A Loose Leaf Tea Experience

Posted by Fitness at 4:37 AM 3 comments

A Loose Leaf Tea Experience

In America, just about 90 percent of folks drink their tea brewed by tea bag. It is the same routine, pour hot water into a cup and dunk the bag for a few minutes until the water turns a dark red color, add sugar and enjoy.

My question is, what are these folks enjoying?

A few years back, I too was the victim of tea bag tea. I, being an American, remained ignorant of the true way tea was meant to be enjoyed. Not only would I have tea just when I was sick, but along with the 90 percent of Americans I would brew it using fannings.

Fanning are tiny pieces of dried out tea leaves which always end up inside of the tea bags folks use to make their daily brew. Fannings are the lowest grading of tea, and for good reason. They may add a nice full color to your cup, but as for flavor, well, very little.

There are not many natural oils left in these particles to offer a cup that treats the palate. Also, research shows that most of the health benefits of tea are reduced when they are broken down in to such small pieces.

So is there really a better way to enjoy tea and reap the benefits? Yes...

Thanks to an article I read in a newspaper while at work, I was introduced to loose leaf tea. The article was focused around the most delicate form of tea called white tea. Not only did I learn in this article that all tea came from the same Camellia sinensis tea plant, but I also learned about the flavorful and healthy benefits of loose leaf tea. That is when a whole new world opened up for me. I have discovered a new beverage!

Later that day I went on the internet and found an online tea outlet which offered over a hundred varieties of loose teas. Not really knowing much about this form of tea at the time, I placed an order for white peony loose leaf tea, and bought a cup with an infuser.

When it arrived, I brewed it carefully and eagerly took my first sip. My first impression of an airy aroma accompanied by a subtle sweet taste was one I did not expect nor will I forget. "This is tea", I said out loud, and by the time that cup was finished I became hooked! Since then, I have experienced over one hundred varieties of tea to date.

Tea is a 5000-year-old beverage and the second most consumed drink in the world; playing second fiddle only to water. Brewing it using whole loose leaves in an infuser is simply the best way to consume and enjoy this great beverage. There are literally thousands of varieties of tea, all which are processed from the four main white, green, oolong, and black types.

Comparing loose leaf tea to the tea bag is like comparing gourmet coffee to instant coffee. It's like comparing a meal from a fancy restaurant to one from a fast food place. The difference is night and day. Remember this, the only thing that should be dunked in a tea cup is a sweet biscuit or crumpet, not a bag.

Loose leaf tea offers a superior cup full of flavor and health benefits. The brew is rich in powerful antioxidants which many studies suggest can aid in a healthier lifestyle. While tea is not an actual preventative or cure for any deadly health ailment, it has proven to at least help decrease the odds.

Tea for me is like having a warm friend by my side whenever I want. Since I quit smoking, I needed an alternative and tea fits that spot perfectly. Thanks to tea I gave up coffee in the morning and switched to the healthier alternative, black tea.

Loose leaf tea also makes me feel good, keeps my immune system up, and always gives me something new to look forward to since there are still many hundreds of varieties of tea I'm yet to sample! Tea, in my opinion is the best beverage period! A super drink for all.

This beverage has inspired me to build a website which at the time of this writing has 107 pages full of rich helpful information about this lovely drink. The goal of this site along with this article is to introduce folks to the other side of tea they are missing out on. With so many varieties, there is bound to be a cup you will call your favorite.

The Truth About Tea

Posted by Fitness at 4:37 AM 0 comments

The Truth About Tea

Some facts are fundamentally universal: when it is cold and damp outside, the human body craves something warm. Now, whether that warmness be in the form of steaming soup, hot tea or fresh-brewed coffee is up to the chilly consumer. But while the United States has become a seemingly Starbucks-infested coffee culture, a growing number of Americans are choosing tea for more reasons than simply warmth.

In 2005, the tea industry had its fourteenth consecutive year of sales increases, while retail supermarket sales alone surpassed $1.9 billion. This number is expected to continue to grow over the next five years. No longer just for the British, tea is fighting back as the beverage that is hard to ignore. In fact, 1.42 million pounds of tea is consumed every day in the U.S. and 519 million pounds are imported into the country each year.

