea. It is steamed and compressed into bricks, cakes, columns, and other shapes. Also, compressed tea has all the characteristics of black tea. It can be stored for years and decades.
Improve your health dramatically with the use of chinese tea -
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Oolong Tea - A Healthy Refreshing Drink

Green tea is often touted as a wonder drink providing all sorts of health benefits. Studies have shown that green tea can prevent cancer, lower blood pressure, boost the immune system and reduce hypertension. Although green tea gets the spotlight, many of these same health benefits can be attributed to all sorts of tea including oolong.
Tea is, after all, tea. The only difference between green, oolong, and black tea is the way it has been processed after harvesting. White tea is a little bit different because of the way it is grown, but all tea is from the same plant - Camelia sinensis. And this plant has naturally occurring antioxidants that are beneficial to human health.
Antioxidants are also present in other types of food such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, and wines. They are good for disease prevention by combating free radicals - substances in the body linked to cancer, Parkinson's disease, senile and drug-induced deafness, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's.
There are several components in tea that act as antioxidants including catechins, flavanoids, and polyphenols.
White, Green or Oolong?
Oolong tea is produced by allowing the tea leaves to oxidize for a short time after picking. Oxidation is the process which makes the leaves turn dark on exposure to oxygen. Oolong is semi-oxidized; black tea is fully oxidized; and green tea is un-oxidized.
Fresh tea leaves are high in catechins. Processing the tea reduces these levels, so the more the tea is oxidized the lower the catechin levels. This means that white tea has the highest levels of catechins closely followed by green tea.
Catechins are the media darling of green tea promoters and usually receive the most coverage when discussing the health benefits of tea. There is one point, however, which is often overlooked: As the levels of catechins decrease during oxidation, the levels of theaflavins and thearubigins increase.
These two substances are found in higher concentrations in oolong and black tea than in green tea and have anti-allergy, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. A 2001 Chinese study indicated that the antioxidant properties of green tea and black tea are equal.
So it appears that oxidation does not eliminate the health properties of tea, but simply reduces one type of antioxidant while increasing other health-promoting compounds.
So is Oolong Good for You?
It is safe to say that all tea is good for you, but since we are particularly interested in oolong, let's see what the medical literature has to say.
Diabetes - Oolong tea may be an effective adjunct to oral hypoglycemic agents in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Eczema - Japanese researchers reported that patients with a form of eczema improved after drinking a liter of oolong tea daily.
Allergies - Two catechin derivatives (C-1 and C-2) with potent antiallergic activity were isolated from Taiwanese oolong tea.
Bacterial infections - Oolong tea polyphenols strongly inhibited the enzyme activities of some types of streptococci.
Cavities - Oolong tea polyphenolic compounds could be useful for controlling dental caries.
Obesity - Consumption of oolong tea stimulates both EE and fat oxidation in normal weight men.
Cancer - Oolong tea extract has a chemopreventive action against hepatocarcinogenesis.
Great stuff! Drinking oolong tea will make you healthier, live longer, be more beautiful and have great teeth!
The Bottom Line
Drink oolong tea for your health, but don't lose sight of this simple fact - people have been drinking tea for thousands of years because it is a great tasting beverage. Sit back, relax, and savour the sensations as you sip this wonderful drink. It's good for the soul, and what's good for the soul is certainly good for the body.
__________________________________
References:
J. Agric. Food Chem., 47 (5), 1906 -1910, 1999. 10.1021/jf981114l S0021-8561(98)01114-5
Archives of Dermatology, January 2001
Diabetes Care 26:1714-1718, 2003
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1993 April; 59(4): 968-973.
131:2848-2852, November 2001 Nutr. The American Society for Nutritional Sciences J.
Caries Res. 1993;27(2):124-9.
Jpn J Cancer Res. 1996 Oct;87(10):1034-8.
Journal of Nutrition. 2001;131:2248-2251.
Copyright © 2006 by Ross MacIver
TeaFromTaiwan.com
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Ross MacIver is the webmaster of
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, a Taiwan-based merchant of high-quality oolong tea. Taiwan produces the best oolong tea in the world. All the tea carried by
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Introducing White Tea

