Tea vs. Coffee

In the battle of tea versus coffee you may expect to find a clear winner –and you may suspect that winner to be tea, since this is tea blog. The truth is, both beverages are very different and have positives and negatives associated with them. The most notable difference is how they are prepared. Tea, whether white, black, green, or herbal, is made with some type of dehydrated leaf. Coffee on the other hand, is made from ground beans. Another big factor in choosing the beverage for you is the amount of caffeine in each drink. One cup of coffee ranges from 125-185 mg of caffeine. Tea has a significantly lower amount of caffeine with only 55 mg per cup.

Tea became popular in China for its healing abilities and has since developed a reputation for being the healthier drink. Here’s another truth, coffee has been proven to have some health benefits. Research has shown, coffee consumers are less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and dementia. But don’t let me make your decision for you, below are some distinctions between tea and coffee.

Tea

The antioxidants in tea help:

• To build a strong immune system
• Weight loss
• Achieve younger looking skin
• To lower cholesterol and blood pressure
• May prevent cancer and heart diseases

Coffee

• Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes
• May help prevent strokes
• Helps protect the liver
• Increases ones energy and focus

So there you have it. If you want to help your skin and maintain your weight and cholesterol levels, tea is probably your best choice. But, if diabetes runs in your family maybe having a cup of coffee in the morning will do more than get you ready for the day’s activities.

Save your skin with white tea extracts

White tea is not only a delicious and nutritional drink, but apparently it can save your skin. A study published in Experimental Dermatology found that applying white or green tea extracts can help protect your skin from the aftereffects of sun exposure. The study used skin samples from volunteers who applied the tea extracts after they had been out in the sun or exposed to some form of ultraviolet (UV) light.

Tea extracts are not to be used in replacement of suntan screens because they do not protect against direct UV absorption. Instead, tea extracts can be looked at as an organic alternative to using Aloe based products for soothing the skin after being out in the sun. The antioxidants in the tea help to prevent oxidative DNA damage caused by solar rays. Many doctors and scientists have linked oxidative DNA damage to identifying future risks of getting cancer.

So what do we get from this study? Next time you are out in the suns harmful rays – yes this applies to the winter as well – treat your skin with white tea extract.

Chinese Tea Ceremony

Chinese tea ceremonies have helped shape the Chinese tea culture for over 1200 years. The ceremonies were initially called cha dao, which translates to the way of tea. Today, tea ceremonies are described as he, jing, yi, Zhen, meaning peace, quiet, enjoyment, and truth. The unique style of drinking and elegant service has grown in popularity over the years and is frequently performed in teahouses around the world.

It is important to note, that the ceremony is not very strict. In the tea ceremony it is not about the person serving the tea, it is all about the tea itself. There are six main parts to a tea ceremony:

1. Attitude: The attitude of the person performing the ceremony should be a happy, peaceful and calm attitude when serving the tea. The performer should be confident in their movements.
2. Tea Selection: You want to select the best tea for your tea ceremony. In addition to taste, smell, and shape of the tealeaves, the tea should have a nice name and story.
3. Water Selection: Poor water selection can make even the best tealeaves taste sour. To produce the best taste and smell of tea the water should be clean and purified.
4. Teaware Selection: You want to select tea-ware that is both functional and beautiful.
5. Ambiance: It is important that the Chinese tea ceremony be performed in a peaceful and calm environment.
6. Technique: The tea ceremony performer is like the ballerina of dancers. Their hand and body movements must be graceful and elegant.

Below is a short version of a Chinese tea ceremony.

White tea combats cancer

As I was surfing the web this week I came across an interesting article on CNN International. The headline read, “Drink white tea if you are a smoker.” Now, I am not a smoker, but I do want to report all of my white tea findings to you guys, so I decided to look into it. The blurb stated commonly known facts about white tea, which can be applied to smokers.

1. White tea is good for your throat
2. A cup of white tea can help clear away phlegm in your throat that builds up when you have a cold, or if you are a heavy smoker.

Now I am not condoning, smoking, in fact I heartily encourage all you smokers to kick the nasty habit and swap your nicotine fix for a white tea fix. But, studies have shown that nine-out-of-ten smokers attempt to quit cold turkey and fewer than 5 percent succeed. So, instead of making any drastic changes in your lives, try adopting a new habit and begin to work white tea into your daily routine.

Although green tea is all the rage in the diet and health world, studies have shown that white tea may be five-times more effective than green tea in combating cancer.

Acupuncture today quoted Dr. Roderick Dashwood, a professor at Linus Pauling Institute and the principal investigator and director of the Cancer Chemoprotection Program saying, "Our theory was that white tea might have equivalent or higher levels of these polyphenols than green tea, and thus be more beneficial."

White tea produces the highest levels of the natural chemical called flavonoids that can lower a smoker’s risk of developing lung cancer.

