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
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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

Some Tea Brewing Tips For Anyone To Enjoy

Here is a list of tea brewing tips that can be used to add some additional flavor to your favorite cup of tea:
The first thing you should do is purchase a high quality tea. You will receive far more pleasure by purchasing teas that have the quality ingredients that you love. Try to find a reputable supplier, one who preferably has many glowing reviews from other consumers.
It is recommended to steep your tea in water that is not quite to the boiling point. You will also want to avoid boiling the water as this will expel oxygen and makes the water taste flat, believe it or not. You can use fresh water if you have a good supply yourself, or even buy bottled water from a well-known company.

Also try to use a high quality water when making your tea.
Many say to use between 2.5 to 3 grams of leaves per 5-6 ounces of water. You can accomplish this by using a tea balance. Try to measure out the correct weight of tea leaves for the amount you are making.
The following are some generally accepted steeping temperatures: Black and Herbal teas should actually use water at a full boil or around 212 degrees, Oolong tea should be steeped between 190 and 203 degrees, Green tea between 160 and 180 degrees, and White tea is brewed best in a cooler water with a range of 150 to 160 degrees. This is best accomplished by using a thermometer to get the water just right. Use the correct steeping temperature for the type of tea you are steeping.
Using the correct steeping time is another important consideration to brewing the perfect cup. Use the following recommendations for the type of tea you enjoy the most: Black tea should be steeped for 4-6 minutes, Puerh teas are known as hard teas and should be steeped for a minimum of 7-8 minutes, Oolong teas have a wider variety of steeping times from as little as 3-4 minutes to upwards of 6-8 minutes, Green teas are ready to go in a brief 2 to 3 minutes, and White teas are the most sensitive and should not be steeped for more than 2 minutes.
It is best to infuse tea in a kettle since the tealeaves can quickly expand to three times their starting size as they release the stored flavor and aroma. Try to make sure that there is enough space in the infuser for the teas to fully expand. You should provide plenty of space during infusion and avoid cramping the tea leaves.
Any dark colored or tightly rolled teas can stay fresh for more than six months if stored this way. To enjoy your tea completely make sure that you keep it in an airtight container. Your tea will lose its flavor if it is exposed to oxygen or light. And lastly let's not overlook storage.
About the author:
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Tea Bags

They are very popular in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Tea bags are also known for their stylish packaging of tea for brewing. A tea bag is a small bag or pouch that holds tea leaves to brew a single cup of tea.
An American tea importer, Thomas Sullivan, invented tea bags in 1908. He used tea bags to send samples to his customers in New York City, so he wouldn't have to use more expensive tins. He sent tea samples packaged in silk bags. His customers put the entire bag into the pot, and this is how the tea bags came to be used. However, the first commercial appearance of tea bags was in 1920, by the United States.
The properly infused tea bags provide a wider choice to consumers to choose tea leaves. These pouches are filled with appropriate amounts of tea leaves of a consumer's choice. These bags are pouches with open ended flaps.

Empty tea bags are also available for consumers to fill them with tea leaves.
Biodegredable tea bags are the latest offering by many companies. There is huge range of tea bags such as heat sealable tea bags, organic energy herbal tea bags and many more. Biodegredable tea bags are also available in varied flavours.

There is huge range of tea bags such as heat sealable tea bags, organic energy herbal tea bags and many more. Biodegredable tea bags are also available in varied flavours. There is huge range of tea bags such as heat sealable tea bags, organic black tea bags, organic energy herbal tea bags and many more. The tea bags are also available in varied flavours. As a result decorative tea bags have become collector's items for many tea lovers.

However, circular and pyramidal are also among the many decorative shapes tea bags available. Usually, tea bags come in square or rectangular shapes.
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Cooking With Tea Gives Holiday Recipes A Healthful Boost

What easier way to reap its benefits than by adding some to your cuisine, especially during the hectic holidays? It provides antioxidants [which prevent damage to cell tissues], has less caffeine than coffee, and calms the soul. It's no secret that tea is good for you.
The ones I like to use are Celestial Seasonings Blueberry Tea, or Lemon Ginger Green Tea," she says. "Infusing vegetables this way adds a delicate flavor to the food. The quickest way to get started is to grab a few teabags and throw them in the water when steaming vegetables, according to Ying Chang Compestine, author of *Cooking With Green Tea* (Avery/Penguin Putnam, 2000). Incorporating tea into your cooking is easy, and you don't have to know a lot to start experimenting.
It just depends on what I'm cooking," she adds. For chicken or fish I use green or white tea. "I have all kinds of tea next to my spice rack.