White tea has only about 200 years of history and is the youngest among major tea types such as Green, Oolong and Black tea. Even though tea has been enjoyed for about 5000 years since its serendipitous discovery by Chinese Emperor and "Divine Healer" Shen-Nung in 2737 B.C, White tea did not come to existence until at much later time.
For her kindness and courage, people honored her with the name of Mother Taimu and named the mountain Taimu Mountain. While taking refuge up in a cave in the mountain, Lan Gu found a special tea tree to help cure them. According to a legend, White tea tree varietal was discovered by a girl named Lan Gu from Fuding county of Fujian Province in China where the beautiful Taimu Mountain is located.
This legend parallels the same divine healing spirit of tea discovery by Shen-Nung, only more than 2000 years later.
According to the history, White tea was first produced in Fuding in 1796 and later spread to two other counties (Zhenhe and Jianyang) in Fujian.
There are three different cultivars of White tea tree - Big White, Narcissus White and Vegetable White with the Big White as the finest and most popular. There are also three different types of White tea based on different ways of plucking - Silver Needle (only one bud is plucked), White Peony (one bud together with one leave down) and Longevity Eyebrow (one bud with two to three leaves down). Silver Needle is also known as its original Chinese name "Bai Hao Yin zhen" and is the most precious and exotic.
Due to the minimal processing, White tea preserves most natural compounds and potentially has the most health benefits. White tea is also called a lightly fermented tea positioning itself between the unfermented Green and semi-fermented Oolong tea. White tea brews to a pale yellow color and has a slightly sweet flavor.

During the process, there is light oxidation occurring. The leaves are withered and then dried. The process only consists of two steps. White tea is the least processed among all types of teas.
In 2002, a research paper by Oregon State University scholar Roderick H. Dashwood published in Foods and Food Ingredients Journal of Japan "White Tea - A New Cancer Inhibitor" provides insight into the anticancer and anti-mutagenic properties of White Tea.
They also found that the anti-viral and anti-bacterial effect of white tea might be greater than that of green tea. In 2004, at the 104th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Researchers at Pace University presented their finding that White Tea Extract (WTE) may have prophylactic applications in retarding growth of bacteria that cause Staphylococcus infections, Streptococcus infections, pneumonia and dental caries.
In addition, several companies started marketing White tea flavored "Ready to Drink" (RTD) bottled beverages. Recently, White tea has found itself used in anti-aging skin care and beauty products.
If you find the price for White tea is generally higher than that of Green and Oolong teas, you now know why. If you find the price for White tea is most exotic and rare due to the rare White tea tree varietals and short harvest time (high grade Silver Needle is only made from the youngest bugs plucked during only a couple of days of spring). White tea is most exotic and rare due to the rare White tea tree varietals and short harvest time (high grade Silver Needle is only made from the youngest bugs plucked during only a couple of days of spring).
White tea could be the tea of the future with its legendary spirit, exotic nature and wide applications of health benefits.
Jay is a tea lover and the owner of
Taimu Tea
- a premium Chinese tea store that focuses on tea knowledge, news and education in addition to providing quality fresh teas from Taimu Mountain and its surrounding areas in Fujian province of China.
http://www.taimutea.com
tea@taimutea.com

Black Tea

Black tea is stronger in taste and contains more caffeine as compared to other oxidized teas. Black tea is one of three varieties of commonly known teas that are black, green and oolong tea. Black tea is one of three varieties of commonly known teas that are black, green and oolong tea.

Black tea made from leaves more heavily oxidized than other varieties of tea. Black tea is also referred to as a cup of a tea without milk. Black tea is one of three varieties of commonly known teas that are black, green and oolong tea.
Black teas are available in bricks and tea bags. As a result, it has also been used as compressed bricks. Black tea is known for retaining its flavor for several years. Black teas are distinctive in flavors and can be sweet, spicy or with a hint of chocolate.
Black tea is also used in promoting the body's ability to natural heal itself. Black tea is full of various nutrients such as amino acid theanine, the minerals calcium, magnesium, manganese and potassium, and the vitamins C and K. Black tea is full of various nutrients such as amino acid theanine, the minerals calcium, magnesium, manganese and potassium, and the vitamins C and K. Regular consumption of black tea reduces the risk of strokes.