But similar to choosing the perfect coffee bean or a complimentary bottle of wine, picking out the tea for your taste can be a dizzying task. Amazingly, all tea comes from the same plant called the Camellia saneness, which is an evergreen native to China. It can grow up to 90 feet tall and in the past, some cultures taught monkeys to pick the tea leaves that they couldn't reach. However, modern times and technology have allowed farmers to grow the trees to just three feet for easier cultivation. The plant's leaves range from smooth and shiny to fuzzy and white-haired – each making up a specific type of tea. In total, the plant yields up to 3,000 varieties of tea, which can easily be broken up into three main categories: green, black, and oiling teas. Flavored and herbal teas also deserve to be mentioned, though they are not officially "tea."

Green Tea What it is: Making up about 10 percent of the world's tea consumption, green tea has gotten a lot of recent media coverage for its health benefits. Where it grows: Far East: China and Japan What is tastes like: Green tea is greenish-yellow in color with a delicate taste that is slightly astringent and grassy. What you should know: It is high in antioxidants and may protect against certain types of cancer (lung, ovarian, breast, prostate and stomach) as well as the precancerous condition of stomach cancer, gastritis.

White tea What it is: The rarest of all teas, the leaves are the same as green tea leaves, but they are plucked from the plant when they are still very young, giving them their extremely light color. Where it grows: a Fijian province on China's east coast What is tastes like: As one would expect, the tea is nearly colorless and is delicate in flavor with a slight sweet and nutty quality. What you should know: You may recognize white tea from recent Snapple commercials launching their new line of "Good For You" white and green tea bottled drinks.

Black tea What it is: This is the most common type of tea, which accounts for about 87 percent of America's tea consumption. Where it grows: Africa, India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia What is tastes like: Black tea can come in a range of flavors, but is usually found to have a heartier taste than green or oiling teas. What you should know: The main difference between black tea and green tea is the oxidation process. Black tea leaves are fully oxidized whereas green tea leaves are lightly steamed before they are dried. This process contributes to the tea's taste as well as caffeine content. Like green tea, black tea has also been shown to have health benefits. Research has suggested that the antioxidants found in black tea may play a preventive role in conditions like heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

Pu-erh tea What it is: Also speller Pure, this tea technically falls in the black tea family, but is fermented twice (instead of once), which elevates it to its own category. The double oxidation process followed by a period of maturation allows the leaves to develop a thin layer of mold. Where it grows: Southwest China, Burma, Vietnam and Laos What is tastes like: Due to the layer of mold, pu-erh tea takes on a soil-like flavor with a strong, earthy quality. What you should know: Although the tea is distinctly dirt-tasting, pu-erh is often used for medicinal purposes as a digestive aid.

Oiling tea What it is: Considered to be among the finest (and most expensive) teas in the world, oiling
Tea is semi-fermented, which means that it goes through a short oxidation period that turns the leaves from green to a red-brown color. Where it grows: Taiwan What it tastes like: Pale yellow in color, the tea has a floral, fruity flavor reminiscent of peaches with a hint of smoke. What you should know: Tea connoisseurs consider the oiling flavor to be the most delicate and frown on drinking it with milk, sugar or lemon as to preserve the natural taste.

Flavored tea, Blends, Herbal Infusions and Tisanes
Because tea naturally absorbs other flavors quite easily, cultures have been adding herbs, spices, oils and flowers to their tea for centuries. In China, adding flowers such as jasmine, orchard, rose and magnolia to teas is quite popular. In many Arabic nations, they add fresh mint leaves and heaping spoonfuls of sugar to their tea. And in India, they make spicy masala tea by adding spices like cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and peppers.

If black and green teas are considered "purebreds," then blended teas are considered "mutts." Tea producers use different strains of tea to create flavors like English Breakfast and Earl Grey.

Unlike flavored tea and other blends, herbal infusions and tisanes are not technically tea as they are not made with leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant. Instead, tisane (tee-ZAHN) is an herbal tea made from herbs, spices and flowers and added to boiling water. Herbal drinks are typically recognized for their caffeine-free quality and also for soothing and rejuvenating effects. Commonly found herbal teas include chamomile, peppermint, fennel, rose hip and lemon verbena.

Caffeine Conundrum
People find all sorts of reasons not to drink tea, but two of the most common center around the avoidance or obsession with caffeine. Consider these facts about tea and caffeine from the UK tea council:

- 4 cups of tea per day offer good health benefits without the contraindications of other caffeinated drinks.

- Four cups of tea contain only moderate amounts of caffeine, which has been shown to increase concentration, thereby improving performance.

