Tea break

Green Tea preparation: Hoji Cha

theteafreak — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:49:29 +0000

Early in the 20th century, a Japanese tea merchant is credited with having invented the process of roasting Bancha, perhaps as a way of saving an overstock of his tea. In the Kyoto region by early summer when tea leaves from the Japanese Bancha grow too large and coarse to make into Sencha, they are roasted to produce Hoji Cha. After plucking, the leaves are steamed to prevent oxidation and then roasted. Roasting neutralizes the leaves’ astringency and, in the process, lowers its caffeine content. If you are looking for a low-caffeine green tea, this is excellent grade of HojiCha, not usually found outside of Japan.
Hoji Cha produces a hearty brew, golden brown in colour with a fragrant aroma and a distinctive toasty or nutty flavor.

To prepare HojiCha…

Hoji Cha is best when brewed with spring water at a temperature of 180° to 190° for 2 to 3 minutes. Use one teaspoon for every 8 ounces. Do not overbrew. You can enjoy 2 or more infusions from this tea.

Varieties of Green Tea

theteafreak — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:43:57 +0000

There are a wide variety of green teas in rank and form. Uniqueness of Japanese green tea is well known all over the world. The most common, synonymous with green tea is “Sencha” (infused tea). Sencha tea leaves are green because they aren’t fermented or roasted. The first and second flush of green tea leaves are harvested from April to June. To prevent fermentation they are steamed right away then gently rolled and dried. The leaves are then put through a sieve. The major leafy parts become Sencha but the remains will surely not be wasted. Green twigs become “Kukicha” (stem tea), “Mecha” (bud tea) and “Konacha” (powder tea). Konacha is especially served at Sushi restaurants and called “Agari” (the finish) in Sushi-world jargon because it can wash out fishy tastes with its strong flavor.

Sencha is ordinarily served fresh in a cup for tea breaks and after meals. When the first Sencha drinks in a bottle came out (in Japan), few believed it would become popular. But now chilled Sencha in a bottle is hugely popular and widely available. People drink it along with meals or just as a thirst quencher. It is also often used as a base for blended teas like “Genmaicha” (brown rice tea). Its roasted flavor comes from dry-roasted brown rice and rice popcorn that are blended in.

Although not as common as Sencha, the top-class green tea is definitely “Gyokuro” (precious drop). The difference comes from its finer quality of leaves and is covered for several days to control sun exposure to make the taste sweeter and more aromatic. Gyokuro tea is infused in hot water (boiled and then cooled to about 50-60 degrees C). If the water is too hot it will ruin the color and taste. Since Gyokuro tea is more expensive and time consuming to prepare than Sencha, it is not for daily use.

On the contrary, a reasonably priced and good quality tea is “Bancha” (humble tea). It’s from the third or fourth flush so it’s quality isn’t as good as Sencha. Bancha is roasted after it’s dried. To prepare Bancha, you boil the leaves in the kettle. (It is particularly popular in Kyoto and is often used for a simple meal called “Bubu-zuke” (bancha-soaked), which is boiled rice with relish soaked in Bancha tea).

Another roasted green tea, which actually comes out brown, is “Houjicha” (roasted tea). Its made from the remains of sifted Bancha. Houjicha is good when served along with meals because of its distinct aroma. Another plus is that it contains no caffeine.

The only green tea that comes in a powder other than Konacha (which is intended for brewing in a teapot and usually comes in a teabag) is “Matcha” (powdered tea). Matcha is notably used for the “Tea Ceremony” and is also served along with Japanese traditional fine sweets at tea houses. Since Matcha is a powder it is not infused in a teapot. It is simply dissolved in hot water and gently whipped with a bamboo whisk. The result is like a beautiful green cappuccino served in a cafe-au-lait bowl like earthenware teacup. To make and sip this tea, you are expected to follow strict tea ceremonial manners, so even Japanese with little or no knowledge of the Tea Ceremony etiquette can be baffled. Matcha powder is also used for cooking and baking; Matcha ice cream and Matcha cakes are beautiful and delicious, Matcha salt is a delightful garnish for Tempura.

Although not actually “green” tea, still worth mentioning is “Mugicha” (Barley tea). Mugicha tea bags are either boiled in a tea kettle or infused in a water jar and stored in the refrigerator after it has cooled down. It’s often served as a refreshing cool drink on hot summer days. Since it has no caffeine, Japanese children and even babies often drink it instead of water.