Researches have shown that black tea is very beneficial for health. Both contribute to its distinctive flavor and dark color. Black tea contains the compounds theaflavins and thearubigens.
Different regions are known for producing teas with characteristic flavors. In America it is known as "Black tea," but in China it often referred as "Red Tea." Unblended Black teas are usually named by the country where they are produced. Black tea is famous in all parts of the world and has names in different regions.
Tea lovers can also get their favorite Black tea from all part of the worlds using these websites. The varieties of black teas are also imported to markets with the help of many dedicated tea websites. Consumers can find several choices of Black tea at most teashops or restaurants. Millions of people enjoy black tea as a dietary supplement.

Black teas are taste delicious and have lived up to the potential of being a healthy beverage.
Tea
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Benefits of Green Tea
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Rooibos Tea – The Tea of South Africa!

Rooibos or Redbush as it is more commonly known is red tea that is grown only in the South African highlands. It comes from the plant Aspalathus linearis, rather than the Camellia plants that produce traditional teas, such as Black, Green or Oolong tea. The name Rooibos, an African slang word of Dutch origin meaning "Red Bush." Rooibos tea is a distinctive red colour and its taste is also unique with a very sweet and slightly nutty flavour.
The minerals contained in a cup of Redbush tea are: As well as being decaffeinated with low tannin content, the tea contains Vitamin C and many minerals and can almost be considered a nutritional supplement. Rooibos contains a variety of antioxidant substances, some of which are entirely exclusive to the Redbush plant.
Zinc
Manganese
Alpha-hydroxy (great for the skin)
Magnesium
Copper
Iron
Potassium
Calcium
Fluoride
Various studies have shown the many health problems that can be helped by drinking Rooibos tea on a regular basis:
Can be used to treat hay fever, asthma and eczema
Placed directly on the skin, it can slow the aging process
Boosts the immune system
Eases irritability, headaches, nervous tension and insomnia
Acts as an anti-spasmodic agent, to relieve stomach cramps and colic in infants
Contains no oxalic acid, so people who are prone to kidney stones can safely consume it
A small amount of Redbush tea added to milk could soothe babies and help ease symptoms of colic. Mothers in South Africa have long been aware of the benefits of Rooibos tea and it is traditional to give this tea to children.
Why not have a cup of Rooibos tea now? It is the perfect caffeine-free alternative to black tea!
Visit
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We also have a huge range of exotic, aromatic teas - Chai Teas, African Spice, Egyptian Spice, Carribbean Spice etc. Teas that help support the daily functions of your body such as, Stomach Ease, Throat Comfort, Slim & Fit, Breathe Deep and so on. Teaworld has a huge selection of teas for any time of the day, morning, afternoon, evening and bedtime teas.
Don't miss our Gift Ideas for all occasions, Birthdays, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Valentines Day, Anniversaries or just to treat a Tea Lover...
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Tea and Individuality

The most famous The distinctive rich aroma and slightly larger leaves are unique to this varietal. The most famous Oolong tea Tie Guan Yin is from the special varietal only grown in Anxi county of Fujian Province. The distinctive rich aroma and slightly larger leaves are unique to this varietal. The most famous Oolong tea Tie Guan Yin is from the special varietal only grown in Anxi county of Fujian Province.

The distinctive rich aroma and slightly larger leaves are unique to this varietal. The most famous Oolong tea Tie Guan Yin is from the special varietal only grown in Anxi county of Fujian Province. The distinctive rich aroma and slightly larger leaves are unique to this varietal. The most famous Oolong tea Tie Guan Yin is from the special varietal only grown in Anxi county of Fujian Province.

The silvery hair on the young buds is unique to this varietal. The White tea comes from a special varietal called "Big White Tea Tree" originally grown in Taimu Mountain of Fujian province in China. The elevation, climate and soil are the main factors that determine the tea varietals. Even though tea is from a single plant called camellia sinensis, there are many varietals.
In addition, different processing method produces different type of tea. The most popular classification of tea is based on the level of oxidation which produces Green , White, Yellow, Oolong, Black and Pu-er tea. Within each type of tea, there are many variations too due to the variation in varietal, oxidation and processing technique.
Combining the different tea tree varietals and processing methods, there are literally hundreds of teas for us to choose and enjoy. They all come in different color, shape and form, aroma and flavor and are all healthy. The well known ones include Tie Guan Yin (aka Iron Goddess of Mercy or aka Iron Buddha), Silver Needle, White Peony, Dragon Well and Big Red Robe among others. There are a lot more teas that are as individual and as precious as the well known ones.
Due to the individuality of each tea, the steeping method, steeping time, water temperature, water and leaf ratio vary accordingly in order to get the best health benefits and enjoyment out of the brew.
This teaches us about individuality and how we should take great care of it.
As human beings, we share a lot of commonalities such as intelligence, feeling. We all have similar physical, social and spiritual needs. At the same time, each and every one of us is different in our color, culture, upbringing and ideology. Recognition and respect for individuality is fundamental for healthy human relations. This applies to relationship of all kinds such as state to state, parent to children, friends, neighbors and co-workers.
When we forget or ignore individuality, we become unforgiving, impatient, arrogant and ignorant. When we are aware of other people's individuality, we tend to be kinder, more patient and more tolerating.
Their individuality should be recognized and respected with great care. They have different temper, different interest and different need. I also learned a hard lesson that a parent should not apply the same approach and standard to all children. It is amazing that they are so different in many aspects the minute they come into the world.

