Ten Facts You Did not Know about Tea

There are only three basic types of Asian tea; Green, Black
and Oolong. All three come from the same tea plant --
Camelia sinensis. The differences between the teas result
from the way the tea leaves are plucked and processed.
Although there are three basic types of tea, there are over
3,000 varieties to choose from. Despite their name, herbal
teas are not tea at all because they do not come from the
tea plant, but from herb and spice plants.
This occurs when our arteries become clogged and are unable to work as they should because of them becoming narrow. In recent Dutch studies it was found that men who drink black tea which contains catechins are fifty percent less likely to die of ischemic heart disease.
In a recent test 250 women drank as little as half a cup of tea per day and their pregnancy rates were double those who did not. We now know that drinking a half to two cups of tea per day may promote fertility by inhibiting abnormalities in our chromosomes.
The puffiness around the eyes will amazingly vanish and your eyes will look and feel brand new. A remedy for puffy eyes is to lie in a horizontal position and place either a tea compress or wet teabag over both eyes and leave for about 20 minutes.
One way to rid your refrigerator of unpleasant smells is to
place one or two used tea bags somewhere within the fridge.
The next day any bad smell will be gone!
Apply a wet tea bag to the infected area for about 15 minutes three times daily and the wart will slowly begin to shrink until it eventually disappears. A substance called Tannic acid which naturally occurs in tea is said to help in the battle against warts.
Many prominent researchers are convinced that this is due to green tea containing many powerful antioxidants and preventative anti-cancer agents. It is known that men in Asian countries who consume green tea have very low instances of prostate cancer.
It is thought that polyphenols which are very strong antioxidants and are contained in the tea are the most likely reason for this phenomenon. In recent Australian studies CSIRO scientists found that the occurrence of skin cancer in laboratory mice was greatly reduced when they were given black tea.
The costliest teabag ever was created for the 75'th
anniversary of the PG TIPS tea company. The bag was filled
with two hundred and eighty diamonds and expensive limited
edition tea leaves. The tea bag cost 7,500 pounds and would
be auctioned in aid of a Children's hospital in Great
Britain.
The total annual consumption of tea in Turkey is approximately 120 thousand tons whereas that of coffee is only 8 thousand tons. Turks drink more tea per head than any other nation, even more than the British and they are now the world's biggest tea drinkers. Contrary to what one might expect, Turkey is a land of tea drinkers.
Lorraine Bevere is the webmaster and operator of
FOG Tea, Inc.
For questions or comments about this article, please visit: which is a premier source of information about tea.
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Green Tea And Weight Loss - Can Green Tea Boost Health And Help You Lose Weight?

There's an old Chinese adage that goes something like this, "Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one." Although this is obviously not reliable nutritional information, it still goes to show how integral the tea plant was and still is to the Asian diet.
But that's not all that green tea is capable of. So technically, green does aid in weight loss. Researchers discovered that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burnt more calories than the opposing group that was only given caffeine or a placebo. Well, according to a 1999 study conducted at the University of Switzerland in Geneva, yes it can.

Researchers discovered that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea especially, help someone lose weight? Well, according to a 1999 study conducted at the University of Switzerland in Geneva, yes it can. Researchers discovered that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea especially, help someone lose weight? Well, according to a 1999 study conducted at the University of Switzerland in Geneva, yes it can.

Researchers discovered that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea especially, help someone lose weight? Well, according to a 1999 study conducted at the University of Switzerland in Geneva, yes it can. But can tea, and green tea especially, help someone lose weight?
And according to one Japanese study, those who drank 10 cups or more of green tea a day. It's a mouthful, but this substance is a true workhorse that inhibits the growth of cancer cells as well as lowers one's LDL/VLDL cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels among a host of other things. Green tea's medicinal properties stem largely from a certain polyphenol or antioxidant, called epigallocatechin gallate.
Furthermore, these same women were also 60% less likely to develop urinary tract cancer. Furthermore, these same women were also 60% less likely to have cancers of the stomach, esophagus, mouth, colon, and rectum. In a study conducted for the Iowa Women's Health Study, researchers studied the tea drinking habits of over 35,000 postmenopausal women and found that those who drank more than two cups of tea a day were 32% less likely to have cancers of the stomach, esophagus, mouth, colon, and rectum.

Aside from drastically lowering incidence of stroke and blood cholesterol levels, increased green tea consumption can also work wonders elsewhere.
Lately green tea has also been analyzed for its ability to protect the body against the carcinogenic changes caused by cigarette smoke. But, this doesn't give you a license to smoke like a chimney. So put away the lighter.
The tea leaves are steamed, so that the epigallocatechin gallate remains intact, whereas in black and oolong tea, the leaves are fermented. The reason is that green tea is processed differently than oolong or black tea. Now, although some Chinese teas come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, none are as potent as green tea.
Your body needs a breather. So, go ahead, quit stalling, and start brewing a pot. These health benefits mentioned in this article are only the tip of the iceberg. To some, green tea may serve only as a refreshing beverage, but to others, its medicinal properties serve a role similar to that of a multivitamin, as a sort of added "life-insurance".
He emphasizes functional and innovative training techniques to add variety and interest to his shockingly effective workouts. Ian is a Certified Personal Trainer and a Certified Advanced Weight Training Specialist, as well as a Certified Nutritionist. Ian Robertson has interests that range anywhere between playing drums to kayaking and kickboxing.

