10 Things to Know About Tea
For many, tea has become the drink of choice, whether it’s having a cup at home, as a part of anafternoon or high tea experience at a tea room or as a replacement for coffee at the end of your meal when dining out. With thousands of varieties, there’s something for everyone and apparently, tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, right after water. Take that coffee! So I present to you 10 Things You Might Like to Know About Tea.
Chinese Legend Says…: The story of tea began in ancient China over 5,000 years ago, but there’s actually a legend behind it. Apparently, an emperor by the name of Shen Nung was also a creative scientist and patron of the arts. Ahead of his time, he required that all drinking water be boiled as a hygienic precaution. While visiting a distant region of his realm, he and the court stopped to rest. As a protocol, the servants began to boil water for the court to drink. Dried leaves from the near by bush fell into the boiling water and infused it. As a scientist, the Emperor decided to take a sip, found it very refreshing and according to legend, tea was created.
A Tea By Any Other Name: Black, oolong (sometimes called wu long), green and white tea are all the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The differences in these various teas are due to the amount of oxidation and processing that the teas have been allowed to undergo. The word “tea” can also be used to describe a liquid infusion of any herb. Hence the term “herbal tea”. But “herbal teas” are not true teas, and in the tea industry they are known as tisanes.
A Cup of Tea (or two) a Day Keeps the Doctor Away: A growing body of research indicates that the tannins in tea are naturally-occurring flavonoids which have strong antioxidant properties and which may play a role in reducing the risk of certain cancers, heart disease and stroke. While black and green tea have similar health benefits, about three times as many antioxidant polyphenois is found in white tea then green tea due to white tea being dried in sun, which helps preserves more of its antioxidant properties.
Sometimes It Pays To Keep It Cool(er): Not all teas have to be prepared with boiling water. In fact, green and white teas require special instruction. After the water is boiled, it should be cooled down 150-180 degrees Fahrenheit before infusing with the tea. Water that is hotter than this can cause the green tea and white tea to be bitter and unpalatable.
Need a Break from Water?: To keep hydrated, we are told to drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. For a change of pace, squeeze in 2 to 3 cups of tea daily and that along with water, is good enough to satisfy your body’s water requirement.
Don’t Call Me Puffy: Late Nights? Allergies? Had a crying jag? If so, you may wake up to puffy eyes. What’s the solution? Tea Bags. Steep 2 bags of teas in hot water for 4-5 minutes. Caffeine is a natural diuretic, meaning that it pulls fluid out of your system. Caffeinated tea bags can be used to help alleviate the puffy eye syndrome because it helps by constricting blood vessels to reduce swelling. It’s great if your use herbal teas such as chamomile, hibiscus as well. Herbal teas contain important anti-irritants that soothe and reduce eye puffiness. Be sure to cool the tea bags before using them. Now lie down, close your eyes, and place a tea bag over each eye; then cover with a soft cloth. Relax for about five to ten minutes. Remove the tea bags and examine your eyes. The puffiness should diminish. If the result is not to your liking, re-cool the tea bags and apply to your eyes again.
“Orange Pekoe” Tea is not Orange Flavored: Orange Pekoe is a grade of black tea that describes the size of the tea leaf pieces. It has nothing to do with the color of the tea or any added flavorings.
Mosquito Bites Begone: Use a tea bag as emergency itch relief for mosquito bites. Place a warm tea bag over a bite until the bag cools, reheating it if necessary to fully relieve the itch. In one sitting, the tea bag will help to draw out the poison, reduce the swelling and prevent painful itch.
Tea-Strengthener: Tea contributes to a healthy bone because flavanoids in tea help increase mineral densities and strong bones. Strong teeth can also come as a result of drinking tea because of the fluoride that tea contains. Fluoride slows down the tooth decay process and helps to prevent cavities. Tannins in tea also inhibit the growth of certain plaque-forming bacteria and even helps lessen bad breath.
No Jitters Here: When it comes to tea vs. coffee in regards to caffeine, it can be said that in it’s dry form, tea has actually more caffeine by weight than coffee. However, when you compare a cup of tea and a cup of coffee, there is only 40 mg of caffeine in a cup of black tea (less in green, white and oolong tea) compared to at least 80 mg in a similar size of coffee. The added bonus of drinking tea is that caffeine in tea dissolves more readily and dissipates than caffeine in coffee, which means less jitters for tea drinkers versus coffee drinkers.
So now that you know a lot more about tea, be sure to enjoy a cup or two at your next meal and you may even want to bring home the tea bags for possible home remedy use when needed.