As a father of two boys, I have come to know the big difference in my sons and the need for individualized care.
The same goes with individuality within a team, an organization, a community and a society.
Individuality is what makes the world so diverse, colorful and beautiful. Let's cherish, celebrate and enjoy the individuality of tea, of nature and of people.
Jay is a tea lover and the owner of
Taimu Tea
- a premium Chinese tea store that focuses on tea knowledge, news and education in addition to providing quality fresh teas from Taimu Mountain and its surrounding areas in Fujian province of China.

http://www.taimutea.com
tea@taimutea.com

When Water Meets Tea

But here are the alternatives for us city folk: The best possible water to use for infusing tea is well water.
Tips for a pure brew:
* Tea leaves love spring water, so use it if you have it available. This is my first choice because it is the next best thing to well water.
* Use purified or filtered water. Don't use water directly from your tap unless you live in an area where tap water is drinkable. Your tap water may be absolutely fine for other things like boiling pasta or steaming veggies, but could have contaminants that will make your tea taste funny. The easiest solution for most people is a Brita pitcher with a built-in filter. They are widely available.
This oxygenates water that has been sitting in your pipes. * Run tap water for 30 seconds before putting into your kettle (assuming your filter is attached to your faucet).
* Distilled water does not make good tea. It does not have its minerals and can make a flat-tasting pot of tea.
Use the best water you can in your teapot and you are halfway to a divine infusion.
Temperature, Quantity, Timing
Just as important as water quality is water temperature, amount of tea, and timing your steep.
I recommend beginning with the rule of thumb for your type of tea and start experimenting from there.
When I began, I had no idea idea how to brew and I over steeped green tea many times. (I pour undrinkable tea into my potted geraniums. They love it and it doesn't go to waste.)
Your green or white tea will get bitter fast when it meets too-hot water. This is one of my pet peeves in establishments using scalding water for their tea service. Use a candy or meat thermometer to measure the temperature (at least in the beginning).
Green/white tea * 160 - 175 F (70 - 80 C) * Steep for 1-3 minutes
Oolong tea
* 180 - 190 F (82 - 88 C)
* Steep for 3-5 minutes
Black tea * 212F (but don't let it boil too long) (100 C) * Steep for 3-5 minutes
The quantity of tea you put in your teapot will make a difference. In general, I put approximately 1 teaspoon and a slight bit more per cup of water in a Yixing Teapot or my grandmother's tiny Brown Betty. (Both are clay pots, one unglazed and one glazed.)
It's up to you! Black tea can handle longer steeping. Longer steeping equals bitter green or white tea. A stronger brew may be desirable when cooking with tea, making iced tea, or it may just be your preference.

More tea equals a stronger brew.
copyright 2006 Terry Calamito
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Rediscover Tea - A Personal Story

Taimu Mountain is the origin of the exotic White tea. The famous Oolong tea Iron Goddess (aka Tie Kuan Yin) is from southern Fujian. Fujian is one of the major tea growing regions in China. I grew up in a tea farm about 20 miles from Taimu Mountain in eastern Fujian province of China.
I spent most of my early childhood in a tea farm with my parents and three brothers and a sister along many other families and their playful kids.
It was like a big family. We all lived in the same apartment building and shared a big dinning hall. For most kids, there was no chance to go to college at that time.

This is during the time of Cultural Revolution when every graduate was sent to a remote farm to learn from the physical work. Some of them just graduated from high schools. The majority of the workers were young single man and women. The farm was state owned. Aside tea growing and processing, the farm also grew crops and raised boars.

