Archive for the ‘Tea’ Category

Green Tea Health Benefits

Friday, March 12th, 2010

If everyone knew of all the health benefits of green tea, the sales of green tea would spike immediately.  The health benefits of green tea are important and substantial so people should consider making a cup of green tea every day a habit.  According to legends, tea was discovered by a Chinese emperor about 5,000 years ago. This Chinese emperor was boiling water to the belief that it can become more potable and safer to drink. When suddenly a large gust of wind took over and blew the leaves into the water that’s boiling. By the combination of water and leaves, a brown mixture was fashioned. Reluctantly, the emperor discovered the mixture making a very fragrant aroma. The moment he tasted it, he described it to be agreeable. From that moment on, green tea was born. No matter how accurate this legend is, what’s important is that green tea have become one of the most popular drink in China.)  

(More recently, the health benefits of green tea have been established by studies done by medical professionals and companies who produce green tea products. These studies do show that the health benefits of green tea can add to the longevity of those who drink this product.

First of all, you need to understand that the body does millions of processes occurring at all times. Even when you are asleep, the brain is active and will require oxygen in order to function properly. However, the oxygen that we breathe in can create harmful side effects, or what most people know as oxidants. These oxidants or commonly known as free radicals are introduced to our system through external sources, such as pollution, stress, smoking, diet, and even exposure to the sun. And, these free radicals are known to be one of the main contributors in the growth of cancer cells.

Some say it’s impossible for green tea to affect bone diseases but the tea have proved them wrong because reports have it that green tea can prevent arthritis. Not only can green tea prevent arthritis from occurring but also eliminate the painful symptoms being contributed by the problem too. According to research on the
health benefits of green tea
, it has a component that has the ability to reduce inflammation. Research also suggests that antioxidants have the capacity to delay any arthritic  process that might occur and minimizing irritable symptoms as well.

Because liver is another agent responsible for metabolism, it is greatly affected by green tea. There is strong correlation of bonds between liver function and antioxidants. When the liver does it job, it filters the body from toxins and washes it away through excretion.

Toxins are referred to harmful substances that we gather through daily living like digested food, breathed air, consumed water, alcohol intake and even remnants of cigarette smoking. What green tea provides the body is stimulating and strengthening the immune system making the liver more capable of filtering every single substance that can be dangerous to the body.

Tea: Comparing Ceylon Green Teas To Indian Green Teas

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Most of the world’s green tea is produced in China and Japan. In fact, China is where green tea originated. Centuries ago, before other tea processing methods were developed, tea harvesters simply dried tea leaves in the sun before storing them, and this is how green tea was born. It gained favor quickly in this part of the world. Even after black tea processing began, it didn’t outsell green tea. Both countries produce very good green tea with very distinct flavors. Green teas from Sri Lanka and India are not as common as Asian green teas, and, in fact, many people don’t even realize that these countries produce green teas. However , one taste of Ceylon or Indian green teas and you’ll likely want more.

Sri Lanka

Ceylon teas are grown in Sri Lanka. Tea is grown in the highlands of Sri Lanka, over an area of about four thousand square miles. Ceylon green teas have a full body and are somewhat pungent with a nutty or malty flavor. Ceylon green teas have a very bright and bold flavor. Today, Ceylon is considered a fairly minor green tea producer. However, as the demand for green tea grows, it’s likely that more green tea will be produced in Sri Lanka. For those who are accustomed to Chinese and Japanese green teas, Ceylon tea may be a surprise because its flavor is so different.

India

India produces two varieties of green tea, Assam and Darjeeling. Both of these teas have distinct flavors and qualities and both are gaining popularity. Assam green tea is fairly new to the market, but is gaining market quickly. Assam green tea is typically medium bodied tea that is very flavorful. Like Assam black teas, Assam greens are malty and have definite notes of honey flavor.

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Yixing: Traditional Chinese Tea Sets

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Without a doubt, clay pots brew the best tea ever. Quite probably the oldest known method of brewing tea, but definitely one of the most lovely and practical ways to this day. Clay tea sets are valued all over the world for their special place in tea culture; one of beauty, design and taste.

What makes clay tea sets unique, is that the clay is very porous, as opposed to bone china tea sets, porcelain, silver, etc. This porousness actually allows the pots and cups used to soak up the tea, so that after many years of usage, it is no longer necessary to add tea to the hot water, because there are small traces of the tea in the clay. So, the pot and cups will flavor the hot water naturally. Yes. Very cool.

