Researchers found for the first time that black tea, naturally rich in flavonoids, was beneficial to the overall health of the cardiovascular system in never-treated hypertensive patients.
When citing the results of the study, researchers did say, “It is important to note that while our study design was rigorous, it was also short-term and included a small number of subjects. “
While most recent studies have focused on the health benefits of green tea, this report focused on the potential health benefits of L-theanie, an amino acid found in tea leaves that are believed to help reduce stress, and promote relaxation, and theaflavins, which are compounds unique to black tea.
The reported benefits to the cardiovascular system of black tea are significant, considering the fact that after water, tea is the most consumed beverage around the world, and black tea is the most commonly consumed tea in North America. In 2010, Americans consumed almost 3 billion gallons of tea, most of it black.
Black tea is the perfect morning drink. Whether it's a rich chai or a robust unflavored leaf, the high caffeine content can help you get your day started. Black tea is the perfect substitute for coffee and is much healthier - in fact we designed a tea just to do that called Kick the Coffee, it is a rich & bold blend of Black and Pu-erh teas, with just a hint of caramel and almond.
Source: Nutrients (http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/7/2/1037)
]]>1 cup of almond milk
1 banana and 1 diced mango
1 cup of frozen strawberries
½ cup of low fat vanilla yogurt
2 cups KONI Radiant Beauty White Tea
1 teaspoon of honey
Directions:
White tea is loaded with antioxidants. Because white tea is so high in antioxidants there are many health benefits attributed to consuming white tea. The list of health benefits from consumption of white tea is impressive. Even better - numerous studies have confirmed the impressive health benefits of white tea.
Most diseases and aging are directly related to high levels of inflammation within the body. White tea acts as an anti-inflammatory agent therefore halting the progression of many diseases and aging. White tea helps to prevent the skin from wrinkling by protecting the proteins collagen and elastin … and has even been shown to protect the skin (and possibly reverse damage) from over exposure to UV light. For maximum health benefits consume two to four cups of a high quality, loose-leaf white tea daily. Bagged tea works also but is typically lower in quality as it comes from the bottom of the barrel.
Koni Tea has five great white teas packed with antioxidants try out:
]]>Studies have found polyphenols reduce the growth of bacteria in the mouth which keeps your breath smelling nice.
Studies also show that polysaccharides in black tea have glucose-inhibiting properties – which help prevent belly fat and diabetes.
So add Black Tea to your healthy lifestyle to help stay thin and have sweet smelling breath.
]]>It’s not easy being green
The production of green tea from freshly picked tea leaves needs to proceed quickly, but without haste. Most teas are routinely allowed to sun-dry, which allows the enzymes in the leaves to start oxidizing the leaf, which is great for taste and flavor, but unfortunately starts to break down the beneficial compounds in the plant. When leaves and buds are freshly picked from a tea plant, they will quickly wilt and oxidize — or ferment — unless they are dried shortly after harvesting.
Green tea is usually steam or pan-dried to prevent the breakdown of the valuable compounds in the leaf. This helps preserve the wonderful catechin polyphenols — antioxidants — that have suspected cancer-fighting properties, and are associated with lower levels of LDL cholesterol, as well as a positive effect on suppression of heart disease. It’s a power-packed cup of tea, to be sure!
Going green
If you’re used to throwing some teabags in a pot and letting it steep for a few hours, then you’ll find that brewing green tea takes a bit more finesse. Green tea is best when brewed at a lower water temperature than other teas; around 180 degrees Fahrenheit is best. This allows for the beneficial polyphenols to be drawn out into the beverage, without taking on the “leafy” taste of the plant. Loose-leaf tea is best, as the leaves can fully expand while brewing, although teaball or teabag brewing is also acceptable.
Let the leaves sit for three minutes, and then remove them from the pot to avoid affecting the taste of the beverage. Let the tea rest for a few more minutes to cool off slightly, then enjoy. Finicky? Perhaps, but we find that the taste — and health benefits — of green tea are well worth the trouble.
]]>Rooibos to the rescue
Rooibos-based infusions are a great choice; rooibos is a powerful anti-oxidant plant that has a refreshing and interesting taste, plus it mixes so well with many other ingredients such as citrus, lavender, rosehip, and more. Rooibos can form a great base for a tea mixed with other herbal ingredients, or it is also great on its own with a little honey and slice of lemon!