The farm is very large with two separate locations on two different mountains several miles apart.
As a kid, I went to the tea garden with my mother and other women to pluck the tea leaves during the day. My father who was the accountant inspected and weighed the leaves at the workshop. The women were paid according to the weight of the leaves they plucked. Night time was when the tea processing began. The farm mostly produced green teas. The processing involved the drying of tea leaves by firing and frying. The process was continued overnight. The workers took a break in the mid night and had snacks, typically a bowl of congee or noodle. I along with other kids would stay late until it was snack time so that we got our share. It is not because we helped in any way; it was just because we were kids. Some times, we even slept in the workshop. We would take a large linen bag used for storing tea leaves and used it as a sleeping bag. One night, my cousin tied my older brother's bag while he was sleeping sound. Later on, my brother woke up and tried to go to bathroom and could not get out. Unfortunately, he wet himself.
After tea leaves were processed, some of them became broken. The broken pieces need to be separated out form the whole leaves by hands. I would join my mother and other women in this effort. Picking out the smaller broken pieces was a painstaking manual process and required a great deal of eyes and hands coordination. The faster one could pick, the more she would handle and the more she would get paid. The outcome was inspected to make sure the tea is free of broken pieces.
Our farm was not a tea refinery where teas are further processed and packaged for final distribution to stores. The coarse teas were transported by feet from the farm to a refinery in the town many miles away. This was the time when we got to go with to visit the town and get our hair cuts, get good snacks and buy industrial products made in big and famous cities like Shanghai.
I moved to my home town about 30 miles away to live with my grandparents and to attend school when I was about eight years old. Since then, I only visited the farm during the summer break.
Chinese people recognize tea as one of the seven necessities of living. Every family, poor or rich, one person or several generations under the roof, all have tea and use it as a way of receiving and entertaining guests. It is a custom that you greet a guest with a bowl of hot tea. Most of times some home made snacks are also served along with the tea. There was no soda, no ice cream when I was a kid. Only tea and the courteous receptions I got from other families as I visited them. Those moments are in my sweet memories and are very much missed as I now live a modern life in the industrialized society full of all kinds of gadgets and gismos along with the fast and convenient sodas and ice creams, thousands of miles away from where I am from.
I came to the states at the end of 1990 as a graduate student. Since then I have joined millions of people here in the pursuit of prosperity. I worked at one job to another, moved from one city to another. I raised one kid to and now two and tried to make the ends meet. Soda had taken the place of tea with its convenience when the fast-paced living leaves me with no time and no mood for tea. I had no tea for about 15 years until two years back when I went to visit my home town and brought back some teas. Now I am reunited with tea and started enjoying and learning more about it.
Tea takes me home each and every day with its refreshing and reflective aroma and taste, even though I am oceans and continents apart from my root.
Jay is the owner of
TaimuTea.com
- an online tea store that focuses on tea knowledge, news and education in addition to providing quality fresh teas from Taimu Mountain and its surrounding areas in Fujian province of China.
http://www.taimutea.com

The Benefits of Green Tea for Cancer and Leukemia

Green tea has long had many health benefits associated with it and its curative properties have been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
EGCG is considered to be the most active component in green tea and is the best researched of all the green tea polyphenols. Tea polyphenols are classified as catechins and green tea contains six primary catechin compounds: catechin, gallaogatechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin gallate (also known as EGCG). The more the leaves are fermented, the lower the polyphenol content and the higher the caffeine content. Green tea is made from unfermented leaves and is reputed to contain the highest concentration of polyphenols, chemicals that act as powerful antioxidants.

Green tea, black tea and oolong tea are all made with the leaves of the Camellia sinensis bush.
Several studies have suggested that green tea and green tea extract have cancer-fighting abilities, possibly because the tea's concentration of antioxidants such as EGCG help minimize the cell damage that can lead to cancer.
EGCG (the key antioxidant in green tea) has been shown to kill cancer cells taken from leukaemia patients and put in a test tube. A recent study conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota has demonstrated the benefits of green tea in adult sufferers of leukemia.
The fourth patient who did not show an improvement in her cancer overall, still exhibited an increase in her white blood cell count. In the months after they started drinking green tea or taking green tea extracts, three of them showed measurable improvements in their condition. All four patients had CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia). All four patients had started using green tea on their own last year, after hearing media reports about its health benefits.

