Tea: 10 Interesting and Informative things to Know
By: Keith
I am an avid tea drinker and student of tea. I drink it because it’s healthy and it’s cheap (Works out to about 20 cents a cup for high quality leaves). Even my kids have gotten into the habit of drinking tea with me. I prepare them either white tea or green tea because it has less caffeine than black. It is a zero calorie drink with many reported curative properties. Some teas have high concentrations of ECGC. Chinese white teas are the highest. Some other teas are better relaxation tools. The Japanese Greens are known to have higher amino acid concentrations which are good for relaxation (Gyokuro and Matcha have the most). If you’re a parent who needs a relaxing drink that is healthy, cheap, and tasty you cannot go wrong with tea. Also, if you are tired of your kids getting sugared up with soda and juice, consider tea or some herbal concoction (if you’re concerned about caffeine – which I am not). Tea is my drink of choice. I prefer the Japanese teas, but they are all good for different reason. Here are some interesting things to know about tea and tea culture.
1. All true tea comes from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis. There are two varieties of the plant, Sinensis (East Asian), and Assamica (the Indian variety). Roobios, Mata and other herbals are not technically teas.
2. All tea originated in China (some say as long as 5,000 years ago) and was spread globally by monks, in the case of Japan, and by war, trade and exploration as was the case with Mongolia, Russia, and Europe.
3. There are 4 main processing methods that produce different kinds of teas. These 4 methods result in White, Green, Black, and Oolong teas. White teas undergo the least amount of processing and Black and Oolong the most. Oxidation is a process to be prevented in white and green teas and encouraged in black and oolong teas. Teas do not ferment, they oxidize.
4. Tradition refers to three historic periods in tea preparation. The first is no longer in use and involved steaming the tea and grinding it into paste. The second epoch of tea preparation was powdered tea; it gave rise to the tea culture and it’s still practiced today in Japan (Matcha). The third period is what we know today, boiled water and brewed leaves.
5. Tea has many health benefits, depending on several factors which result in different chemical profiles. Shade grown teas are higher in the muscle relaxing and mood enhancing amino acid, Theanine. Sun grown teas are higher in ECGC which is the antioxidant that is touted for its apparent ability to counteract sun damage and skin problems.
6. The Japanese Tea Ceremony uses Matcha powdered green tea. It is a shade grown tea called Tencha that is ground up into a fine powder and whisked in a bowl and consumed in solemn reverence to the art of simplicity.
7. All Japanese teas are Green. The most prized Japanese teas come from the Uji region. Only a tiny fraction of Japanese teas are exported which is why most teas in western tea houses are Chinese blends. The Chinese dominate tea exportation.
8. The definitive introduction to Japanese culture to westerners was aptly titled The Book of Tea. It was written towards the end of the Meji Era when western culture had a heavy influence in Japan. The book was written by Okakura Kakuzo as a way to demystify Japanese culture for a western audience.
9. Iced tea was invented in the United States sometime around 1890. There is a myth that it was invented at the 1904 St Louis World’s fair, but there is good evidence that disputes that claim. Iced tea makes up 70% of all the tea consumed in the United States.
10. There is more caffeine in a pound of tea leaves than in a pound of coffee beans. But, because tea is steeped rather than ground, the result is that a cup of tea has half the caffeine content of a cup of coffee. Black tea has more caffeine than green and green has more than white.
I’ve done quite a bit of reading about tea. One of my desires in life is to participate in a tea ceremony and to learn the art of simplicity. The following books are some of the best books I’ve read on the subject. I first got involved with tea a few years ago when I went to the dermatologist and found I had skin cancer. Since then I have enjoyed tea for more than just its curative properties (My skin is looking pretty good these days). I drink tea to relax. I also drink it because it’s economical. There are so many blends and varieties that I could drink for years and still find some I’ve never tried. If you want a drink that is healthy, cheap, and tasty – go with tea. Oh, and do not ever, and I mean it, put sugar in your tea. That’s a cardinal sin. If you’re curious you can add milk to black tea. Lemon is another oddity that is acceptable in some corners of Europe; tea goes bad after a while and the trip from China on the Russian caravans was long. These days there is no reason to add anything to tea.
The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea
The Book of Tea
History of the World in 6 Glasses
Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West
The Ultimate Tea Diet: Burn Fat and Lose Pounds Fast and Forever
Tea: The Drink that Changed the World
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I don’t like eating at Asian restaurants because they don’t serve COFFEE! Just can’t taste what you and a few billion people like about tea.
Wow– 10 interesting facts on tea. I am now more educated. Time to go have a Lipton brisk in a convenient 12 ounce can.
.-= Dennis Yu´s last blog ..Watch out! An army of local entrepreneurs is coming =-.
Asian restaurants usually serve really sub par tea. They buy the cheapest nastiest stuff. I’ll make you tea when you come. It would be my honor to introduce you to good tea
You forgot to mention Puerh. That’s another true Camellia Sinensis tea. The other teas are mostly oxidized while Puerh is truly fermented. And it’s the healthiest of all the teas, having more antioxidants than green tea and also having probiotics (like yogurt.)
Thanks Jason. I did forget to mention Puerh tea. I sort of left it off intentionally because it is so different than the rest of the teas. The other teas are not fermented at all while puerh is the only one that is left in open air to undergo that microbial change. The others are only oxidized. Now, I would say you are wrong about it being the healthiest tea though. There are a few teas that hold the title of healthiest for different reasons. Puerh has those microbes that are good for digestion and lowering cholesterol. But, Matcha and gyokuro are the highest in Theinine and some white teas are the highest in ECGC. So, it isn’t true that puerh is the “healthiest” as that is a subjective judgment. Anyway, thanks for the comment, and thank you for reminding me about Puerh. That is indeed a strange class of tea.
I’m neither a coffee or a tea drinker, but have read the both black and green tea have benefits for diabetics. In your experience have you come across any such information? Also, any recommendations?
.-= PJ Mullen´s last blog ..American Diabetes Month 2009 =-.
I have read that too, PJ. I don’t really know what it is in tea that is so good for diabetics, but that is something that many diabetics have reported on, and I believe it. I am, sadly, not very informed about diabetes, but I do know that tea has the ability to relieve many infirmities. Thank you for your visit and your thoughtful comment