Organic Tea Blog

Mountain Top Green Tea Farm

tea blogger — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:12:39 +0000

One of the last tea farmers in the area to harvest all of his tea by hand and he uses no machines to assist in bringing the tea down the mountain.

What is Oolong Tea

tea blogger — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:42:46 +0000

I love Oolong tea, I think it is not only my favorite tea, it’s my favorite drink.

In Chinese tea culture, semi-oxidized oolong teas are collectively grouped as q’ngchá (literally “blue-green tea”). Oolong has a taste more akin to green tea than to black tea: it lacks the rosy, sweet aroma of black tea but it likewise does not have the stridently grassy vegetal notes that typify green tea.

The best Oolong has a nuanced flavor profile. It is commonly brewed to be strong, with the bitterness leaving a sweet and pleasant aftertaste. Oolongs produced in the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian Province and in the Central Mountains of Taiwan are world famous.

Oolong tea leaves are often processed and rolled into long curly leaves or into ball-like form similar to gunpowder tea. It is commonly served in Chinese restaurants, to accompany dim sum and other Chinese food.

Relevant pics from Flickr

By chotda

By minato

By selva

By moriza

Yahoo Answers
Green tea, Oolong tea, or black tea?
oolong tea-what are the benifits of drinking it?
Does Oolong Tea help you lose weight?
Fuze Oolong Tea Question?

Product Details from Amazon
Chinese Tea
Manufacturer: China Intercontinental Press
ASIN #: 7508508351
Price: $29.95

Some of my recent related posts

Oolong Tea Preperation

Tea Health Benefit Roundup

tea blogger — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:47:47 +0000

Foodconsumer.org reporsts that a new study published in the Feb 2008 issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis & Vascular Biology suggests that women may reduce their risk for carotid plaques by simply drinking a few cups of tea a day.

Patricia Khashayar, MD., from Press TV, Tehran writes that aea not only helps fight several cancers and cardiovascular diseases but also relieves headaches and provides a calm mental state.

Researchers at the University of Murcia in Spain (UMU) and the John Innes Center (JIC) in Norwich, England have shown that a compound called EGCG in green tea prevents cancer cells from growing by binding to a specific enzyme. “We have shown for the first time that EGCG, which is present in green tea at relatively high concentrations, inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), which is a recognized, established target for anti-cancer drugs, ” says Professor Roger Thorneley, of JIC.

Julian Tai says that clinical studies show that the chemical compounds found in green tea may help you to not only avoid cancer, but also fight it on a cellular level. Cancer research continues throughout the country and the world, bringing information about the positive effects of this beverage.

Yahoo Answers
Green tea - health benefits?
The question on green vs white tea was fantastic. What about the health effects of black tea?
What is the best green tea, health wise.?
Which is better for health, green tea or white tea?

Product Details from Amazon
20,000 Secrets of Tea: The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature’s Healing Herbs
Manufacturer: Dell
ASIN #: 0440235294
Price: $7.50

Cafe Hafa’s mint tea

tea blogger — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:56:42 +0000

Tangier’s Cafe Hafa, on Morocco’s northern coast, has been serving mint tea since 1921

Mint Tea is also called Touareg tea and is a flavoured tea prepared in northern Africa and in Arabian countries. Mint tea is central to social life in Maghreb countries. The serving of mint tea can take a ceremonial form, especially when prepared for a guest. Whereas cooking is women’s business, the tea is a male affair: the head of family prepares it and serves to the guest, usually, at least three glasses of tea.

Yahoo Answers
I like Moroccan Mint Tea - Moroccan Mint Iced Tea?
Is Mint Tea Safe to Drink in Pregnancy?
Can I call myself Moroccan Mint Tea now?
What’s the best mint tea?

Product Details from Amazon
Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine: Peppermint
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ASIN #: B0006VHN8U
Price: $5.99

Green tea theraputic for rheumatoid arthritis?

tea blogger — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:15:15 +0000

Anti-inflammatory compound inhibits production of molecules that cause destruction of cartilage and bone

ANN ARBOR, MI – A new study from the University of Michigan Health System suggests that a compound in green tea may provide therapeutic benefits to people with rheumatoid arthritis.