When using tea in this way, you add the dry tea leaves to the heated oil as you would any other spice or seasoning. "It's also very easy to use tea as a spice when stir frying," says Ying.
Just snip the teabag open and use the tea." "For most cooking, bag tea is much easier. "Don't worry about getting loose tea or knowing about loose teas," Ying advises. Most people have teabags in their cupboards, but may not have full leaf teas.
It's lovely." "One thing I love to do is to cook rice with jasmine green tea," says Donna Fellman, Director of the Tea Education Alliance and author of *Tea Here Now* (Inner Ocean Publishing, 2005) "For a heartier, savory meal use oolong [a tea that is considered in between green and black] to make your rice.
Turn down to a simmer and look forward to the delicate aroma that will soon fill your kitchen. Bring the brewed tea to a boil and add the rice. Remove the spent leaves and set aside to use again later.

Steep about three minutes. Heat the water to almost boiling and pour over the leaves. Put a teaspoon or two of leaves per cup of water in a teapot or other vessel. Donna recommends using loose tea leaves for this recipe.

To prepare rice this way, start by making the tea.
"When I cook with tea I make the brew stronger by adding more tea to it." "Any kind of tea is going to get bitter if you over brew it," says Lenny Martinelli, Owner and Executive Chef of the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House in Colorado. Making tea stronger is not a result of longer steeping. It's important not to over brew tea whether you intend to use it in a recipe or drink it.
Consider serving chai during holiday meals, which naturally lends itself to the season with its cinnamon and clove.
Just play with it." It's important to treat it like an ingredient. You're not trying to make a full tea flavor. "A nice holiday roasted chicken with dried fruit sauce, de-glazing the pan with orange juice and letting the tea and spices come out." He adds, "I think sometimes people expect too much from the tea leaf when they cook with tea.

"I put some green tea leaves in the filling, maybe with some spinach." For a tea-inspired holiday recipe, he creates a chicken rub with spiced black tea, cumin, coriander and cinnamon. The adventurous cook can experiment by combining tea leaves with other vegetables as Lenny does in his potstickers [a type of Chinese dumpling].
What about dessert?
How easy is that? Try Ying's quick green tea ice cream: Stir 1/2 teaspoon of matcha [Japanese powdered green tea] into 1 cup of softened vanilla ice cream and refreeze it. Teas flavored with jasmine, rose, lemon or fruit are used to make cookies, pudding, ice cream, cake, smoothies and shakes.
The tea will prepare you to cook in a mindful way and will infuse your food with that calmness, which gets passed along to your family and guests." "You will get more of tea's health giving and soul nurturing properties. "Make sure that while you're busy preparing delightful holiday food that you take time to sit and enjoy a cup of tea," says Donna. In the end there is nothing like taking time out for yourself so that you can enjoy the holidays.
Lenny Martinelli's cooking classes and other tea events are listed at www.boulderteahouse.com. Donna Fellman and Bodhidharma Tea Company can be reached at 303-402-9576. More information about her and her books is available at www.yingc.com. Ying Chang Compestine is spokesperson for Celestial Seasonings.

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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Growing Tea Herbs for Fun or Profit

Growing herbs for tea can be either a pleasant hobby or become a market crop offered to customers in a variety of ways, giving them the opportunity to add healthy variety to their beverage menu, whether warming up in the morning with a fresh-picked brew, or sipping garden-grown iced tea on a summer afternoon.
Both are often grown sustainably and can be found in Europe and North America through fair trade from their native land of South Africa. For the purposes of this article, I'll casually call infusions of any appropriate plant material for beverage purposes, "tea." Another couple of exotic plants out of Africa, Rooibos (pronounced roy-boss) and Honeybush, have recently entered the worldwide tea market. Infusions of this plant are considered "real" tea. According to legend, tea drinking from this plant originated in China four to five thousand years ago, reaching Europe in the 1600s.

Black, green, oolong and the rarer white tea, which all come from an evergreen bush (Camellia sinensis) native to China and India, are popular worldwide. Humans and tea go back a long way.
But herbal tea, grown from a variety of herbs, is also a well-established tradition worldwide. Such herbal tea was in use in Europe long before black tea arrived. Drinking herbal infusions is believed to date into prehistoric times. Even animals have been known to put specific plants into small water-holding areas and seemingly wait for infusion before drinking.
Each herb has its own special needs and specific plant parts and detailed growing instructions are usually described with the purchase of the plant or in any good herbal book. Needing only moderate watering, their soil calls for little or no fertilizer, and in fact should not be too rich as to cause excessive greenery that seems to dilute the aromatic oils. Some herbs thrive in full sun, but others prefer partial sun or even shade.
(c) 2006 Barbara Adams

