A scorching cup of tea could make you are feeling heat and comfortable on a chilly day. Even higher, tea is a wholesome, low-calorie drink that has a variety of vital advantages in your well-being. Ingesting tea might even make it easier to drop extra pounds.
Tea is the world’s second most consumed drink (after water), in accordance with the Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations. In lots of locations, tea is extra than simply refreshment. In nations reminiscent of Japan and the UK, making ready and consuming tea are a necessary a part of ceremonies and each day rituals.
Tea looks as if the best of drinks, however not all tea is alike. There are numerous various kinds of tea, every with a singular origin, taste and dietary profile. Determining which is finest for you may be complicated, so we put collectively this deep dive into the extensive world of tea.
What’s Tea?
True tea, derived from the Camellia sinensis shrub native to Asia, has a wealthy historical past of cultivation in China, India and neighboring nations. In response to the tea consultants at ArtfulTea, there are two major varieties: Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, recognized for its mellow style and in style in East Asia, and Camellia sinensis var. assamica, with a extra sturdy taste, generally present in India.
It’s vital to notice that natural teas, whereas also known as tea, are literally infusions. Mint, chamomile and hibiscus are among the many vegetation used to create natural teas, infusing their leaves and flowers with flavorful important oils. All through historical past, natural teas have been utilized in folks drugs for his or her therapeutic advantages in treating numerous illnesses.
Totally different Kinds of Tea
Tea producers make use of completely different processes to organize camellia leaves and flowers after harvesting, which finally results in the distinct flavors and colours of every tea variant. Right here’s a information that will help you choose the proper tea that fits your preferences. Uncover the artwork of tea preparation and discover quite a lot of flavors and kinds of tea!
Black
Black tea is essentially the most generally discovered selection, usually related to well-known tea manufacturers. It undergoes a course of the place harvested leaves are allowed to wilt and oxidize within the presence of air for a day or extra, leading to a metamorphosis from inexperienced to a wealthy brownish-black coloration and a hearty style.
Notably, black tea boasts the very best caffeine content material amongst all teas, roughly half the quantity present in a cup of espresso. Its infusion yields a charming darkish, coppery hue, accompanied by a sturdy and full-bodied taste.
Oolong
Oolong tea is crafted by partially oxidizing the leaves, giving them a brown hue, although not as deep as black tea. By means of rolling, the tea leaves are gently bruised, unlocking the enzymes and important oils that create pleasant flavors. When brewed, oolong tea displays a charming orange to amber coloration, presenting a milder style in comparison with black tea.
White
White tea, beloved by tea connoisseurs, delights with its delicately nice taste. Crafted from the recent ideas and buds of the camellia plant, it undergoes minimal oxidation earlier than being fastidiously dried, able to be brewed. Notably, white tea yields solely hint quantities of caffeine and imparts a pale yellow hue when steeped.
Inexperienced
Inexperienced tea leaves are fastidiously processed proper after harvest to protect their vibrant inexperienced coloration and stop oxidation. In Japan, the leaves are steamed, whereas in China, they’re pan-fired. The result’s a lightweight inexperienced or yellowish tea with a fragile floral taste. Some pan-fried inexperienced teas even supply a delicate smoky word. Moreover, inexperienced tea accommodates roughly half the caffeine content material of black tea.
Matcha
Matcha, a preferred kind of inexperienced tea in Japan, is derived from vegetation which are shaded for at least three weeks earlier than harvesting. This shading course of enriches the vegetation with chlorophyll, leading to a vibrant inexperienced hue. Furthermore, it imparts a pleasant umami taste to the tea, setting it other than different inexperienced tea varieties, whereas additionally offering a delicate caffeine increase.
To create matcha, the tea leaves bear a meticulous grinding course of, reworking them right into a effective powder. Other than being brewed as a standard tea, this versatile powder may be included into smoothies and utilized in numerous baked items. Indulge within the delectable flavors of our Matcha Cookies recipe and savor the refreshing mixture of this Orange Ginger and Matcha Protein Shake.
Pu-erh
Pu-erh tea, pronounced “poo-air,” is gaining recognition amongst tea lovers in the USA. Just like black tea, it undergoes oxidation after which fermentation, very similar to sauerkraut or wine, adopted by growing older for a number of months and even as much as 20 years.
Through the fermentation course of, the tea develops a easy and subtly candy taste. Simply as with wine, growing older enriches and deepens the flavors. The ensuing tea is a darkish brown or black hue, with some noting hints of plum in its style.
Purple
Purple tea has been making headlines and showing on retailer cabinets currently. Whereas it comes from the identical plant species, its leaves have a definite purple hue. This lovely coloration is attributed to anthocyanin, a strong antioxidant present in different meals like blueberries, crimson onions and wine.
