Health Benefits

According to many professionals in the health research field, studies have shown that green tea may be beneficial in a number of conditions such as:

· Multiple sclerosis
· Cancer
· Alzheimer’s disease
· Parkinson’s diseases
· Rheumatoid arthritis
· Cardiovascular diseases
· Impaired immune function.

It has also shown protective qualities against:

· Heart diseases
· Heart attacks
· Cancer (esophageal, prostrate, breast, lung, colon, ovarian)
· Tooth decay
· Hypertension
· Brain tumors in children
· Gallstones
· Kidney disease
· Osteoporosis

Other benefits include that it:

· Reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood
· Raises metabolism and increases fat oxidation (weight loss)
· Thins blood and prevents clotting
· Assists in recovery after a heart attack
· Helps minimize brain damage after a stroke
· Improves the effectiveness of cancer drugs while reducing their side effects
· Improves insulin sensitivity in adult onset diabetes (Type II)
· Builds bones
· Protects liver from harmful substances
· Increases exercise endurance

Why It Works

Research shows that much of the health benefits found in green tea can be traced to its high levels of epigallocatechin-3-gallate EGCG and flavonoids. Incredibly, some reports suggest that the flavonoids alone account for up to 30% of the dry weight of green tea.

Both flavonoids and EGCG are antioxidants (they promote health by seeking out and attacking free radicals before they can cause damage to the body) EGCG is believed to be responsible for green tea’s cancer preventing abilities. One cup of green tea provides 20-35 mg of EGCG.

Is Green Tea for Every One?

Green tea contains caffeine, although less then coffee. The gunpowder varieties of green tea are high in caffeine, so if you are sensitive to caffeine, be sure to select a green tea with the least amount of caffeine. One method of adjusting the amount of caffeine in a cup is to rinse the tea- so throw out the first infusion and then enjoy your cup of tea.

Like all herbs there are cautions that should be noted before consuming. The tannins found in green tea (which make it taste bitter) can decrease the absorption of certain drugs, causing them to be less effective.

The caffeine in green tea can also cause an increase in absorption of certain drugs, causing the dose amount to be increased. Therefore, green tea can prove to be dangerous if you are taking drugs containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or theophylline.

How to Select the Best Green Tea

China boasts the largest variety of green teas ranging from the Gunpowder variety to the award winning Pan Long Yin Hao, for its complex brew of multiple flavors.

There are various types of green tea. The most notable differences are the teas from Japan, China and India. The world’s first organic green tea was produced in India. There is no clear agreement as to which green tea is the best. The different varieties found in these three countries are like all foods and are enjoyed for many factors.

The teas from India, most notably from Darjeeling, are noted for its robust flavor, while still being light. The best Chinese tea is thought to be harvested during the early spring. China boasts the largest variety of green teas ranging from the Gunpowder variety to the award winning Pan Long Yin Hao, for its complex brew of multiple flavors.

In Japan, the best teas are those coming from Shizuoka and Uji. Sencha is the most common green tea in Japan and is high in vitamin C and has is slightly bitter and astringent (drying) in taste. The second grade teas are called Bancha, and are sold for making tea bags and larger commercial applications.

How to Brew a Cup of Green Tea

Loose Leaf Teas are superior as they allow you to control the amount of tea you are steeping, and ultimately the amount of caffeine that you would like to have in your Green tea. If you want to brew a small cup of tea, say 5 ounces, you would use 3 grams of loose leaf tea and for a larger cup of 8 oz, use 4 grams of loose leaf tea.

I recently touched on the subject in a previous post and you can find it here: Tips on how to properly brew a cup of tea

Green Tea can provide you with many benefits, including a sense of well being and serenity…and hey, the added health benefits that new research is uncovering for green tea is an added bonus!

And then it happened.

These same teas were being offered as loose leaf teas.  Woah. Hold on – you mean tea didn’t just come in crushed tiny little bits? I thought all teas were somehow pulverized in a large pepper mill somehow and out they came, directly to our supermarkets and pantries. 

Once I took one of these strange ‘loose teas’ off the shelf and home with me I felt like I had found some undiscovered exotic plant.  And the amazing thing was that a lot of the leafs I could actually recognize.  Now this was epic.  To borrow a line from Russell Peters it was a total mind blasting experience to say the least.

So go ahead and take that first step if you haven’t.  The experience truly is enlightning and I know once you try loose leaf teas you will never settle for anything less

So what’s the big deal with loose leaf teas anyway? Don’t they all come from the same plant?  Well, technically yes if we are talking about tea tea (Camelia Sinensis)….but the difference lies in the quality of what you put in your mug.