Green Tea preparation: Matcha

theteafreak — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:38:48 +0000

Matcha is a famous powdered green tea made from ground Gyokuro green tea. Matcha is famous for its use in the “Japanese Tea Ceremony”. It is a finely powdered tea, made from only the finest young tea buds. This is quite often called the finest tea Japan produces. When you drink matcha you consume the leaves, unlike other green teas. For this reason matcha contains, by volume, higher concentrations of catechins and vitamins.

To prepare Matcha…

Strain the matcha through a tea strainer. Add 1/2 teaspoon matcha to 8 ounces of hot (but not boiling) water, stir vigorously, and enjoy!

Green Tea Preparation: Sencha

theteafreak — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:32:56 +0000

Sencha, literally meaning, ‘roasted tea’, pertains to the past processing methods used to make this most popular of all Japanese green tea. Today, sencha is initially steam treated before further processing with hot-air drying and finally pan-frying. Over three quarters of all tea now produced in the Japanese tea gardens is in fact graded as sencha, a tea selected for its pleasant sharpness and fresh qualities complementing a leaf of high uniformity and rich emerald colour. One of the best Senchas in the world is Organic Green tea from Australia.

To prepare Sencha…

Use 1 level tsp. per 6 oz. cup; heat fresh, cold water until steam rises (180° F); let steep for 1-2 min.

Green Tea for Weight Loss

theteafreak — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:24:01 +0000

Check the back of the bottle of many popular diet pills and you’ll see “green tea” or “green tea extract” listed as one of the ingredients.

Diet pills are often dangerous and packed with other unhealthy ingredients, but there’s a reason they use green tea. Green tea helps you lose weight. Of course it won’t be “20 pounds in one week” or other nonsense that marketing companies like to claim, but green tea has been scientifically proven to burn calories and block fat absorption.

Green Tea Burns Fat

Food (including sugar and fat) is synthesized into a substance called “triglyceride” in the liver and small intestine. It is then carried into the bloodstream to other tissues in the body.

Triglyceride is used as source of energy for life support and physical activities, and is very necessary. The problem comes about when there are excess amounts of triglyceride, because then it’s turned into fat which subsequently causes obesity.

That’s where green tea comes in. It contains high amounts of polyphenols which activate the enzyme that is responsible for dissolving excess triglyceride. In the long run, this means that green tea effectively aids in burning fat.

Green Tea Stimulates the Metabolism & Accelerates Weight Loss

Green tea contains powerful antioxidants called catechin polyphenols that are responsible for many of the health benefits of green tea. One of them in particular, epigallocatechin gallate (or EGCG for short), has been found to stimulate the metabolism and accelerate weight loss.

EGCG, along with the caffeine in green tea, stimulates the central nervous system and causes fat to be released into the blood stream for the body to use as fuel. This process of fat being used for energy is called “thermogenesis”. It provides extra energy, sheds excess water, and also helps to burn body fat.

Although caffeine alone can stimulate the metabolism this way, it’s important to note that researchers found that the combined ingredients of green tea were much more effective at this process than just caffeine by itself.

Green Tea Helps You Exercise Longer

Everyone knows how important exercise is to losing weight. It burns calories, increases your energy, and builds muscle which in turn boosts your metabolism even higher. The catechin polyphenols in green tea appear to stimulate the use of fatty acids by liver and muscle cells. This subsequently reduces the rate that carbohydrates are used and allows for more endurance and longer exercise times. In fact, a study using green tea extract on lab rats increased the amount of time the animals could swim before becoming exhausted by as much as 24%.

More endurance means more exercise, which means more calories burned, and it all adds up to more pounds lost for you. But tea can do much more for your healt, than you can imagine. If you want to know more about Prevent Cancer organic tea, search archive on this site.

Tea – essentials

theteafreak — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:29:57 +0000

Every Japanese tea is green. Gyokuro is the very best of Japan teas. To produce high-quality Gyokuro tea the bushes must be kept under 90 percent shade from the beginning og May for about 20 days. As soon as the new buds begin to form, the entire plantation given over to the production of Gyokuro, is covered with mats of bamboo, reed, or canvas. The reduced light means that the tiny leaves develop a higher chlorophyll content (making the leaves a darker green than normal) and a lower tannin content (giving the tea a sweeter, milder flavor). The leaves are then steamed to stop fermentation.

Sencha is Japan’s most popular everyday drink. Various qualities with only the best being saved for special occasions. Only the finest Sencha is plucked by hand. As with all Japanese green teas, Sencha is steamed immediately after picking to stop fermentation.