All four patients had started using green tea on their own last year, after hearing media reports about its health benefits. Doctors at the clinic reported that four patients had started using green tea on their own last year, after hearing media reports about its health benefits.
However, over the next year the patient's lymph nodes steadily reduced in size. Swelling of the lymph nodes is one of the characteristic symptoms of CLL. In one case, a patient had been showing progressive swelling in her lymph nodes before she starting taking green tea capsules twice a day.
However, the benefit of EGCG over methotrexate is that it has far fewer side effects. Both work by blocking the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase, which is essential to the growth of tumour cells. Researchers have found that EGCG, the anti-cancer compound in green tea, works in a similar way to the anti-cancer drug methotrexate. Other research has come up with an explanation for why regular green tea drinkers have a low incidence of gastric and oesophageal cancers.
Women seeking to conceive or who are already pregnant are advised to consult their medical practitioner about the risks associated with drinking green tea. However, in a study conducted at Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program of Northern California in Oakland, researchers found that women who drank more than one half cup of caffeinated green tea every day doubled their odds of conceiving. This side effect could explain the increased risk of birth defects such as spina bifida.

The same study also showed that blocking the dihydrofolate reductase enzyme lowers folic acid levels.

Chinese Green Tea

For most people, the Chinese green tea is a stuff of legends. It has been known to be very beneficial to human health and has been talked about and written about because of its countless positive effects for thousands of years.
800, Chinese tea was brought to Japan by monks who studied Buddhism in China. It is believed that in A.D. The fame of the green tea did not stay at one place for long. Green tea leaves when boiled smelled and tasted so wonderful that Shen Nung even urged his people to drink it.

It was said that while boiling some water for drinking, some leaves fell into his pot from a tree nearby. According to legend, the first person to ever taste Chinese green tea was the Emperor Shen Nung in 2737 B.C.
What makes this green tea different from all other teas?
Chinese tea is produced from Camellia sinensis, the same plant where the oolong and black tea are derived. Yet, even though they all come from the same herb, the Chinese green drinnk truly stands out as an exceptional health drink. So what makes it different?
The difference lies in the method by which this tea is produced. Oolong and black tea leaves are traditionally oxidized and then dried while the Chinese green tea leaves are steamed and then dried. This method of producing green tea actually preserves most of the beneficial antioxidants present in it.
Chinese Green Tea for Health
While it is already common knowledge that green tea has several health benefits, modern scientists were able to provide several concrete proofs of the positive effects of Chinese tea. Its antioxidants are said to be the ones responsible for making the tea very beneficial.
It was also discovered that this healthy tea can have an anti-inflammatory effects and may provide protection against cardiovascular diseases. Recent findings show that the antioxidants in Chinese tea can reduce cholesterol levels in a person; can improve how blood vessels function; and can reduce blood lipids.
Chinese Green Tea for Weight Loss
In their study, they investigated the weight loss benefits of Chinese dieting by observing the interaction between the caffeine in green tea and a compound called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). According to the researchers of the University of Geneva, green tea has thermogenic properties which aid much in weight loss. Significant findings were made that pointed to the benefits of such a tea in weight loss.
The tendency of Chinese green tea to enhance metabolic rates has given people reason to believe that this tea has weight loss benefits as well. When these two substances in the tea react, thermogenesis of the body increases by four percent.
Drinking Chinese tea allows the body to burn an additional 70 calories a day, a feat that weight loss enthusiasts would relish. The results of the research showed that green tea drinkers have a better propensity for weight loss. Another study concerning the weight loss benefits of Chinese dieting system was also conducted.
Today, Chinese green tea is widely available as a beverage and as an ingredient for weight loss products.
Cathy Freeman is a green tea lover and you can join her at her website
http://www.green-tea-time.blogspot.com/
to discuss
Chinese Green Tea
and other ideas about this healthy beverage.

Health Benefits of Green Tea

In Asian countries tea has long played an important cultural role. Tea also plays a very important part in social rituals of Japan. These two countries were the earliest users of tea.