Note: There are some quality merchants out there that offer tea bags- but we’re not talking about your average bags…these bags are usually mesh, full leaf, biodegradeable, or pyramid style bags.  Mighty Leaf is one of the better known merchants that carries loose tea in hand sewn pillow sacks.

So you might wonder why someone would bother with all the work involved with brewing loose tea.  I mean, you have to prepare it which normally involves an infuser, and seasoned teapot, and patience.  Well it all boils down (no pun intended) to quality of the leaves.  Go ahead and take a tea bag from your supermarket and rip it apart (well not literally in the store, purchase it first).  What do you see? What you normally see is dust.  Fine particles.  This is often referred to as fannings.  I was told that during the drying process large cylindrical bins fold the leaves continuously to help the drying process…the stuff that falls through the cylinder and into a catch

On the other hand, open up a container of loose leaf tea.  What do you see? Full leaves and lots of em!  You see, when tea leaves are broken up they release much of their essential oils and health properties…the less that you steep that are broken, the higher the concentration in your cup.

You don’t have to pay a premium price to enjoy premium tasting teas

That’s right.  Loose leaf teas come in all varieties.  Fabulous Indian Chai, Japanese Sencha Green tea, Silver Needle White tea, and of course the many herbal teas including peppermint tea, chamomile tea, exotic berry tea, rooibos tea, and many other teas.  Next time you take that trip to your local supermarket I suggest reaching for some loose leaf teas rather than tea bags.  You definitely won’t regret it!

The easiest way that I can recommend on how to steep the very best cup of loose leaf tea is to break it down into simple to follow steps!

Step 1:

Great tea starts with great water

Funny enough you should always start off with the purest water possible: I recommend using spring water.  Tap water with fluoride can alter the taste of tea and so for the purest tasting cup of loose leaf tea stick with spring water.  Never microwave your water! Instead bring it to a rolling boil, but be sure not to over boil the water.  Depending on what type of loose leaf tea you are steeping you may want to remove it from the heat prior to it boiling, as sometimes boiling water can damage the subtle flavors of some teas (especially white tea).  I have heard that the essential oils that are released during steeping can actually be burned by intense heat – so be careful!

Here is a general table that you can follow for temperatures, depending on what type of tea you are steeping:

Chinese green teas 70º C to 95º C
Japanese green teas 60º C to 85º C
Semi-oxidized teas (such as Oolong) 95º C
Black teas 95º C
White teas 70º C to 85º C

Step 2:

Time to infuse!

When its time to infuse your loose leaf teas try to avoid metal infusers – or if you must do not fill them more than a third of the way.  It’s vital that the leaves are given enough space to properly unfold.  You would be surprised at the difference in depth of flavor when you give the leaves a chance to fully expand.  A great alternative is to use t-sac tea filters, provided by Herbal Infusions , I find these to be really useful, especially at the office.  Metal and steel can also alter the taste of the tea – and can be hazardous if they have been cheaply made.  I once put an infuser that a coworker picked up at a dollar store in a cup for a few days and rust started to form – not something you would want to be ingesting!

Step 3:

Watch that first steep

While you are preparing your tea as in step #2, you also want to make sure you are preparing your tea pot.  Start with rinsing it thoroughly with boiling water – this helps to ’season’ or prepare the teapot for the infusion.   It also helps to keep your tea warmer for a prolonged period of time as it heats the teapot.  You can also use a tea cosy…hey whatever floats your boat.

The first steep (when referring to Camelia Sinensis) has the most caffeine.  If you want to cut the caffeine (go decaf, or close to it) then steep your tea for 1 minute, toss the tea then re-steep.  Most of the caffeine comes out within the first minute of steeping. If you are enjoying Herbal teas then most are naturally caffeine free!

Try to keep an eye on the infusion as it can be very easy to over steep a tea to the point of it being too strong. If that becomes the case you can always dilute the tea or toss it and start again.  I prefer to dilute the tea or put it aside for iced tea.

Step 4:

Clean up time

When rinsing your teapot out try to avoid abrasive soaps or chemicals.  I stick with a bit of baking soda or diluted vinegar and warm water.  If you do have the opportunity try to stick to using different tea pots for different teas.  Black teas in one, maybe green and white in another.  The teas can really absorb into the pots and come out in subsequent infusions so keep this in mind.