“Our research is a very promising step in the search for therapies for the joint destruction experienced by people who have rheumatoid arthritis,” says Salah-uddin Ahmed, Ph.D., lead researcher on the study. Ahmed, a research investigator with the Division of Rheumatology at the U-M Health System, was selected to present the research at the Experimental Biology meeting as the recipient of the Young Scientist Travel Award, given by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. This study was also selected by the American Society for Nutrition to be featured in a press release.

Herbal Tea Roundup

tea blogger — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 03:24:20 +0000

By Cindy and Robert

Yahoo Answers
Hebal Tea or healthy tea?
what is senna hebal tea?
what’s a good career for someone who likes tea and hebal medicine?
Does anybody know about Wu yi or Wu Long tea ??

Product Details from Amazon

Herbal Tea Remedies

tea blogger — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 03:20:07 +0000

Herbal teas are an excellent way to maintain your health, experience new tastes, and have been around almost as long as humans have had access to hot water and herbs, which has been a rather long time. Tea has been known in places like China for centuries, and archaeologists believe that even prehistoric man made teas for drinking and soothing ailments.

It is also clear that the uses of water infused with herbs have long been known in tribal cultures around the world, and have been handed down throughout the generations in almost every society. Herbal teas have traditionally held a very important place in natural medicine, before science was able to diagnose and treat with antibiotics and other modern methods. Those who had the knowledge of herbs and how to make herbal teas were highly respected, as their teas had the ability to greatly aid those who suffered from various ailments.

Herbal teas are still very useful today, especially for people who want to limit their chemical intake, and enjoy nature’s methods of healing.

From sleeplessness, to period pain, to detoxify the body and help clear the mind, herbal teas have multiple uses. You’d be surprised what effects even common herbs can have on your body. For example, the nettle plant is known to have a positive effect on the bones, skin, nails, and hair. Parsley can help if you’re bloating or retaining water, and peppermint is an excellent aid to the digestion.

It is not just ailments of the body that herbal teas can help with, but some are also excellent for the mind. If you are feeling stressed, a tea made from chamomile and rosehips can help you to feel more relaxed. There are also teas containing the herb valerian, which can help you to sleep. Herbal teas can even aid with weight loss. An infusion of blackberry leaves, myrtle leaves, sage, juniper berry and nettle leaves can help you flush your system and control the urges to snack and eat all the time.

Of course, herbal teas are no substitute for medical attention. You should never try and use an herbal remedy when you are seriously sick. Most practitioners agree that herbal teas are an excellent supplement to treatment, and a great preventative, but they will not cure your ills alone. You should also exercise caution when trying new herbal teas, as some people are allergic to certain herbs, and you may have a nasty reaction.

Apart from these common sense measures, you should feel free to enjoy the great tastes and positive effects that herbal teas have. Try blending your own if you’re feeling adventurous, or purchase some from the health store. Many experts believe that herbal teas are best made from loose tea leaves, but there is certainly nothing wrong with using herbal tea bags if the convenience suits you better.

Do you want more information on herbal tea remedies?

All This Tea Documentary

tea blogger — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 02:45:51 +0000

A feature documentary by Les Blank and Gina Leibrecht (www.ginaleibrecht.com) that follows the world-renowned American tea importer, David Lee Hoffman, to some of the most remote regions of China in search of the finest, handmade teas in the world.

What is green tea?

tea blogger — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 01:24:23 +0000

Wikipedia says:

Green tea is a true tea, meaning it is made solely with the leaves of Camellia Sinensis, that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Many varieties of green tea have been created in countries where it is grown that can differ substantially due to variable growing conditions, processing and harvesting time.

Salada has a nice FAQ including the difference between green tea and black tea, and NCCAM has a good fact sheet.

Over the last few decades green tea has begun to be subjected to many scientific and medical studies to determine the extent of its long purported health benefits, with some evidence suggesting regular green tea drinkers may have lower chances of heart disease and contracting certain types of cancer.

Yahoo Answers
can greentea helps expoliate the skin, to make it more fairly?
can greentea and grapefriut make you lose wieght?
can greentea shorten ur period?
how does greentea helps reduce weight? (how many kg per month?)?