Aside from the main benefit of tea clay sets, there are still a few more. If you have a new clay tea set, you don\’t have to worry if it isn\’t \”seasoned\” yet. Because even if it isn\’t old yet, it will still add to the color, flavor and aroma of any tea you brew because the set is made of clay.

Yixing clay tea sets exemplify craftsmanship and quality. They are often carved with very delicate, ornate designs; depictions of ancient Chinese life, culture, and traditions; these are the most traditional. Of course, nowadays you can find almost any variation. There are clay pots that have been dyed different colors, or painted with contemporary art. If nothing else, a Yixing clay tea set makes a great conversation piece.

If you are worried about the maintenance of your Yixing tea set, don\’t be! They are really quite simple to maintain. The only rule is to never use cleanser or soap on your set. This is important to remember: whatever you put into your pot, has the potential to soak into the pores of the clay. So, unless you want your tea to taste like soap, I wouldn\’t recommend using it to clean your set. What I would recommend however, is to pour some hot water over your tea set when you\’re done using it, and then rinse it again with water. You can then dry it with a tea towel, or simply let it air dry.

Also, one should note that most tea experts who use Yixing sets are very careful not to use more than one type of tea in each set. Which is to say that if you use flower tea in a clay pot, you should always and only use flower tea. If you start mixing different tea leaves, their flavors will all be absorbed into the pot, and you will never again be able to expect consistent flavor.

If you want to find your own Yixing tea set, all you have to do is look online. Or you could travel to China, but it isn\’t necessary anymore. You can\’t go wrong with a clay tea set, and you really can\’t get anything that is more traditional.

Looking to find the best deal on Yixing clay tea sets, then visit www.coolteasets.com to find the best advice on clay tea sets for you.

The Benefits of Green Tea: Why It’s Good For You

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Drinking green tea made several discoveries regarding health benefits. Aside from green tea becoming an antioxidant, it is also claimed that it can help with cancer prevention, heart protection, arthritis prevention and liver protection.  According to legends, tea was discovered by a Chinese emperor about 5,000 years ago. This Chinese emperor was boiling water to the belief that it can become more potable and safer to drink. When suddenly a large gust of wind took over and blew the leaves into the water that’s boiling. By the combination of water and leaves, a brown mixture was fashioned. Reluctantly, the emperor discovered the mixture making a very fragrant aroma. The moment he tasted it, he described it to be agreeable. From that moment on, green tea was born. No matter how accurate this legend is, what’s important is that green tea have become one of the most popular drink in China.)   

(More recently, the health benefits of green tea have been established by studies done by medical professionals and companies who produce green tea products. These studies do show that the health benefits of green tea can add to the longevity of those who drink this product.

Antioxidants in green tea are one of the main reasons why people are being enticed by it. By reducing incidences of increased cholesterol level in out body, it therefore reduces the body to experience hypertension and cardiac diseases. Studies also show that green tea can help minimize thrombosis formation which is also an associated factor to heart disease. When thrombosis goes into blood circulation, there will come a time when the thrombus will block the way of the blood that is supposed to go to the heart and this will compromise the heart with blood supply. Preventing thrombus formation is one very important effect of green tea.

As people grow older many start to take different types of prescription drugs for a variety of conditions.  There is some evidence that one of the
health benefits of green tea
include the possibility of reducing the amount of these prescription drugs.  These drugs can very expensive, and some of these drugs come with side effects.  Each person should consult with their doctors about each of these conditions, but they might try drinking green tea on a regular basis to ward off some of these conditions before they appear.  They might try drinking some green tea to see if they might reverse some of the conditions that already exist

Besides antioxidants, this brew also contains vitamins, such as vitamin B6, which plays a vital role in the metabolism of the body, as well as vitamins B1 and B2, which are essential for releasing energy from food.

Another great thing about this tea is that it has key minerals and contains magnesium, which is essential for bone growth and body development as well as potassium, which helps in keeping the heart pumping normally and maintain the body’s fluid levels.

All in all, green tea can provide great benefits to the body. It can inhibit the growth of cancer cells, it discourages diabetes from developing, and it also is a very good treatment for bad breath.

And that’s not all; there are some studies that found that green tea can also fight acne, Alzheimer’s disease, and fights of bad cholesterol which are the sole contributors for heart diseases and stroke.

Today, there are also some scientists that claims to find that green tea may contain the key ingredient for finding a cure to HIV as it helps boosts the body’s immune system.