The following chart lists general descriptions of appearance, taste, and aroma characteristics that will help you become more familiar with some of the most common green teas.

Green Tea	Origin	Description
ChunMee	China	Light green (with a hint of golden hue) liquid with a sweet, musty taste. Also called “precious eyebrows.”
Dragonwell	China	Yellowish green liquid with a sweet vegetal taste. Also called “dragon’s well.”
Genmaicha	Japan	Blended with roasted and puffed brown rice. It has a roasty, toasty flavor like popcorn. Also called “popcorn tea”.
Gunpowder	China	Named for the appearance of the individually rolled leaves, which resemble pellets or gunpowder. A strong-bodied green tea with hints of sweet and earthy flavors. Medium color green liquid.
Gyokuro	Japan	This is the finest tea in Japan. The leaves are a very deep green and produce a light green liquid when brewed. A sweet taste with hints of the sea.
Hojicha	Japan	Made from toasted green tea leaves, it produces and amber or light brown liquid. Hojicha has the most body for a green tea, with a taste reminiscent of almost burnt toast.
Hyson	China	Small, slightly curled green/gray leaves. An earthy, medium-bodied tea.
Matcha	Japan	Thick, frothy, bitter, bright green. Used in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies.
Pi Lo Chun	China	Also called “green snail spring” or “astounding fragrance.” Small leaves curled like snail shells. Tea has a pronounced sweet flavor and aroma.
Sencha	Japan	Fresh taste, pale green, relaxing afternoon tea, with a hint-of-the-sea taste. A very common (everyday) tea in Japan that comes in a variety of qualities. The best are saved only for special occasions.

Tea and Cancer Prevention

theteafreak — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:17:14 +0000

Tea drinking is an ancient tradition dating back 5,000 years in China and India. Long regarded in those cultures as an aid to good health, researchers now are studying tea for possible use in the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancers. Investigators are especially interested in the antioxidants—called catechins—found in tea. Despite promising early research in the laboratory, however, studies involving humans so far have been inconclusive.

What are antioxidants?The human body constantly produces unstable molecules called oxidants, also commonly referred to as free radicals. To become stable, oxidants steal electrons from other molecules and, in the process, damage cell proteins and genetic material. This damage may leave the cell vulnerable to cancer. Antioxidants are substances that allow the human body to scavenge and seize oxidants. Like other antioxidants, the catechins found in tea selectively inhibit specific enzyme activities that lead to cancer. They may also target and repair DNA aberrations caused by oxidants .
What is the level of antioxidants found in tea?All varieties of tea come from the leaves of a single evergreen plant, Camellia sinensis. All tea leaves are picked, rolled, dried, and heated. With the additional process of allowing the leaves to ferment and oxidize, black tea is produced. Possibly because it is less processed, green tea contains higher levels of antioxidants than black tea.
Although tea is consumed in a variety of ways and varies in its chemical makeup, one study showed that steeping either green or black tea for about 5 minutes released over 80 percent of its catechins. Instant iced tea, on the other hand, contains negligible amounts of catechins.
What are the laboratory findings?In the laboratory, studies have shown that tea catechins act as powerful inhibitors of cancer growth in several ways: They scavenge oxidants before cell injuries occur, reduce the incidence and size of chemically induced tumors, and inhibit the growth of tumor cells. In studies of liver, skin, and stomach cancer, chemically induced tumors were shown to decrease in size in mice that were fed green tea and black tea (1, 2).
What are the results of human studies?Although tea has long been identified as an antioxidant in the laboratory, study results involving humans have been contradictory. Some epidemiological studies comparing tea drinkers to non-tea drinkers support the claim that drinking tea prevents cancer; others do not. Dietary, environmental, and population differences may account for these inconsistencies.
Two studies in China, where green tea is a mainstay of the diet, resulted in promising findings. One study involving over 18,000 men found that tea drinkers were about half as likely to develop stomach or esophageal cancer as men who drank little tea, even after adjusting for smoking and other health and diet factors A second study at the Beijing Dental Hospital found that consuming 3 grams of tea a day, or about 2 cups, along with the application of a tea extract, reduced the size and proliferation of leukoplakia, a precancerous oral plaque .

However, a study in the Netherlands did not support these findings. It investigated the link between black tea consumption and the subsequent risk of stomach, colorectal, lung, and breast cancers among 58,279 men and 62,573 women ages 55 to 69. The study took into account such factors as smoking and overall diet. It found no link between tea consumption and protection against cancer .