- When drinking a normal cup of tea, you consume significantly less caffeine than a cup of instant coffee or one you would buy at a coffee shop.

- Tea contains at least half the level of caffeine than coffee.

Tea Traditions
Though not nearly as common in America as in other parts of the world like Ireland and Britain, the custom of tea still penetrates many households in this country. Afternoon tea is said to have originated in the early 1800s by Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford who wanted some sort of mid-afternoon snack to ward off hunger pains until dinner. The tradition continues today, and while every British family does not sit down for a formal tea each day, many of the most elegant hotels in London (and in America) still serve a lavish spread for tea each afternoon. International chains like the Ritz-Carlton and the Four Seasons often offer a tea time treat, but check with your local hotels for times and pricing.

Herbal Diet Tea - Can it Work For You?

Posted by Fitness at 4:37 AM 0 comments

Herbal Diet Tea - Can it Work For You?

Having a hard time giving up your 4 cups of coffee each day? Evidence shows by switching to tea you can add some significant health benefits. The health benefit of drinking tea is chalked up to one explanation, antioxidants. Research shows that green and black teas have up to 8-10 times the antioxidants as fruits and vegetables which can add significantly to your health.

The research has found that regular tea drinkers - people who drink two or more cups per day - have less heart disease and stroke, lower cholesterol levels, and they may recover from heart attacks faster. You can find these benefits in black, green, oolong and even iced teas! Beware of doctoring up your tea with too much milk because this has been found to decrease the antioxidants.

Don’t despair coffee lovers! There are some teas out there that you may find match up to your love of coffee. For instance, Chai tea uses ginger and cardamom which overpowers the taste of the black tea but offers a rich, full bodied taste which is perfect for coffee consumers! Vanilla nut teas also tend to override the black tea taste for a richer flavor. Try some tea today to better your health!

Herbal Diet Tea - Can it Work For You?

Posted by Fitness at 4:37 AM 0 comments

Herbal Diet Tea - Can it Work For You?

Anyone who's ever tried to lose weight will tell you they've searched for a miracle cure. Pills, powders, crash diets and obscure food combining or eliminating programs are all on the cards for the serial dieter, but what about diet tea? Will it work when all else fails? Can this kind of tea, whether it's Chinese or otherwise, help where all else has failed?

Proven Results

While no one can claim that drinking tea alone will miraculously make pounds melt from your frame, if your diet is so loaded with fat, refined carbs and sugars that you rarely see a vegetable, and if your idea of exercise is changing the channel manually, however, certain diet teas have had proven results.

In many cases, these are high in antioxidants, as well as containing caffeine, the former of which aids digestion, and the latter which suppresses appetite. The combined effect, in recent studies, is that even though two groups consumed the same amount of calories, the one using the diet tea lost more weight. Certain teas have even been found to help boost a flagging metabolism, which helps burn calories faster, giving you better dieting results.

Volume Over Weight

When it comes to our stomach, it's a pretty simple organ. Fill it, in terms of volume, and you'll feel full. Of course, if you're drinking diet tea, that will be taking up some of the space in your stomach, while still releasing those anti oxidants and caffeine, so on a purely mechanical level; it works to keep hunger pangs at bay too.

Beat Bloating

Another benefit of diet tea is that it, like water, well known to be essential in weight loss, will help flush out accumulated toxins in your kidneys. Since it's those toxins that usually contribute to bloating and water retention, you can say goodbye to those enemies of a trim waistline too. Again, add to that the appetite suppression, and digestive aid, and you've got a triple effect system. Which is why diet tea is sometimes a better idea than water!

What You Do Need to Do

So we've established that diet tea could be the one thing that helps you lose weight, and maintain your goal weight, with all these benefits and more. Of course, tea alone won't solve all your weight loss problems. You'll still need to watch your calorie intake, and make healthier choices. It's also a good idea, for your general health and wellbeing, if nothing else, to start exercising a little more.

Diet tea will undoubtedly make losing weight easier, but remember, there's no miracle cure! If you supersize your takeout order, and wash it down with tea, it won't make those calories disappear - this isn't magic we're talking about here!

What it will do for you is help suppress cravings, and help kick your metabolism up a notch or two, while aiding in digestion, and banishing water retention. That, combined with sensible eating, and moderate exercise, should be more than enough to shift the extra weight you may be carrying.