These are just some of the great benefits of green tea. So, the next time you feel like drinking tea or coffee, you might want to go for green tea. With this brew, you can be sure that you will be able to enjoy a refreshing drink as well as a healthier body.

Make It Last With Kids Toys Made Of Timber

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Due to numerous expensive high-tech toys within the market currently, discovering the right toy that’slikely to bring a smile to your little one’s face is tough. As so often proves accurate, however, there’s a reason some toys might be thought of as classics. Take the pretend toy tea set, for example. This trivial invention in itself has the capacity for endless variants, from your baby girl’s initial whole set created with fine china (or plastic), to a plain and simple cup and saucer for the toughest two-year-old boy.

If you are in the market for a tea set, you currently have many to choose from. Toy manufacturers such as Fisher Price Toys, carefully constructs all of their children’s toys, and the same can be said for their sturdy teapot sets.

Young children can be tough on toys, so these sets are made of strong plastics, to stand up to heavy use. These plastic tea and food sets are available at many toy stores, as well as grocery stores.

But these type of plastic foods tend to wear quite quickly due to their molding. Due to the mass production of most of these low quality food sets, it’s fairly obvious why parents are re-purchasing and replacing old sets so frequently.

For longer lasting toys, and in order to utilize products friendly to the environment, that help to teach children about recycling, purchasing wooden play food sets are a wonderful alternative.

Young children can get so much enjoyment from wooden play food sets! These well made sets are built to hold up under the rough play of little hands. Your child may slam their wooden play food on the table, throw it on the ground, or sling it across the room, and these sturdy wooden play food sets can take the punishment.

These well built sets can be found in pre-schools, kindergartens, and even in some hands on Children’s museums, as well as in homes. Young children love pretend they are going shopping and imitating their parents.

You may not realize, that there is a large selection of play toys that you can find online.

See a lot more facts about a plastic tea set just like the Barbie Princess tea set at our blog.

Wu Long Tea And It’s Different Types

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Wu long or oolong tea is available in a range of prices which are based on the degree to which the tea has been fermented. Each batch if wu long tea is graded on the basis of taste, fragrance, leaf color and the color of the tea liquor. All these factors come together to determine the price of the tea. Some varieties of wu long tea can be very expensive. However, you can buy about 2 oz. of quality wu long tea under $10. This amount of tea makes about 30 standard cups. As a rule, you will the grades of wu long tea from online stores will be better than those available at grocery stores. Here is a rough guide to the types of wu long teas.

The Taiwanese Oolong as the name suggests, comes from Taiwan. This grade of tea is among the most flavorful of all types. The high altitude and sea air are major factors that contribute to the flavor of this tea.

1990 Aged Alishan Oolong is a classic, dark, black leaf oolong variety. This is a roasted tea that can be steeped even upto ten times and still be just as flavorful. This tea has a sweet, full-bodied taste and a distinctive aftertaste that lingers on. The tea leaves give off an enticing fragrance. This grade has a complex flavor that is sure to appeal to regular drinkers of wu long tea.

The 2006 Alishan Spring High Mountain variety is a hand-made tea. It is comprised of leaves that ripe, full and tender. Wu long connoisseurs like this tea for its slight sweetness and an aftertaste that is almost creamy.

The Lishan High Mountain Spring Oolong is a light green tea and is one of the best wu long varieties from Taiwan. It has a sweet and creamy flavor and provides a smooth sensation in your throat when you drink it. You can steep this tea severla times and still enjoy the flavor.

The Spring Buds Green Jade Oolong makes a wonderful morning tea. This type of tea is characterized by small leaves that are rolled tightly and have a dark green color. This variety is known for its spicy but sweet taste and can be served both hot and cold. This tea generally sells at about $12 for 2oz.

The Formosa Green Jade Oolong is a classic green wu long tea. Try this tea if you like your tea smooth and sweet along with a fresh after taste. This tea comprises single, tightly rolled leaves. This sweet tea is reasonable priced and offers good value for money.

The Formosa Golden Buds Oolong has a stronger taste than the Green Jade Oolong and has more body. It has some of the spicy taste of the Green Jade Oolong.

The Golden Amber Oolong is less flowery as compared to the green wu long varieties. The leaves of this tea are fine and well processed and provide a rich fragrance.

The Oriental Beauty Oolong is a variety that is produced in limited amounts. This tea is grown at an altitude of 2500 feet and is characterized by its honey-like taste.

If you want to learn more about wu long tea,check out our site today.