So there you have it. If you can’t resist your daily dose of nicotine, combat its poisonous toxins with a fresh cup of white tea. But be sure to use fresh tealeaves because they have 20 percent more flavonoids than prepackaged teas.

White tea flavors

The great thing about white tea is the variety of flavors. Unlike green or black teas, white tea does not have a strong distinct taste. The light earthy undertones of white tea make it the perfect tea to add flavoring. There are many different flavors available. If you’re a bargain shopper and are looking for prepackaged tea, Lipton has a lot of delicious white tea flavors, including, blueberry, pomegranate, and island mango.

My personal favorite white tea is Teavana’s youthberry. Teavana is a little pricey -youthberry is $12 for two-ounces- but you can use the tea leaves at least twice and the taste is out of this world. The tea consists of traditional white tea leaves, ground acai berry, and tropical fruit pieces. When combined these three ingredients produce a sweet pink liquid filled with savory berry flavors.

To make the perfect cup of youthberry tea you will need a tea strainer, a tea cup or coffee mug, and hot water.

Step 1: Preparation
The first step is to bring your water to a boil (Tip: you don’t need a tea kettle to do this, pots work just fine). While your water is boiling, scoop 1 ½ teaspoons of youthberry leaves into your strainer (Tip: if you are a coffee fanatic and don’t have a tea strainer, make us of your coffee filter, it will not give you the same pure taste but it will get the job done.)

Step 2: Steep
Pour your boiled water over the leaves and into the cup. Fill the cup to the brim and let the leaves steep for about three minutes. As the tea is sitting the berry aroma should begin to fill your kitchen.

Step 3: Sip your problems away
When you remove the tea leaves the water should be a bright magenta. I usually add an ice cube to bring the temperature down to a level I can drink without endangering my taste buds. Once your tea is warm, and not scorching hot, you can sit back, relax, and breathe in the sweetness of your perfect cup of youthberry tea.

Tea Friendly Snacks

If there is one thing I enjoy more than warm cup of white tea, it is a tasty snack to go with it. After a month of taste testing various, pastries, cookies, and yogurts, I found sugar cookies and plain scones to be the best compliment to white tea.

White tea is the most delicate variety of tea because it is brewed from tealeaves that have not fully opened. The undertones of the tea are soft and sweet and can be easily over powered by most types of food. Sugar cookies and plain scones do not possess any strong tastes, such as chocolate or fruit, and the extra zing of sugar gives the subtle tea a sweeter more delicious taste.

During my taste test I tried a variety of snacks that I feel compliment other tea varieties.

Green Tea

Green tea is the closest variety to white tea. Green tea undergoes little processing and contains slightly more caffeine than white teas. I have found that salty snacks like pretzels tend to lessen green teas bitter taste.

Black Tea

Black tea is the strongest tea variety because it undergoes the most processing. This tea also contains the highest amount of caffeine. When having a cup of black tea consider eating creamier foods, like peanut butter, yogurt, and ice cream.

Herbal Teas

There are many types of herbal teas and each one has a distinct taste and flavor. This makes it hard to find a one-size-fits all food for herbal tea.

So, the next time you enjoy a glass of tea, consider adding a tasty snack that will enhance your tea drinking experience. Who knows, maybe you can conduct your own taste test and let me know what foods your taste buds prefer.

Green vs. White Tea

Lately there has been a lot of hype in the media about the benefits of green tea. Yes, it’s low in caffeine and high in the antioxidants we all love. Yes, it’s highly recommended by popular diet fads, like the Skinny Bitch Diet. But don't let yourself get fixated by green teas; there is a new tea craze on the horizon, white tea, and believe it or not, it offers more health benefits than green tea.

When comparing the two teas, it is important to note, both teas come from the leaves of the evergreen tree Camellia sinensis. The main difference between the two leaves is white tea leaves are harvested at a younger age than green leaves. Although both teas are light in color and undergo little processing, white tea is purer because it does not go through the fermentation process green tea goes through.

Antioxidants

Regardless of the processing method, tea from the Camellia sinensis plant contains polyphenols, the nutrient responsible for tea's health benefits. The less processing a tea undergoes, the more polyphenols it retains. In this case, white tea contains more of teas health benefits. The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) test is a popular way to measure the amount of antioxidants in different foods. The studies have found white tea contains three times the amount of antioxidants then green tea and 12-times as many antioxidants as a glass of orange juice.

Flavor

Obviously you want to enjoy your tea, and not everyone enjoys the “grassy” aftertaste associated with green teas. White teas however have a subtler sweeter taste and combines well with fruity flavors.

Caffeine Levels

Some people are concerned with the amount of caffeine in their beverages. The caffeine content of green and white tea is similar, and both contain the amino acid theanine, which has a calming effect that counteracts the stimulating effects of caffeine. However if you are really concerned about caffeine levels and want the drink with the least amount, white tea contains about 5 mg less per serving.