Historical evidence suggests that tea leaves boiled in water were consumed as far back as 5,000 years ago in India and China.
Tea is derived from leaves of a plant called Camellia sinensis. The plant is grown in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Green tea is prepared from leaves that are not fermented; oolong tea is prepared from leaves that are not fermented; oolong tea is prepared from leaves that are not fermented; oolong tea is prepared from leaves that are not fermented; oolong tea is prepared from leaves that are not fermented; oolong tea is prepared from leaves that are not fermented; oolong tea is prepared from partially fermented leaves, while black tea is preferred in United States. All of these are derived from Camellia sinensis, the difference lying in the way the leaves are processed. There are three types of tea - Green, black and oolong.
In recent periods green tea has attracted a lost of attention due to many health benefits attributed to it. Many studies have been conducted which explore the link between consumption of green tea and incidence of certain diseases in the population. It has been observed that green tea is helpful in:
- preventing cancer,
- improving the ratio of 'good' (HDL) cholesterol to 'bad' cholesterol,
- cognition,
- treating flatulence,
- regulating blood sugar,
- regulating body temperature,
- improving digestion.
This may be compared to the lower incidence of heart diseases in Japanese population, 75% of which are heavy smokers. In some studies it was suggested that the lower incidence of heart related diseases in the French population in spite of the consumption of a fat rich diet is related to the drinking of large quantities of green tea by them.
The medicinal properties of green tea are attributed to the presence of polyphenols, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants help prevent the damage caused by free radicals present in body. Free radicals occur naturally, but they grow in numbers due to some environmental conditions like pollution, ultra-violet light, cigarette smoke etc. Green tea contains 30% to 40% polyphenols, while black tea contains up to 10% polyphenols.
3 to 4 cups of green tea is recommended for an adult.
Green tea has been found to be beneficial in following conditions :
One study conducted in animals suggests that polyphenols may help inhibit the absorption of cholesterol by intestines thus helping in the excretion of cholesterol from body. (1) People who drink green tea are found to have lower LDL cholesterol levels and higher HDL cholesterol levels.
(2) Though it has not yet been conclusively proved that drinking of green tea is related to the lower incidence of caner in Japan, yet some studies conducted in animals indicate that polyphenols that act as antioxidants may be responsible for killing the cancer cells.
Green tea can be helpful in regulating levels of glucose in the blood in such cases. The body stops producing insulin in Type 1 diabetes. The body stops producing insulin in Type 1 diabetes. (3) It was found in certain studies that polyphenols help control Type 1 diabetes.
(4) Green tea has also been found to be beneficial for the liver. It helps control the damaging effect of alcohol on it. People who drink green tea are found to have lower incidence of liver diseases.
Though not conclusively proved, weight reducing properties of polyphenols have been noted in some studies. (5) Green tea may also be helpful in reducing weight in obese people.
In some cases, however, certain precautions need to be taken while taking green tea.
People with stomach ulcers, heart problems, hyperthyroidism and psychological disorders should not take green tea. Pregnant women should also avoid it. Green tea should also be avoided if one is taking any of the following medications: anti-biotics, Benzodiazepines, Beta blockers, blood thinning medicines, chemotherapy, oral contraceptives and lithium.

Wu Long Tea - Lose Weight Naturally

It is reported to work amazingly well in boosting metabolism, which in turn burns calories without the harmful side effects of man made diet aids Asians have known about the powerful effects of this tea for centuries and it is becoming more and more popular with people all over the world. If you are looking for.
What is Wu Long Tea?
Wu-Long (or Oolong, wulong etc.) is a partially fermented tea, which is processed between the black and green tea families. The tea leaves are dried in sunlight and allowed to partially oxidize (20-80%) until leaf edges redden. This gives oolong a bit more body than Green Tea but slightly less body than Black Tea.
Wu-Long Tea is a Natural Calorie Burner
Basically Wu Long tea will help you burn more fat, especially after a meal,
A substance called "Polyphenol" in Wu-Long tea is known to effectively control obesity.
Specifically, "Polyphenol" is reported to activate the enzyme that is responsible for dissolving triglyceride. It has been confirmed that the continuous intake of oolong tea contributes to enhancing the function of fat metabolism and to controlling obesity.
Other Benefits of Wu Long Tea
There are also many other health benefits reported which are currently being studied at the University level in the US and overseas regarding Wu Long Tea. Some of the other health benefits reported are : Blocks carbs, promotes great skin, reverse the signs of aging, promotes healthy teeth, powerful antioxidant, and strengthens the immune system.
Conclusion
You may want to look into Wu Long Tea as a way to lose weight and slim down. If you are interested in looking at specific research that backs these claims up visit the links below.