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

How to Differentiate the Different Types of Tea

If you want to metamorphose into a more relaxed, mindful and balanced individual, throw out your coffee mug and have a cup of tea instead. You can either purchase conveniently packed tea bags or buy tea in its loose form. To brew, put tea or a tea ball in a pot or mug and pour in a cup of boiling water for each teaspoon of herb or tea. Cover and let steep for 15 minutes before straining and drinking. Teas can be enjoyed hot or cold (chilled then served with ice).
Check out the list below for the basic differences between teas for brewing:
* Black Tea - A dark and richly flavored beverage made from dried, oxidized and fermented leaves of the shrub Camellia sinensis, this tea has the highest caffeine level, about half as much as a cup of coffee.
* Chai - This tasty mixture of milk, black tea, and spices originated in India.
* Green Tea - A light and subtly flavored beverage made from Camellia sinensis leaves that are not allowed to oxidize or ferment. Green tea has about half as much caffeine as black tea.
* Herbal Teas - These are various herbs (leaves, stems, fruits, bark, flowers and roots of plants) steeped in hot water that are more correctly called "tisanes" rather than teas because they contain no leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. They are caffeine-free. Often, several herbs are blended together.
* Mate - Also called yerba mate, this stimulating drink with a lot of caffeine is from South America, and is brewed from toasted wild holly leaves.
* Oolong Tea - Semi-fermented teas, such as oolong, are made from the Camellia sinensis leaves, but they are less oxidized than green and white teas. These teas also contain caffeine, but not as much as black tea does.
* Rooibos - Also known as red bush. Made from needle-like leaves of a South African shrub, rooibos is similar in taste to black tea but without the caffeine. It allegedly has antioxidant and cancer-preventive properties.
* White Tea - Considered the rarest of the teas made from Camellia sinensis, this delicate tea is produced from blossoms and young shoots. It is the lowest in caffeine but the highest in antioxidants. When brewed, it is almost colorless.
The author is a big fan of cooking recipes. Visit the following website for more info about health and cooking recipes.
http://www.101vegetarianrecipes.com
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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

An Introduction To Green Tea

Green tea is made from the plant called Camellia sinensis, which is steamed to make tea. An ancient Chinese proverb says, ""Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one."" The Chinese have had tremendous faith in the healing properties of green tea for over 4000 years, something the world is discovering today.
The action of the antioxidants in tea is more than that in over 21 fruits and vegetables, much more than garlic, spinach or even cabbage. Rich in fluoride, it helps fight tooth decay. New research is also proving it to lower high blood pressure by repressing angiotensin II.

It has been said to also cure rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, infections and even impaired immune function. The tea helps in fighting cancer, especially cancer of the esophagus. Green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, especially epigallocatechin gallate, which is a powerful antioxidant with DNA repairing properties.
Many prefer green tea's flavor and aroma. Many are turning to organic green teas to reduce the harmful side effects of pesticides and fertilizers.
When you buy tea claiming to be organic, ensure that it is certified from an internationally established institute, such as IMO. Some of these teas even have eco-friendly packaging, such as those made of natural jute fiber, handmade paper and recycled board.
To make green tea, put a kettle of water on to boil. Add one teaspoon of green tea just before it reaches the boiling point and turn off the stove. Just cover it and leave for a while. If you boil the water, the taste will be astringent. You could have it plain or add milk and sugar, or lime and milk. You could drink up to 8-10 cups of tea per day. This will help with good health and slowing the aging process. However, do be aware that for some, the caffeine in the tea could result in insomnia. Green tea can be enjoyed both hot and cold.
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Benefits of Green Tea
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White Tea

Chlorophyll formation is also stopped. These are steamed or fired to stop polyphenol oxidation and then dried. The buds have a fine covering of white hair, giving the tea its name. It is made from immature growth buds and young leaves.

White tea is increasing in popularity all over the world.
tin. White tea can go up to US $25 for a 2-oz. The different varieties have exotic names: white peony, golden moon, silver needle and white cloud.

The best tea is produced in Darjeeling in India; it is also grown in China and Japan. White tea is more expensive than other teas.
A single bud with only three to four leaves is also rejected. The buds are rejected even if they have begun to open, are hollow, too long or too thin. The buds should be perfect and not purple in color. There should be no rain or frost on the ground, but there should be plenty of early morning dew.

High quality white tea is selected in the beginning of spring.
Some people reuse tea leaves but the flavor just isn't the same. After the water gets hot, pour it over the tea and let it infuse for two minutes. The measure is 1.5 tablespoons of white tea per eight ounces of water in a cup or teapot.

It should not be heated too much; the right temperature should be between 175 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit. White tea is best made in filtered water or light spring water.
A study has noted that white tea can help fight off viruses and dangerous infection-causing bacteria. It has less caffeine than other types of tea, with more cancer-fighting antioxidants. White tea is full of catechins, usually found in fresh tea leaves, which has been found to help in DNA repair.
There are many people who are very specific about the white tea they drink, and ask for tea leaves of one special brand. Today, white tea is a connoisseur's choice, enjoyed for its gentle aroma and delicate flavor.
Tea
Tea is affiliated with provides detailed information on Tea, Green Tea, Herbal Tea, White Tea and more.
Benefits of Green Tea
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