Tea Room

29/03/2022

27/03/2022

Is decaffeinated tea healthy?
Decaffeinated tea is an option if you enjoy the flavor and experience of tea but are sensitive to caffeine. People have varying sensitivity to caffeine but it is classified as a stimulant that has the potential to affect the nervous system and heart rate, and cause jitteriness. In general, traditional teas already have about half the caffeine of coffee and even less if the brewing time is shorter.
To decaffeinate tea, there are different methods. One process uses an organic chemical solvent (either ethyl acetate or methylene chloride) that also removes most of tea’s polyphenols. The residual amount of the chemical after processing is minimal to none, and no research has shown negative health effects. Another method called “effervescence” uses water and carbon dioxide, which retains the majority of polyphenols. Both methods apply the chemical or gas onto moistened tea leaves, which bonds to the caffeine; when the leaves are dried, the caffeine evaporates along with the solvent/gas. If you wish to know which processing method is used, check the package label or contact the manufacturer.
Herbal teas are naturally caffeine-free and do not undergo a decaffeination process.
Most research looks at the health effects of traditional teas, not decaffeinated. Decaffeinated tea may lose polyphenols that are associated with health benefits, depending on the processing method. Polyphenol content varies widely among teas even before the decaffeinated process, so it is hard to know the exact amount that remains. Regardless of decaffeination type, tea is still considered a healthful beverage choice.

24/03/2022

Spotlight on tea and antioxidants
Polyphenols, or flavonoids, are likely a key component to what makes tea a healthful drink. These chemical compounds act as antioxidants, which control the damaging effects of free radicals in the body. Free radicals can alter DNA by stealing its electrons, and this mutated DNA can increase LDL cholesterol or alter cell membrane traffic—both harmful to our health. Though green tea is often believed to be richer in polyphenols than black or oolong (red) teas, studies show that—with the exception of decaffeinated tea—all plain teas have about the same levels of these chemicals, albeit in different proportions. Green tea is richest in epigallocatechin-3 gallate whereas black tea is richest in theaflavins; research has shown that both can exert health benefits. Herbal teas contain polyphenols as well but will vary highly depending on its plant origin.
Indeed, one reason for conflicting results in observational studies may be the wide variations in tea types with varying flavonoid content. Where the tea leaves are grown, the specific blend of tea leaves, type of processing, and addition of ingredients such as milk, honey, and lemon can alter specific flavonoid content. How accurately people report their tea intake (e.g., type, amount, brew strength) and their overall diet (e.g., do they eat other foods rich in flavonoids?) are other factors that need to be clarified as they can affect study results. For example:
Some research suggests that the protein and possibly the fat in milk may reduce the antioxidant capacity of tea. Flavonoids are known to “deactivate” when binding to proteins so this theory makes scientific sense.
One study that analyzed the effects of adding skimmed, semi-skimmed, and whole milk to tea concluded that skimmed milk significantly reduced the antioxidant capacity of tea. Higher-fat milks also reduced the antioxidant capacity of tea, but to a lesser degree.All said, in practice it’s important to keep in mind that tea—even tea with a splash of milk—can be a healthful drink.

19/03/2022

According to legend, in 2732 BC Emperor Shen Nung discovered tea when leaves from a wild tree blew into his pot of boiling water.

17/03/2022

Queen Anne drank tea so regularly that she substituted a large bell-shaped silver teapot for the tiny Chinese tea pots. The earliest tea service dates from her reign.

15/03/2022

What is Puer (Pu-erh) tea?
Puer (Pu-erh) tea is the only style defined by geography. It all comes from a southern region of Yunnan province, because the local cultivars and growing conditions cannot be separated from its identity.
Puer tea can come in a loose or compressed version of two basic styles:
Sheng (“Raw”) Puer: This is a simple, non-oxidized tea whose finished product will change over time because it is air-dried as the final step. This will enable it to continue a very slow process of bacterial and enzymatic fermentation that is outside the bounds of deliberate tea manufacturing processes. To highlight this, sheng puer is often marketed by the year it is made. Young puer tea tends to have a profile of wild fruit and grain (emphasis on “wild”). Older sheng puer profiles depend completely on the conditions of which it is aged, but in many cases it becomes more wild, earthy, and rustic (emphasis again on “wild”) in otherwise unachievable ways.
Shu (“Ripe) Puer: This tea starts out as sheng puer, but then goes through a deliberate “post fermentation” process to mimic and accelerate the kind of changes that happen in sheng puer from a period of many years to six weeks. The outcome is earthy and smooth, but with a leathery, compost, barnyard character (and we mean this with sincere flattery) that some find to be an acquired taste.
Puer tea is difficult to summarize and we suggest you read our blog on Puer for a more detailed description. The proper pinyin spelling is “Puer”, but in the west you will often see it spelled as “Pu-erh” or “Puerh.” These different spellings are all referring to the same thing and don’t signify anything beyond identification.

15/03/2022

Drinking tea is less likely to produce a ‘caffeine crash’ than drinking coffee. This is because the high levels of antioxidants in tea slow the absorption of caffeine, which results in a gentler increase of caffeine in your system and a longer period of alertness with no crash at the end.