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THE MEANING OF TEA: TRENDS & TYPES
THE MEANING OF TEA: TRENDS & TYPES
which type of tea you use, how often you drink tea, how much caeine is in your
tea and whether there are other ingredients in your blended teas. There are so
many types of tea, the properties of each can only be examined by looking at
labels and making a personal assessment. The truth is, however, that many teas
contribute to your good health. The following list of elements commonly found
in tea contains the building blocks of good health: antioxidants, phytochemicals,
avonoids, avonols, epigallocatechin gallate, and theanine. One of the most
important benets of drinking tea is that it hydrates your body, which is a critical
component of a good metabolism.
When considering the comfort of drinking tea and how you’d like to include tea in
your lifestyle, there are over 3,000 types of tea from which to choose! This count
doesn’t even include numerous blends and specialty types of teas, including
owering tea blooms. Specialty ingredients and herbal components add to the
complexity of your choices: matcha tea, maté tea, herbal medicinal teas and many
more condition-specic blends are available. However, the idea behind each type
is the same; add hot water and allow the tea to “help and to heal.”
Why use loose tea leaves; why not simply use a tea bag? The answer depends
on you. Tea bags are certainly convenient and more common than loose teas.
However, the avor in tea bags is less intense because the tea has been dried
and oxidized in more rened processes and then the bags sit on shelves until
purchased. By the time a tea lover pours water over a tea bag, many months may
have passed since the tea was fresh.
There are four main types of tea leaves: white, green, oolong and black.
Surprisingly, each type originates from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. If all
types of tea come from one plant, what creates the dierence in avor and
appearance? The dierence in these areas comes from the way the leaves are
withered, processed, and the length of time the leaves have been oxidized. Herbal
teas, or “Tisanes” are not compounded from the same plant as the four types, but
are made from owers, fruit, herbs and seeds. The following is a brief overview of
the most popular types of tea and trending choices for loose leaf tea.
* White tea, the most mild of all teas, has a natural sweetness and has been
found in some studies to promote youthful elastin and collagen in skin.
White tea is known for the antibacterial and antiviral properties it contains.
This fragile tea should be brewed using the Light strength for best results.
The caeine factor is lower than other teas, probably because the tea
leaves are not processed.
Popular White Teas: Silver Needle, White Peony
* Green tea is also fairly low in caeine and is dried only minimally. The
leaves are oxidized, however rapid heat is applied to stop the process,
allowing only a short oxidization process.
Green tea is popular due to studies that have shown this tea to act as a task
force that eliminates free radicals in the body. Green tea can be brewed
using Light or Medium strength. Green tea has subtle avors and is often
partnered with citrus fruit to build a stronger avor prole.
Popular Green Teas: Sencha, Dragon Well, Gunpowder
* Oolong tea has a moderate amount of caeine and is oxidized more
than green tea and less than black tea. The caeine content is equally
between that of green tea and black tea. Oolong tea has a fruity or tropical
avor and is commonly paired with fruit and spices for aromatic avor
combinations.
Studies have shown that oolong tea may help reduce cholesterol and
promote weight loss by boosting metabolism. Green teas can be brewed
using the Medium or Strong settings.
Popular Oolong Teas: Wu-Yi, Red Robe, Cassia
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