Tea Varietals

Wu Long? Green? Black?

What's your cup of tea?
Or something more exotic like pu-erh or white tea?
The major difference between all of these types of tea is how the leaves are processed after they are picked. No matter which your preference, all tea comes from the same plant - Camellia sinensis.
The others are primarily used as flowering shrubs. There are as many as 300 species of Camellia, but only one of them is used to make tea. Camellia is a genus of the family Theaceae. Even so, not all tea leaves are equal.
The assamica variety will grow to a larger plant than sinensis and has larger, thinner leaves. The sinensis variety has relatively small and narrow leaves and is more tolerant to cold. assamica (Assam tea or Indian tea). sinensis (China tea) and Camellia sinensis var.

The "tea Camellia" (Camellia sinensis) has two varieties - Camellia sinensis var.
Varietals have special characteristics that make them suitable for growing in a particular area or for producing a certain type of tea. As with most Camellias, Camellia sinensis is very easy to hybridize and this had led to the development of more than 3000 tea ‘varietals'.
Other varietals may have higher resistance to diseases which can affect the tea plant. White tea, for example, is produced from a varietal that has an abundance of fine hairs on the young leaf shoots. Varietals can be identified by leaf shape, coloring, leaf size, or other desirable characteristics.
‘Da Bai' (big white) is a varietal used to make the Japanese green tea of the same name. Many varietals are given names that describe the appearance or the use of the tea leaf.
A varietal traditionally used for white tea could be processed into wu long tea, or a black tea varietal could be used to make green tea. Most varietals have come to be associated with a certain type of tea, but this does not mean that specific varietals cannot be used for other teas.
The taste of tea is affected by the soil, the climate, the season, the varietal, the variety, the processing method, the skill of the tea processor, the brewing method, and the brewing utensils. One of the reasons why tea is so interesting is because of its limitless possibilities.
No wonder then that tea has been so popular for so many years - it's a taste of life. All of these factors affect the flavor and quality of the tea.
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Information about the types of tea, tea production, tea growing, the health benefits of tea, and making and serving tea can be found at Tea Genius is a complete knowledge base of tea. Paul Dickson is a contributing writer Tea Genius.com.
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Healthy Famous Tea

Antioxidants in tea are similar as those found in fruits and vegetables, such as vitamin A, C and E, which offer protection against free radicals that cause cell and gene damage. Tea polyphenols are are compounds in tea leaves that are natural plant antioxidant. Well known as a source for various nutrients and antioxidants, tea has gained even more popularity in modern times with claims of it's usefulness in fighting heart disease, cancer, obesity, tooth decay, nausea, and all manner of digestive disorders.Thirty percent of the dry weight of tea leaves is polyphenols, which cause the taste of tea. It was Dutch traders that first brought tea to Europe but the British who greatly developed it, transplanting it to India in the early 1800's.

Since the fifth century AD, tea has been exported by land and sea throughout Asia and reached Europe in 1610. It was originally taken as a detoxifying medicine though it grew to great social prominence during the Tang (620-907 AD) and Sung (960-1279 AD) Dynasties. It is thought to have first been discovered in the mountainous areas of China's far western Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. Historically, tea's origins date back to around 2700 BC.
The Natural Way To A Clear Mind
The unique combination of relaxation Now that's when the miracle of Theanine unfolds. Studies have also pointed out how Theanine could effectively promote creativity. The effect is higher mental focus, better concentration and sharper memory. And just as you're prefectly settled, Theanine raises your level of mental alertness by stimulating your brain to increase its production of alpha brain waves.

In short, it's the Theanine in your cup of tea that calms you in just the right way to put you in place and bring you to your 'comfort zone'. But it's also the reason why you don't fee sleepy when drinking tea. Theanine is the very reason why you're not as hyperactive when you drink tea as compared to when you drink tea as compared to when you drink coffee. Scientific research has validated the link between Theanine and a perfect state of calmness.

Not a lot of people may know what it is but Theanine is certainly one of the big reasons why more and more are turning to tea nowadays as their beverage of choice. It's called Theanine and it's found almost exclusively in the tea plant. Research has finally named the secret that has linked tea with mental vitality.
Healthy Famous Tea
http://healthy-famous-tea.blogspot.com

Does Green Tea Taste Like Grass?

