Different Types Of Tea

Everybody knows the medicinal properties of tea. If you are suffering from fever have a cup of hot tea and you will definitely start feeling better. Add a bit of black pepper or lemon and you have the best brew to treat a bad stomach or even a bad mood. Tea leaves are also used in their leaf form as medicines and beauty supplements.

There are many types of tea. Herbal tea, spicy tea, etc. but these do not contain any tea leaves as such. They mostly contain herbs, roots and spices. The original brews of tea are made from the leaves of Camellia Sinensis. The main types of tea that are concocted out of this plant are

Black tea - the leaf buds and young leaves of Camellia Sinensis to brew black tea. The technique is pretty complex and precise. The leaves are picked and rolled till they darken to a red tinge. These leaves are spread out to ferment in a cool place for at least 3 days. Then the leaves are dried and packed.

Oolong tea - this kind is also brewed from leaf buds and young leaves of the plant. But the process is less complicated and does not take very long. The leaves are allowed to ferment only for 45 minutes in direct sun and it is important to keep turning the leaves so that all the leaves get equal sunlight and air. The dried leaves are allowed to cool for a bit till the edges of the leaves turn a shade of red. The dried leaves are then packed.

Green tea - As all the other kinds of tea brewed from the plant, green tea is also infused from the leaf buds and very young leaves. The leaves are allowed to dry not in the bright sun but in the shade. After the leaves dry properly they are roasted for a little while. Soon after this, the leaves are packed.

Four Amazing Facts About Oolong Tea

Ever been curious about oolong tea? There are actually lots of interesting stuff about this herbal drink. Here you'll learn about the four most popular ones.

But first, let's have a short backgrounder. Tea is a drink that has originated from and been popularized by the East. It comes in so many forms and has introduced to the world of beverages a world of natural flavours extracted from nature's finest products. But tea is more than just some flavourful beverage. There are other benefits to drinking tea as well.

One such example is the oolong tea. Known as Wu-Long in Chinese, it's a kind of black tea that originated from the lands of Mt. Wu Yi of the Province of Fuji, one of the cleanest places in the world. There are lots of stories and legends behind the oolong tea, too many to mention, in fact. But right now, it's produced mainly in Taiwan, where people get it for its oxidizing properties and unique taste.

Fact #1 It is good at burning fat. This is backed up by a research published in various science journals in 1999. It not only burns fat, but lowers the body's absorption rate of fat as well, which is quite good for your diet. Remember that oolong tea costs a little below $5 - that's an incredibly cheap, easy but effective way to lose weight.

It also provides better protection for your heart and your entire vascular system, which is fact #2. Again, this is backed up by studies which show that people who drink tea, especially oolong tea, on a regular basis are less likely to have heart diseases or suffer stroke. Those tea drinkers that do, however, also tend to recover from the condition much faster.

Fact #3 It increases glucose levels among diabetics. If you habitually consume 75ml of the oolong tea, studies show that your blood glucose goes down by approximately 11 mcg. The studies further revealed that as you drink more, the reduction rate of the glucose levels get better. That's what makes it so much better - oolong tea is natural, and you can never have too much of it. That means you can have as much of the benefit as you want, especially if you're diabetic.

Lastly, fact #4 states that it is rich in antioxidants. We all know how antioxidants are so great at preventing cancer. And don't worry about research - this fact has been backed up by countless studies over the years. Even smokers who drink it regularly have been known to have slower rates of damaging DNA cells, which is what causes cancer to begin with.

Tales From the Tea Estates of Sri Lanka - Memoirs of a Tea Planter

Priyal woke up to a bright day. The incessant monsoon rains had been steadily pouring overnight and the morning was clear and crisp. He looked out as always through the bedroom window to scan over the two thousand acres of tea plantation that grew just a hundred feet away from his house and swept over the hills and dales like a well-manicured lawn that disappeared into the blue horizon. This sight never failed to instill a sense of awe at nature's beauty and bounty.

On the distant hill-scape he could see the tea pluckers with their baskets draped behind them going about their daily chores of picking the teas from the designated areas. These tea pluckers, mostly women, were some of the most efficient human machines as they filled their baskets up with the bud and two leaves using just their fingers as they nimbly and effortlessly moved their hands over the tea bushes like a maestro playing upon a vast green grand piano!

Priyal felt a sense of pride and achievement as he was the Chief Superintendent of the estate and responsible for all operations from the plucking to the final processing and shipment of the tea leaves from the factory. He had been trained and mentored to do this since he finished high school from the age of nineteen.

He stretched out lazily and drew the curtains further which brought to sight the beautiful and splendid stone and brick bungalow with its tall stone fireplace chimneys perched atop a hill about 300 feet above his house which was the highest point in the estate. This bungalow stood out like an apparition from another time and era and aptly named " Eagles Nest". Leading up to this bungalow were neatly trimmed and beautifully landscaped tropical gardens that glistened in the morning dew and beckoned everyone to visit its charming ambiance.

The British planters who built this bungalow in the late 19th. century had always reserved this place for the Chief Superintendent of the estate and had furnished it and fitted it out with fine pieces of interior decor brought in from far corners of the colonial British Empire. From the granite paved porch to the terracotta verandah leading to the fine polished hardwood flooring in the great room, this work of architecture with its panoramic views of the distant hills and rolling valleys below was absolute serendipity!

White Tea - A Natural Wonder

The origins of tea go back to China, more than 4000 years ago. Since then, people all across Asia and around the world drink tea to quench thirst and to enjoy the numerous benefits it provides to overall body health.

