Tea Time

If you are involved in the regular drinking of tea in any way, you've likely heard the term 'tea connoisseur.' I'm sure the meaning of this term can vary quite a bit from person to person, but most will agree that a tea connoisseur is someone who is really into tea. They will know about the different types, and processes, and and subtleties....and of course they will love to drink tea.

If you love tea, but don't feel you are quite there yet and want to become a tea connoisseur, here are a few things to keep in mind as you make the transition.

First, ditch those tea bags and start drinking loose leaf. Any real connoisseur or expert will never let you into the club if you aren't drinking it as it was meant to be enjoyed. Loose leaf tea produces a much more flavorful cup, and it is a must if you are ever to obtain connoisseur status. When the water circulates around the leaves it creates a flavor that just can't be matched in bag form. Not to mention, the health benefits are dramatically increased when it is left in its natural state.

Second, learn a lot about tea. You can't really be considered a connoisseur of anything if you don't know a lot about the topic. Read as much as you can about the history and cultiivation of tea leaves. Learn about how it is processed. Learn about all the different tea producing parts of the world. Learn about all of the different varieties and sub-varieties. Learn about the best ways to prepare each different type. In short, learn all there is to know about the world of tea.

Third, keep in mind that to be a real connoisseur, you have to enjoy yourself. You may have an image of the snobby, nose in the air tea drinker, but you don't have to be that way. People have been drinking tea for thousands of years. It is a way of life in many cultures, and there are thousands upon thousands of tea drinkers who came before you who are very down to earth.

Tea is a popular beverage that also happens to be one of the most consumed beverages in the world alongside coffee, beer and certain soft drinks which include Coke and Pepsi. While there are many blends of tea sold on the market, they all come from a single species of plant, Camellia Sinensis. The exception to this rule is herbal tea. Herbal tea generally does not contain any tea leaves but uses various herbs and fruits for flavor and health benefits instead. Both types of tea have been a popular beverage for thousands of years dating back to ancient Egypt.

The most important element of any non-herbal tea is of course the tea leaves. The leaves and buds of Camellia Sinensis are the two things utilized to produce tea. From these leaves, we are able to produce many varieties including green tea, white tea and black tea. Leaves that undergo the least amount of oxidation during processing generally retain most of the original components of the leaf itself. For this reason, they are usually the most beneficial as well as the most expensive. This type of tea is commonly known as green tea.

Traditionally only found in China and some parts of Southeast Asia, Camellia Sinensis is know grown across the world due to its commercial importance. It is known as an evergreen plant as it bears leaves throughout the seasons. Besides tea, this species can also produce tea oil from the seeds. This oil is normally used for cooking and is said to have a sweetish tinge to it. Caffeine is naturally found in the leaves and usually makes up a few percent of the leaf's composition.

Younger leaves are highly treasured by tea aficionados and can cost anywhere from $20 to $50 for a small bag. Unlike the deep green that is present in older leaves, younger leaves will generally have lighter colors. Aging has a profound effect on the chemical composition of the end product. High quality teas are almost always grown in the highlands where their growth rates slow down. While they grow slowly, their flavor improves by quite a margin.

While a single species is responsible for the entire tea industry, it should be noted that there are many cultivars within Camellia Sinensis. Growing these plants for harvest is usually a long and lengthy process. New plants will take up to 3 years of growth before it is harvested. They are propagated either via cutting or through the use of new seeds. It should be noted that seeds are only produced by plants above the age of four. Due to the long wait, the entire plant is never harvested. Instead, only the top few inches are picked periodically where they will grow back within two weeks.

It is often believed that tea is the best beverage to drink, and is the second most consumed beverage after plain water. Tea leaves contain flavanoids which are shown to reduce low-density lipoprotein necessary for our body.

Tea has been in history for more than 5000 years and it has been for many years one of the most expensive beverage. Even today you can buy 100g of tea with few thousand dollars. Luckily, there are cheaper versions as well, so that everybody can enjoy a cup of tea now and then. Some of us regularly and some of us on a daily basis. Hundreds years ago things were not like this. Tea was really expensive and more over not everybody had the chance to purchase some. Not that is was really expensive but it was really rare as well. Only the most powerful people in country would have access to small boxes filled in with the so wanted leaves.

Nowadays there are so many different types of tea out there. You can try teas obtain from fruits, spices, herbs and plants, or you can combine them.

There are 4 different types of tea (from camellia sinensis): green, white, black and wu long tea. All of them contain different amount of anti-oxidants that are very important for a good functionality of the human body. Green tea is not fermented, wu long is partially fermented and the black tea is totally fermented. Green tea contains the highest amount of anti-oxidants because of its preparation. Wu long has special properties because contains both green and black tea benefits. White tea is the most expensive and it is quite difficult to find it.

There are so many health benefits of drinking tea because of the presence of the polyphenols. It can help lose weight, can cure you from a cold, gives you energy, increase the immune system, helps the body to stay fit, contains a ¼ caffeine than coffee.

Besides the 4 main categories of tea, people have started to combine different types of fruits or spices with the leaves to obtain challenging tastes and flavors. There are teas obtain from different combination of herbs that are used for medical purpose as well, those are called ayurvedic teas.

Out there is a large variety of delicious types that we can try out for ourselves and enjoy our coldest evening holding our favorite cup of tea.

Reasons why we should drink tea

Many of the world's cultures have long known about the benefits of drinking tea. Some cultures though are just beginning to realize this. Are you are tea drinker? Do you know how you can be helped by drinking tea? If all you have known is just enjoying the flavor of a hot cup or cold glass on a summer day, read on to find out some of the benefits you will find from drinking tea.

Eight Important Reasons to Drink Tea

1. Tea contains the antioxidants which fight off the free radicals that cause damage in your body. All have these to a certain extent. However, white and green tea has more than black does. When free radicals are left to wreak havoc in your body they can cause many problems to happen including cancer.

2. A cup of tea has far less caffeine than coffee does. This means you can drink more in a day without over doing it than coffee. A cup of coffee has about 100mg of caffeine. Whereas the black tea has about 50mg or less of caffeine, green tea has about 30mg or less of caffeine, and oolong is 35mg or less of caffeine in a cup. You can even get decaffeinated if you want to completely eliminate caffeine.

3. Black tea can help reduce how much cortisol (a stress hormone) there is in the body. This helps you react to stressful situations more effectively.

4. Green and black teas have been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells in the digestive system as well as other systems of the body. The scientists believe it is the polyphenols contained in it that are partially the reason.

5. Tea gives your immune system a boost so you can keep from getting various diseases or fight them off more easily. So if you have a sluggish immune system try some tea to see what happens.

6. Tea has anti-inflammatory qualities. You can place a cool tea bag on your eyes even to reduce puffiness that comes with a lack of sleep sometimes.

7. There have been studies done that prove that drinking tea each day lowers the risk from dying from a heart attack by a whopping 44 percent. This was by drinking 3 or more cups daily. This is because tea contains myricetin, kaempferol, and quercetin which are all flavanoids. In fact, drinking only 1 1/2 cups of tea daily has shown to lower the risk of having a heart attack by 40% compared to people that do not drink it.

8. Tea is a great digestive aid. After eating a meal, have a cup of tea to help your stomach digest your food more effectively. It can be used for relief of stomach cramps too.

These are just some of the benefits from drinking tea. It has been drunk for centuries in various parts of the world. If you are not a tea drinker right now, you should really become one so you can enjoy the advantages of consuming it.