No-trouble tisanes
Classic herbal teas, or tisanes, are an incredibly popular choice for many. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of different herbal tea combinations; there’s likely one to satisfy any palate. If you’re not a fan of the earthy taste of some of the herb or grass based drinks, dried fruit infusions are very popular and are excellent when sweetened with honey or stevia. Plus, you can make use of the ancient healing properties of herbs; lavender and chamomile to calm, cherry and licorice to invigorate, and mint or parsley tea as an excellent digestive aid.
DIY decaf
So you love your standard black/green/oolong teas, but still want to cut back on the caffeine? You can actually use the basic properties of caffeine to your advantage in this situation. Caffeine is a highly water-soluble substance; that is, it dissolves rapidly in water, especially hot water. (See where we’re going with this?) If you’ve ever read about or experienced a gungfu tea ceremony, you’ll note that one of the steps is the “washing of leaves”. Hot water is poured over the tea leaves in the pot for about 15 or 20 seconds, and then the tea is poured out.
While this does help eliminate some of the tea dust that ordinarily collects on the leaves, it also pulls the majority of the caffeine out of the tea leaves. The tea leaves are then covered again with hot water and allowed to brew. There is little loss of flavour, and many claim the tea actually tastes better after the initial washing ceremony. Give it a try next time and see if you don’t agree!
]]>Whither white?
The “white” name comes not from the color of the leaf, as one may suppose, but rather from the fine white hairs that cover the unopened buds of the tea plant. (Fun fact: the unopened buds of the tea plant are known collectively as “pekoe”; this plays an important part in grading tea for sale. This is where the term “orange pekoe” comes from.)
Although it may sound odd, the small white hairs which are integral to the naming of white tea are sought after in the brewed beverage; it is taken as a sign that the tea has not been overprocessed, and that the tea is actually a good quality white tea, made from the youngest leaves and buds of the tea plant. Often, lesser-quality green or yellow teas are added to the white tea in order to bulk up the leaves; the flavour is noticeably stronger and not as delicate.
Easy does it
With such delicate-sounding names as Silver Needle and White Peony, this tea needs a delicate touch while brewing. Water between 170 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit is best; water that is too hot will make a bitter-tasting brew instead of a sweet, delicate brew. You’ll notice that the leaves and buds in a batch of white tea are a lot less dense than other tea types, due to their minimal handling; to get a proper tasting cup, use about 50% more leaves than you normally would for green or oolong tea.
It also takes more time to extract the delicate aroma from the white tea leaves; eight to ten minutes is the recommended steeping time, to start. As you get used to the subtle taste and experience of white tea, you can adjust the brewing time to suit. However, since white tea can be brewed for a long time without imparting a grassy flavor to the tea, it’s also great for a second infusion; give the second batch of tea about twice as long — 15 minutes or so — to steep before drinking. Enjoy!
]]>Although most other blends of ingredients that are not derived from the tea plant are lumped together under “herbal teas” or “tisanes”, rooibos deserves a category of its own. Unlike tea and coffee, which are grown worldwide, rooibos is grown only in a small portion of South Africa.
Rooting for rooibos
Rooibos is becoming incredibly popular in Western culture, primarily due to the fact that rooibos is a naturally caffeine-free product. Although other herbal teas can claim the same benefit, rooibos produces a very strong brew comparable to black or red tea, and is also highly compatible with additives like milk and sugar. Rooibos is also popular as it is extremely high in antioxidants and other health-promoting compounds, but without the disadvantages of caffeine or high tannin levels as found in most teas. Rooibos also works very well with added spices or other flavorings added during the packaging process, but still manages to hold its own distinctive flavor and characteristic despite the presence of other strong flavors.
Relatively recent rooibos
Although the plant has likely existed for millennia, it wasn’t until the 1900’s that this “wild tea” was studied with interest as a possible crop; the curative properties of this plant were well known to locals, and it also served as an acceptable substitute for black tea which was a rather expensive import in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Rooibos was a notoriously difficult plant to domesticate, and it took several attempts before the unique breeding qualities of this plant were understood before it started to take root, so to speak, as a potential crop.
It’s suspected that some of the health benefits of rooibos outpace even those of green tea; with high levels of antioxidants, and a long history of folk medicinal uses for treating various allergies, gout, and skin problems, rooibos is an excellent choice for those who want a refreshing tea-like beverage without the caffeine.