Each of the four main types of tea produced and exported from China are derived from the camellia sinesis plant, and are different not in substance, but in how they are processed following harvest through steaming, drying, rolling and shaking. Black and red teas, which are darker and possess higher levels of caffeine, are processed more thoroughly through oxidation. White and green teas are the least processed of the four main varieties, and as a result they also retain the highest level of medicinal quality. The white variety of tea specifically is known to carry benefits eclipsing even those of its green cousin, because of its minimal oxidation and careful handling before consuming.

White tea is the most simply produced tea. It's made by carefully plucking the silvery buds and select leaves from the camellia sinesis plant, steaming them briefly and then setting them to dry slowly. Green tea is created in a similar way, but is made with mature leaves from the tea plant instead and undergoes the process of rolling after the drying process, which the white variety of tea does not.

White tea is known to be beautiful in appearance and have a sweet, delicate flavor, and it contains the least amount of naturally occurring caffeine of all the teas. It is available in four basic varieties, each with their own unique flavors and subtle variations in health benefits. The sub varieties of this type of tea are Tribute Eyebrow (Gong Mei), Long Life Eyebrow (Shou Mei), White Peony (Bai Mudan) and the most popular type of white tea, Silver Needle (Baihao Yinzhen).

The health benefits of white tea are known to be numerous, although scientific groups are still in the process of testing to gauge the full effects that drinking white tea regularly will incur. Because they contain particularly large amounts of the powerful antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate, white and green teas are renowned for their abilities to neutralize or abate the effects of free radical compounds that damage body cells. These antioxidants are also commonly known to stimulate the body's metabolism, which helps the body make the most of its natural fat burning processes, resulting in fast weight loss.

What Triple Leaf Tea Is All About

Just like the name suggests, 'Triple Leaf Tea' is a product made from three different types of leaf. It is made using early Chinese herbal formulas and fused with modern day medicine and herbalist knowledge to create a tea that is perfect for the modern consumers needs. This type of tea has numerous benefits one of which includes detoxifying the body.

In addition to the three types of leaf in this of tea, the manufacturers decided to add herbs that are meant to aid and increase the teas detoxifying and health properties. Consumers should always be weary when shopping for items that have additional ingredients. This is because people may react differently to additives; it is especially dangerous if they are unable to identity that the product has had things added to it so packaging and ingredients should be checked first before making a purchase.

The herbs themselves have a great ability to increase a person's metabolic rate, which in turn increases the rate they loose weight. Many of the herbs used in the tea are from ancient Chinese medicine and professional Chinese herbalists. Alongside many other ingredients the tea includes red clove and isatis which have many benefits themselves.

This type of tea has been a favorite among those people who want to loose weight but it is best used alongside conventional weight loss techniques not as a substitute to hard work. The tea can help with digestion and in detoxifying the body but, as just mentioned, you should also follow a balanced diet and daily exercise in order to loose weight healthily.

Going Black - The Advantages of Black Tea

Tea is turning out to be a common beverage for health buffs. One cup is enough for relaxation. We all are familiar with the advantages that we can get with Green tea but what about Black tea?

It is usually found in South East Asian countries like China and India. For smoky flavors, you can use the Chinese variety but if you are into aroma then the Indian variety will be best for you. There are also other varieties from different South East Asian countries but the Chinese and Indian are the most popular.

A black tea leaf is made out of Chamelia Sinensis which is similar to its counterparts. But unlike other tea varieties such as green or Oolong tea this has less oxidation. Because of this, most of the natural properties of black tea are retained which helps improve your health in more ways than other teas can.

This type is usually sweet in taste and sometimes it is broken in purpose to improve the processing. Broken tea is rich in caffeine which makes it rich in flavor as well. It is best when brewed with sugar cubes and cold milk.

Broken tea is different from tea dust found in tea bags. Tea dusts are usually what's left of the processing of black tea and these are packed into the small bags, broken tea have a strong flavor but it is not sweet.

It is very beneficial especially when you are looking for a break from a busy schedule. It is also consumed to combat everyday stress that you may encounter. It penetrates and acts on the stress hormones circulating in your blood and busts them down. This is why most professionals who lead a busy lifestyle prefer to drink it over green tea.

It also contains anti oxidant properties that are beneficial to your health. Recent studies show that they can can prevent most cardio vascular disease which is good news to those who have heart ailments. Black tea is also proven to help patients with asthma.

The History of Tea in England

Tea is possibly the most admired of English drinks and has, since its introduction to the country, become nearly a defining mark of United Kingdom. Because it is so decidedly linked to Britain, only some know that tea in fact goes back to China from about 3000 BC.

It didn't require long for tea to spread from China to Europe, beginning in Venice and Portugal in the 16th century. The Dutch and Portuguese introduced it to other European nations in 1610 with England actually starting the use of tea relatively late.

Ironically, tea was initially sold in Britain in the coffee shops in London. Sir Garway, the founder of an Exchange Alley coffee shop, was the first merchant to introduce tea in his cafe. It was offered in both dry and liquid forms starting from 1657 onwards with the drink being quite expensive to purchase. It was believed to assist in keeping the body healthy and young.

Tea quickly became a popular drink within the coffee houses. By the year 1700, it could be bought in more than 500 coffee shops throughout Britain. Funnily enough, tea actually helped to decrease the sales of gin and ale. Therefore, the introduction of tea in Britain annoyed the owners of taverns, who saw their profits dwindle. The politicians were also displeased with the increased sales of tea as it depended highly on the taxes earned from sales of liquor.

In order to combat the rising tea sales, Charles II instituted acts which prevented the sale of tea in coffee shops. These restrictions were hard to sustain and he, therefore, instituted an act in 1676 which taxed tea and required the coffee houses to have a license prior to being allowed to sell the drink. This was done so as to find a way for the government to profit from the exponentially rising sales of tea. Taxation on tea kept rising in the middle of 18th century. These laws prompted the institution of tea smuggling.