It seems that more and more writers and publications have discovered tea! There were two interesting articles in national publications during the last week or so.
The Wall Street Journal on October 2nd featured and article about the Hot trend in Tea in China; Puerh. They covered the rising popularity among collectors who collect this tea as one would a fine wine.
US and World News cited recent studies showing that tea may help us focus our minds. Research is being done on how tea may affect brain disorders and diseases
October 8th, 2007
Dear T Bloggers,
Thought I would tell you what I have discovered about drinking tea for my health! Since becoming a serious tea drinker in 2004, I tried to find the tea with the most health for my buck. That made me take a look at Pu-erh teas, the Chinese health tea. I found out that it did a great job lowering my blood sugars every AM! But I also found out that I couldn’t drink a lot of it without eating something before noon or I would have too much of a drop in my blood sugar. Have you had a similar experience? LL
June 2nd, 2007
In the news of late, there have been several stories about the safety of food being imported into the US, especially from China. Pet food ingredients and toothpaste have been two notable examples. National Public Radio last week had a story on this subject as well. One would be foolish not to be concerned about the safety of their food, whether it be from China, Mexico, or the local farmer’s market.
As I read these, my mind naturally wonders about the tea we import. As a tea drinker, you know that teas come primarily from the agrucultural areas of developing nations. As the pressure to deliver products that must compete on the world market increases, so do the opportunities for shortcuts, shoddy practices and mislabeling. Some of this is unintenional, and some may be done for short term gains without regards for the consequences. However, I was pleased to note in the information provided by the FDA, there have been very few instances of tea products being rejected for importation into the U.S. market. With but a couple of exceptions, the producers were not Chinese, and for the most part, not the areas most associated with loose leaf ortodox tea.
There is no easy answer to assure the safety and quality of the tea you receive. There are thousands of producers providing millions of pounds of tea into the market. There are too many growing areas, producers, varietals, and seasonal crops for any individual to track or completely understand. My suggested approach is to buy from suppliers that are reputable and take the time to understand what they have, and to explain it to you. It takes constant work, study, research, dialogue, industry involvement, and of course tasting to keep up with this dynamic industry.
For my part, I will continue to drink tea for its’ taste and its’ health benefits. At the same time I will ask more questions so I know what I am buying. I have to beleive that this product wil continue to improve, and is much better than the artificial ingredients in most of the overly processed foods found on store shelves today.
May 29th, 2007
With little effort you can find recipes using tea. This seems to be a popular trend these days. It is certainly fun, as it allows one to explore their creative side. The attached link will take you to aroundmaine.com which features an article on cooking with tea. I have not tried the recipes (yet), though the Tea-Smoked Scallops will be first on my list.
If you have a favorite recipe using tea, please feel free to share it with others here.
Enjoy,
Chief Leaf
April 3rd, 2007
Last month the History Channel aired a segment on their Modern Marvels program on tea. They did a nice job of covering history, and brought out some aspects that are not always covred in many of the books that have been written. In addition, they interviewed a number of people in the industry all the way from a plant manager for Lipton to James Norwood Pratt.
If you are interested in increasing your knowledge about tea history, how it is processed (especially in a tea bag factory), and current trends, I would reccommend finding this video. It can be ordered from The History Channel for $24.95, or found at local libraries, and I am told, Netflix.
Enjoy,
Chief Leaf
March 21st, 2007
It seems that the Big Marketing companies are jumping on the tea bandwagon!
Last summer Snapple had a cute ad introducing its’ line of White Tea drinks showing the plucking of a bud and two leaves. Lipton has included ‘diet’ tea in their bottled drink line.
Now Coca Cola and Nestle (Nestea) have introduced Enviga, what they call a ‘negative calorie tea’ They say that in clinical trials drinking 3 cans burns 60-100 calories. This is attributed to the EGCG and caffeine in the drink.
Naturally, the health benefits derived from tea is a function of how much tea is in the beverage.
I suppose it is good that more and more people are recognizing the great taste and health benefits of tea. Coke and Nestle certianly have a larger advertising budget than most of the tea shops I know!
The question is will Americans recognize the try tea that does not have artificial ingredeints and added sweeteners? Maybe the advertising the big consumer products companies are doing will raise our collective awareness and encourage people to go to the source for the ‘genuine’ experience.
Chief Leaf
March 13th, 2007
Staying healthy in a world that is continuously “growing smaller”, with germs circling the globe as we travel from one country to another in hours rather than days, can be alarming. Drinking tea can help. Tea will improve your state of mind as well as improve your immunity. Check out the article by Dr. Balz Frei, The Beverage Guidelines: What Should You Drink to Stay Healthy? You will find it in the Fall/Winter 2006 research newsletter from the Linus Pauling Institute
Loose Leaf
March 6th, 2007
I have been drinking green tea for some time to obtain its purported health benefits. I cannot say to what extent I am in better shape, but I have certainly come to enjoy both the taste and the ritual - and I have gotten fond of munching the leaves lying in the bottom of my cup. Does anyone have an opinion as to whether this is a good thing (extractives, fiber, etc.)?
March 4th, 2007
With all the new awareness of trying to get back to purity in foods and going organic we also think about our water and what chemicals are put into it to make it safe to drink. Many of you have purifying systems to take out some of these chemicals. That is one way of getting rid of chemicals we deem harmful to ourselves and our children. One very important natural chemical that occurs in tea leaves is fluoride. Black tea carries the most fluoride but all tea has this most important content for our bones and teeth. For further information read Dr. Jane Higdon’s research on fluoride at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
Loose Leaf
February 21st, 2007
This recipe is great for a summer day, and as a starting place for additional creativity.
1/2 pint strong Darjeeling Tea
6 ounces sugar
1/2 pint orange juice
4 TBS lemon juice
1 large bottle lemonade
2 small bottles ginger ale
1 orange, sliced
Put the tea in a bowl; add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the orange juice and lemon juice and strain. Chill. Just before serving, mix in the ginger ale lemonade and orange slices.
Courtesy; The Darjeeling Planters Association
February 19th, 2007
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