]]>Black tea is also very compatible with strong-flavored additions such as lemon, cream, or sugar, which makes it a favorite of people who are used to the coffee culture. Most other brands of tea (white, green, yellow, etc) have a much more subtle taste and are not compatible with milk or sugar and are best consumed alone.
Fade to black
Black tea is the most highly oxidized version of tea; it is picked and then left to wilt and oxidize in the sun until it takes on its characteristic black color. The oxidization process also transforms the taste of the black tea so that it takes on its familiar robust, astringent qualities.
Black tea is also an excellent purveyor of flavourings and other additives; caramel, chocolate, and vanilla are some common flavorings that are added to many black teas in the consumer market. Adding natural and derived flavorings to other more delicate teas would really overpower the subtle partly-oxidized teas, so black teas are usually chosen in this case.
Black to the future
Black tea also holds its flavor longer than other teas; this is why black tea is the most common type of tea found on your grocery store shelves. Green tea will lose most of its flavor after a year, while black tea will hold its flavor over many years. Although black tea is available in whole-leaf varieties, it is most commonly crushed or cut into small pieces. This allows for the full, robust flavor of the tea to come out during the brewing process.
This fine processing is especially important in bagged tea products, as the confines of the gauze or paper teabag do not allow for whole leaves to fully expand in the hot water. The hot water can more easily work its way around the finer particles of the crushed black tea and produce a hot, flavorful beverage in just a few minutes.
Whether you prefer Earl Grey, Irish Breakfast, or chai, you’re still consuming black tea. Although one of the strongest-tasting teas, it is also one of the most versatile, and it’s even popular for brewing espresso-style and used to make tea and chai lattes!
]]>Red is the new Black
Just to add to the confusion over tea names, most North Americans consume what is known in this hemisphere as “black tea”. However, the Chinese actually call these varieties “red tea”. In China, the term “black tea” is reserved for Pu-erh tea, which is post-fermented blocks of tea leaves that have been treated according to specific recipes, and then left to ferment in order to allow the deep, rich undertones of the tea to develop. This process is also known as post-oxidization or secondary fermentation. Essentially, the leaves are heaped in a pile and microbial activity is allowed to take place in the piles of leaves, very similar to how a compost pile works, believe it or not!
Once the tea is sufficiently fermented, the tea is then collected and pressed into various shapes. The tea may be pressed into brick form, puck form, sheet form, or a variety of other creative shapes that are indicative of the factory producing the pu-erh and the quality of the tea. Once the tea has been pressed into its final form, it is then racked on shelves to age, sometimes for decades. Over time, the tea leaves will age and change color as they slowly oxidize in the air, and each variety and recipe of tea will age differently.
Preparing pu’erh
Generally, to brew pu-erh, a long, flat blade is used to pry off sections of the cake or brick. Since this tea tends to be higly prized (and very expensive!) it is commonly featured in a gungfu tea ceremony, where the elaborate brewing process can highlight the delicate and subtle undertones of the pu-erh tea. Much like wine, each variety of pu-erh has different qualities, and proper brewing of the tea is essential for connoisseurs to fully appreciate the wonderful experience that is pu-erh.
]]>Building the bloomer
Blooming tea balls are created by hand, which adds to the whole experience of watching them unfold. The basic blooming tea ball is created by selecting one or more dried flower heads for the middle of the “bloom” — clover and jasmine are perennial favourites. Leaves are then cut and arranged in various patterns around the central flower, and tied tightly with either silk or cotton thread, in order to hold the entire package together. Otherwise, the tea leaves would float free as they absorbed water.
Once the leaves have been arranged around the central flower, they are tightly bound with a natural fabric, either silk or cotton, and then placed into a drying oven, where the tea balls will assume their final shape, and stay in a compact form until they are ready to be brewed.
Unleash the bloom
The presentation of the brewed blooming tea is critical — if you’re using a small one-cup bloom, then find a wide, clear glass mug so that you can watch the brewing process. If you have a larger bloom, or want to combine several blooms in one pot, use a large glass pot. If using more than one bloom, try to find a pot that is wider than it is tall, so that the multiple balls will have room to spread out. Simply add hot water to the pot, add the blooms, and sit and watch.
The entire process will take about three to five minutes, depending on the size and composition of the bloom, but when done, you’ll be able to experience a wonderful brewed pot of tea that has also taken on the subtle aroma of the flower blossom used in the center of the bloom. Marvelous.