Realising what had happened, he took some of the leaves from the tree home with him, and so invented tea. When he came back, the emperor was upset, but still decided to drink the water - only to find that it now tasted excellent. Suddenly, a freak gust of wind put out his fire and blew leaves from a nearby tree into the emperor's hot water. According to Chinese legend, green tea was invented by an emperor who was out in the forest, and had just boiled a kettle of water on his campfire.
It is known to have been consumed as long ago as the 9th century in Japan, and has long been a social drink and a status symbol, as well as a drink that is considered to have a wide variety of health benefits. Whether that's true or not, there is no doubting that tea has a long and noble history in China and many other Asian countries, and most of the tea they consume has long been either white or green tea.
While this means that green tea doesn't stay fresh for very long, it also means that it has a much fresher taste than black tea, and many believe that it is much better for you. Black tea is first dried out and then fermented so that it will last longer, while green tea's treatment stops after the drying stage, while the green colour of the leaves is still present. The difference between green tea and Western black tea isn't that they are different plants - they are both made from camellia sinesis, the tea plant - but that the leaves are treated differently after they are picked.
The first time you taste green tea you will probably think that it somehow tastes ‘green', or grass-like, but it is hard to describe. The best way to figure out whether you'll like it or not is to just give it a go.
John Gibb is the owner of
Green tea advice
, For more information on green tea check out
http://www.green-tea-guidance.info

A Brief History of Green Tea

The first tea plants known were thought to be grown in Yunnan Province in southern China. From there they spread to other parts of Asia that had the right types of soil and weather conditions. The custom of drinking tea is said to have originated in China with the emperor Shen Nong. Regarded as an iconoclast of Chinese medicine, he introduced the tea plant to people around the year 2700 B.C. The classic on Chinese Tea, Cha jing (The Book of Tea), written by the scholar Lu Yu in A.D. 760, recounts Shen Nong's efforts to discover the medicinal effectiveness of over three hundred varieties of roots, grass, and tree barks. Legend has it that he would try all of them on himself first and whenever he ingested something poisonous he would cleanse himself by eating tea leaves.
In fact, there are still some hill tribes in southern China, Thailand, and northern Myanmar that still eat pickled tea leaves, and only until recent times were they aware that a drink could be brewed from the same leaves! It seems certain that tea leaves were initially eaten as a medicine long before tea became a popular drink.
According to Kouga, the ancient dictionary written during the Later Han dynasty (A.D. 25-220), people in Sichuan Province of western China, compressed steamed leaves into hard bricks to help maintain the quality of the tea over a greater period (very handy when transporting, too). When making a beverage they would season the mixture with ginger or onion. However, this early concoction would not qualify as a conventional beverage in the usual sense because its intended use was medicinal.
During the Three Kingdoms period (221-65), the popularity of tea saw a rapid increase. One cause for this was the widening increase in the practice of Buddhism, which was beginning to gain a wider following. Buddhism prohibits the drinking of alcohol and so that boosted the demand for tea.
During the Sui dynasty (581-618), the custom of drinking tea, previously limited to the aristocracy and Buddhist monks, began to filter through to other classes. In the mid-eighth century, tea shops sprung up, and gradually tea became an indispensable beverage for ordinary city-dwellers.
His expansive compendium of information spanned three volumes, opening with the propitious line: "There are good luck trees in the south that are beneficial to a person's health." When published the book met with great acclaim and is still looked upon today as a bible of sorts concerning tea. It covers the origins, methods of plant cultivation, the types of utensils used, the best ways to prepare and drink tea, and tales relating to tea and tea-growing. The range of Yu's work is impressive. It was around this time that Lu Yu, who came from the tea producing center of Hubei Province, wrote his treatise on tea.
Tea arrived in Japan from China. It was brought by Japanese Buddhist monks who accompanied the special representatives sent to China in the early Heian period (794-1185). Among the monks who traveled to China were Saicho (767-822), Kukai (774-835), and Eichu (743-816). The first record of the custom of tea-drinking in Japan appeared in Nihon koki (Notes on Japan), compiled in the Heian period. Eichu, a priest at the temple of Bonshakuji in Omi, Aichi Prefecture, returned to China in 815. The Nihon koki records that when Emperor Saga (reign, 809-23) visited Omi, Eichu invited him to his temple and served him sencha, suggesting that drinking tea, a popular pastime in Tang times, had also become fashionable in Japan's intellectual circles. Roun-shu, an anthology of Chinese poetry written in Japanese in 814, also mentions tea-tasting.
At that time, tea probably came in the form of hard bricks, as described by Lu Yu. Compressed into a brick shape into a brick shape, tea was not only easy to transport but also held up better during the long voyage from China. This was most likely the type of tea brought to Japan, even though leaf tea was also used in China at that time. The brick was first warmed over a flame and then a portion was broken off by hand or shaved off with a knife. The shavings were ground with a mortar into a powder, which was added to a pan of hot water and brewed and then was served in a bowl.
Emperor Saga tried to encourage the spread of tea by demanding provinces in the Kinki region around Kyoto to grow the plant. He established tea gardens in one district of Kyoto, and started growing and processing it for the use of physicians attached to the court. This imperial tea, however, found use mostly in rituals performed by the aristocracy; the beverage had yet to become an item for consumption by the common people.
Ordinary Japanese only began to drink tea much later, after Eisai (1141-1215), the founder of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism, brought back a new type of seedling from Sung-dynasty China. With it he introduced a new way of drinking tea which was known as the "matcha style." Eisai encouraged the cultivation of tea trees, and his Kissa yojoki (Health Benefits of Tea) tied tea-drinking to longevity and launched tea in Japan on a large scale.
Michael Ganzeveld is a health writer for the site
http://www.greenteaphd.com
.
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