Black Tea or Green Tea?

tea blogger — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:23:41 +0000

Attention is now rightly being paid to the health benefits of white and green teas, the virtues of the much more familiar, and still much more common, black tea, should not be neglected. All three are products of the camellia sinensis plant and as such have many common attributes, particularly in their anti-oxidant functions; the difference between them being entirely attributable to the differing methods by which they are produced.

The fresh, ie unprocessed, leaves of the camellia sinensis plant are rich in compounds known as polyphenols, and particularly those of a type known as catechins, which are powerful anti-oxidants. The problem is that these compounds are easily destroyed by the processing that the leaves go through. In the case of black teas the process, known as fermentation, results in the almost complete oxidation of the catechins resulting in a dramatic loss of their anti-oxidant power.

So-called “herbal teas”, by contrast, are drinks made from infusions of the leaves of a wide variety of other plants. Although these are often very beneficial to health, they are not “teas” at all in the strict sense, this term being restricted to the products of the camellia sinenis plant, and should be considered separately, probably as a branch of herbal medicine or therapy.

The highly prized white teas, by contrast, are produced by steaming the very young leaves of the camellia sinensis plant, protecting them from this damaging oxidation. Green teas are produced by a similar process of heat treatment, but the older leaves used are not generally as rich in the active ant-oxidant compounds. There is yet another category of teas, known as oolong, which fall somewhere between the green and black varieties by being partially oxidised (fermented).

Whilst conventional medicine continues to insist that the evidence for the health giving benefits of all these teas remains inconclusive, there is in fact ample evidence of the anti-oxidant power of these beverages. For example, a number of respectable studies have concluded that moderate tea consumption (just a few cups day) may reduce the risk of heart disease by around a third, in the case of black tea, and a half in the case of green tea. At least one research report further suggests that tea consumption may help reduce the risk of stroke by as much as two-thirds.

Since heart disease and stroke remain two of the biggest causes of premature death and disability in the affluent Western world, these findings alone would seem to make the regular consumption of tea, and green tea in particular, a worthwhile precaution.

But the benefits don’t end there.

Free radical oxidative damage to the lining of the blood vessels is known to be a factor in the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) another major cause of life threatening cardiovascular disease. The consumption of black tea has been shown to have a protective effect on the cells lining the blood vessels (the endothelium) and to the extent that this effect is due to anti-oxidant polyphenols, it appears highly likely that tests with green tea would produce results at least as good.

Less conclusively, but interestingly, there is also evidence that the anti-oxidant qualities of the polyphenols in both green and black tea may have a role in combatting both cancer and osteoporosis.

In the case of cancer, such effects have been clearly demonstrated in animals, though the evidence in respect of humans is less clear cut. But to the extent that cancer is a disease of degeneration, the onset of which may be hastened by oxidative damage in cells caused by free radical activity, the anti-oxidant activity of black and green tea can only be of potential benefit.

Similarly, there is observational evidence that bone mass density is positively correlated with tea consumption, which is therefore protective against osteoporosis, possibly because of the drink’s anti-oxidant properties, but the causal link is not fully understood.

Despite the familiar reservations of conventional medicine, there appears good evidence for the anti-oxidant qualities of the polyphenols in tea in general, and green tea in particular. But that’s not all. Tea is also a good source of some trace minerals, including manganese, which is itself a powerful anti-oxidant. Black tea is a particularly good source, and a convenient way of obtaining this mineral, which is often drastically under supplied in food. In addition to its general anti-oxidant properties, manganese is also known to nutritional therapists as an aid to cardiac and bone health, in relieving the symptoms of diabetes, and in treating certain types of seizure.

The only likely downside to the consumption of significant quantities of tea is that both green and black varieties may contain considerable amounts of caffeine. Strong black tea is also rich in tannin, the acidic substance which also gives the astringent taste to red wines, and which may lead to minor stomach disturbances if overdone This problem does not arise with green tea, however, and both black and green varieties are readily available in decaffeinated form, the latter also in a range of enhanced natural flavours for improved palatability.

About the Author:
Steve Smith is a freelance copywriter specialising in direct marketing and with a particular interest in health products. Find out more at http://www.sisyphuspublicationsonline.com/LiquidNutrition/HealthBenefitsOfTea.htm