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 Time for TEA
Good [and Good for You] to the Last Drop As legend has it, Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung, discovered tea in 2737 B.C. when some tealeaves accidentally blew into his pot of boiling water. Though it took nearly 5,000 years to scientifically prove the benefits of drinking this new beverage regularly, the Chinese immediately noticed its health effects, and Shen-Nung became known as the “Divine Healer.” During the last 15 years, numerous studies have shown that drinking three to five cups of tea a day is good for your health, lowering your risk of developing everything from cardiovascular disease to certain types of cancers. Americans are taking the message to heart: consumer purchases of tea have increased for 15 consecutive years and nearly half of all Americans drink tea daily, according to the Tea Council of the USA. Today, it’s easier than ever to find tea. Coffee shops have added it to their menu, grocery store aisles are lined with everything from tealeaves to instant varieties, and specialty teashops are sprouting up across the country. Points North takes a closer look at tea, from why it’s good for your health to how to brew a perfect cup. Not all “Teas” are Tea While buying tea may seem like an expensive beverage choice if you look at the price per pound, a little tea goes a long way, making it an extremely affordable option — the average cup of tea costs a mere three cents, according to the Tea Council of the USA. Plus some teas actually taste better on the second or third infusion, making reusing the tea leaves both a money-saving and a palatable choice. Steeped in Health Benefits Each year, scientists conduct hundreds of studies to discover the health benefits of tea. Although green tea is the most widely tested, research suggests that both black and green tea yield similar results, which Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging and professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, attributes to the way in which the body processes the tea. When tea is fermented, the flavonoids, specifically the catechins, bind together to form dense compounds, but during digestion, the stomach’s acids break them down into the simpler form present in green tea, which is what the body absorbs. When it comes to improving your health, studies have shown that regularly drinking tea offers numerous benefits, especially with reducing the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and increasing the odds of surviving a heart attack. And preliminary research indicates that it may reduce your risk of developing certain types of cancer or osteoporosis, as well. The more you drink, the greater the benefit: individuals consuming four or five cups of tea each day fare better than those who drink two or three, though they still fare better than occasional or non-tea drinkers. Plus, the longer the tea is infused, the greater the concentration of flavonoids, so steep your tea for the longest amount of time possible to brew a strong cup. (See our Tea Brewing Cheat Sheet for simple tips to get you started.) If you find weak tea more palatable, simply drink more of it to make up the difference. Unlike teas, the health benefits associated with the antioxidants found in many tisanes are unknown, but don’t let that dissuade you from drinking them if they’re your beverage of choice. Not only is drinking tisane a low-calorie alternative to soda, but since each of the plants that make up the herbal blends contains its own flavonoids or antioxidants, they still may have a beneficial effect on your health, even if they are not identical to those found in tea. After all, herbal blends have been used for years as part of traditional Chinese and Native American medicine, and infused peppermint is a licensed drug in Germany. One caveat to note: If you prefer to drink your tea cold, such as with iced tea, don’t prepare a large quantity of it and leave it in the refrigerator for several days. “Catechins are hugely stable in the tea leaf, but they’re not very stable in the beverage once you’ve dissolved them,” Blumberg said. “After about three days, a lot of those catechins have degraded. It’s also true for all of those ready-to-drink teas; the analyses that the USDA has done show very little of these compounds are left [by the time that consumers drink the tea]. Ironically, some companies are trying to fortify their ready-to-drink teas by adding more catechins so more will be around by the time you drink it.” A Perfect Cup Made Easy In response to the rise in tea’s popularity in recent years, more and more manufacturers are introducing products to the marketplace that make it easier than ever to brew a perfect cup using whole-leaf tea blends. Electric kettles allow you to heat the water to the ideal temperature for your tea, whether it’s 180 degrees for a white or 205 degrees for a black. Innovative teapots enable you to conveniently brew your tea, keeping the leaves behind when it drains into your cup, and ready-to-fill tea bags are available for those who prefer that method for infusing their tea. Adagio Tea’s triniTEA electric tea maker allows you to brew tea with the same level of convenience as you do coffee. Once you set the dials to indicate the water temperature and infusion time, the tea maker will automatically heat the water and steep the tea, and it will even keep the tea warm all day. But be careful not to confuse this electric tea maker with others on the market that work like coffee makers and don’t allow time for the tealeaves to steep. Without that step, you’ll be drinking little more than colored and lightly flavored water that contains few of the tea’s healthful flavonoids. “Studies have shown that regularly drinking tea offers numerous benefits, especially with reducing the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and increasing the odds of surviving a heart attack.” A Tea Taste Test If you’re new to the world of tea, spend an afternoon sampling a wide variety of teas, tasting everything from popular versions such as Earl Grey to exotic blends to figure out which one best matches your tastes. Even if you’re a tea connoisseur, conduct a taste test between several blends of your favorite type of tea. You may be surprised to find that each version contains its own subtle nuances that only a discerning palate can discover. Enjoy the hunt! PN
Tea Time Crabapple Tea Room & Bakery Faded Rose Tea Garden The Farmhouse Tea Shoppe Mittie’s Tea Room Café Tea & Traditions Teacup Cottage Tea Leaves and Thyme For More Information Tea Council of the USA
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Tea Terms 101