]]>G’day mate
Like a lot of other confusions and misunderstandings in the world of tea, the name yerba mate is technically incorrect. Yerba refers to “a herb”, but the yerba mate plant is actually a tree, much like the tea plant. However, the name has stuck. Yerba mate contains caffeine and other compounds very similar to tea; generally cultivated yerba mate leaves contain about twice as much caffeine as tea leaves, but only half that of coffee beans. Leaves are picked and dried, and then coarsely ground up in preparation for brewing.
The brewing and serving of the mate beverage is where the really interesting part happens. The yerba mate is measured into a traditional drinking gourd, and the contents are gently shaken so that the finer material moves to the top. This prevents smaller material from clogging up the bombilla, which is a combination metal drinking straw and filter through which the mate is sipped. With the gourd held at an angle, a bit of water is poured into moisten the yerba mate at the bottom of the gourd and allowed to sit for a minute or two. Then, the bombilla is inserted into the gourd, and the gourd is filled with hot water (about 150-180 degrees Fahrenheit, definitely not boiling!). The drink is now ready!
Mate with your mates
But what about the social aspect? Mate, as the prepared drink is known, is usually shared with a circle of friends. When the mate liquid has been fully consumed by one person, hot water is simply added to the gourd and passed to the next person. It’s an extremely personal and satisfying ritual.
In addition to being a wonderful social drink, yerba mate also contains many of the same anti-oxidative effects as tea, as well as having a notable effect on lowering LDL cholesterol levels. It’s also full of beneficial vitamins and other minerals, but above all, it’s a nice little drink that gives you a nice mid-day boost — especially when shared with your friends!
]]>My good friend Herb
There are many teas or tisanes that can correctly be named “herbal” teas as they are derived strictly from the leaves, stems, or flowers of a herb (that is, a plant that does not sport a woody stem.) Mint, chamomile, dill, fennel, rosemary, sage, thyme fall into this category; gardeners have been preparing herbal teas for centuries due to the restorative and beneficial effects that herbal teas have on stimulating the digestive system, calming frazzled nerves, and promoting general good health.
But there’s no reason to stop at herbs – not when there’s a whole world full of ingredients just waiting to be dried and turned into tisanes! Lemongrass is a popular and strong-flavoured ingredient, as are rosehips, hibiscus and cinnamon, to name a very few. Root ingredients are an ancient and favorite tea ingredient as well; ginseng, ginger, dandelion, and licorice all are harvested to use their dried roots as components in popular infusions. Seeds are used as well; ainise, pomegranate, caraway, and even mustard seeds have found their way into many a teacup around the world.
The healing wisdom of centuries
Herbal teas are not only extremely tasty, but their long history is rooted in medicinal culture. Without the benefit of modern conveniences such as alcohols or centrifuges to extract the essential oils and other compounds in the herbal ingredients, infusing them in hot water was an easy way to extract the goodness of the plant and make it available to humans. Our digestive systems are not terribly efficient at processing seeds, roots, or the bark of plants, so historically we’ve gone the route of letting the hot water infusion do the hard work for us.
But even with modern medicine, herbal teas are still known around the world for their healing properties and their relative gentleness on the human body. Unlike modern drugs with their side effects, most herbal teas offer a host of benefits without the unfortunate side effects of drugs.
]]>Oolong tea is classified as a semi-oxidized tea, which means that in terms of taste and color, it lies in between green tea, which is oxidized very little, and black tea, which is fully oxidized. Oolong tea is also notable in that the leaves are intentionally abused a little after they are left to air-dry, in order to bruise the leaves. This has the effect of speeding up the oxidization process in the leaf, allowing the leaf to develop distinct aroma and flavors that are not attainable through standard processing methods. The bruising of the leaves also allows more moisture to be drawn out of the stem and back into the leaves so that the remain supple for the shaping process which takes place once the leaves have been fully dried and the oxidization process halted. The result is a unique tea that shares some of the qualities of black tea, as well as some of the earthy tones and aromas of green tea. It’s quite a match, to be sure.
The unique qualities of oolong tea lend themselves quite nicely to formal tea ceremonies, especially the classic Chinese gungfu, or fujian tea ceremony. Gungfucha, as it is known, follows a fairly formal set of steps to present, prepare, brew, and serve the tea in a beautiful ritual that is said to bring out the highest qualities of the tea and allow all of the senses to appreciate the beverage. If you haven’t ever had the opportunity to view a gungfu tea ceremony, we highly recommend it. You’ll come to view tea in a whole new light.
]]>