Just like oolong tea, purple tea leaves bear partial oxidation. In terms of taste, purple tea has been described as a pleasant mix of inexperienced and black tea. Its distinctive style is really a deal with for the senses.
Different Tea Choices
Many individuals world wide brew drinks from different vegetation apart from camellia. These are just a few of the alternatives.
Natural Tea
Ginger and lemon balm are beautiful examples of fragrant herbs that yield pleasant teas. These herbs are sometimes unoxidized, minimally processed, and might even be cultivated at dwelling. Once you’re able to get pleasure from a cup of tea, merely pluck just a few leaves. It’s value noting that natural teas are typically low in caffeine or fully caffeine-free, making them an ideal alternative for a soothing beverage.
Rooibos Tea
Rooibos (pronounced “roy boss”) is an more and more in style kind of tea derived from a shrub indigenous to South Africa. The plant’s inexperienced leaves and yellow flowers bear oxidation and fermentation, leading to a definite reddish hue and a gently candy taste harking back to vanilla. Notably, rooibos tea is of course caffeine-free, making it a pleasant alternative for these searching for a soothing and refreshing beverage.
Chai
Ever come throughout “chai” on a espresso store menu and questioned what it really is? Opposite to in style perception, it’s not simply one other kind of tea. Chai is a pleasant mix of strong Indian black tea, wealthy milk, and a medley of fragrant spices like cardamom, ginger and cloves. Give it a attempt to let your style buds embark on a flavorful journey!
Well being Advantages of Tea
You would say that tea is simply flavored water. And that’s an excellent factor. Plain tea has no energy, sugar or fats. It retains you hydrated whereas additionally perking up your style buds.
Ingesting tea, nonetheless, presents you priceless well being advantages which you can’t get from water. As an example, normal and natural teas might give you small however priceless quantities of potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, copper and zinc. Past diet, consuming tea can provide your well being a lift in quite a lot of methods.
Most cancers
Teas constructed from the camellia plant comprise compounds known as catechins and theaflavins that “might cut back the danger of assorted kinds of cancers in people,” in accordance with a report from the journal Present Pharmaceutical Designs.
Strokes
In the identical report, the researchers word that people who drink three or extra cups of tea a day have a 21 % decrease danger of stroke than those that drink lower than one cup per day on common.
Ldl cholesterol and Blood Stress
Consuming the catechins in inexperienced tea led to a discount in physique fats, systolic blood strain and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) ldl cholesterol in a examine, revealed within the journal Weight problems.
Irritation
Black tea accommodates flavonoids that may assist cut back irritation, in accordance with a examine revealed in Vital Care Medication.
Enamel
White tea is wealthy in fluoride, catechins and tannins that may strengthen your tooth, safeguard in opposition to plaque, and improve resistance to acid and sugar-induced put on, says a report from the College of Pennsylvania Well being System.
Stress
An amino acid considerable in inexperienced tea often called L-theanine, together with the low dose of caffeine, was related to enhancements in “temper, cognition and a discount of stress and anxiety-like signs,” in accordance with a examine revealed within the journal Phytomedicine.
Mind
A College of Pennsylvania Well being System report highlights that l-theanine might assist stop the onset and progress of cognitive illnesses reminiscent of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s illnesses.
Physique Fats
Individuals who consumed purple tea for 4 weeks had a big discount of their “weight, physique fats mass, stomach fats, physique fats ratio, waist dimension, hip dimension, and stomach and proper higher arm fats thickness,” in accordance with a examine within the Worldwide Journal of Biomedical Science. The researchers theorize that the dietary compounds within the tea inhibited the absorption of fats from meals.
Selecting and Brewing
Free Tea vs. Tea Luggage
Tea baggage are handy to retailer and to make use of. In case you purchase baggage, examine the expiration date. Stale tea has a flat style. For the most effective taste from a tea bag, search for manufacturers that use muslin cloth or silk moderately than paper, which may seep into the flavour of the tea. Premium manufacturers use entire tea leaves, moderately than crushed leaves.
With entire leaves, you get the complete flavors and aromas. For that purpose, tea lovers usually favor brewing with unfastened leaf tea. All you want is an infuser in your pot or cup to make use of unfastened leaves. When purchasing for unfastened leaf tea, give it a sniff earlier than shopping for. It ought to scent brilliant and recent, not light or funky.
Heating and Steeping
Similar to there are various kinds of tea, there are alternative ways to organize them. Once you’re prepared to organize your tea, you need the recent water to launch the tea’s flavorful and fragrant oils, however not scald the leaves. For black, Pu-ehr, rooibos and most natural teas, the water ought to be simply wanting boiling. Oolong tastes finest brewed at 195 levels F. Warmth the water to about 180 levels F for inexperienced, white or purple tea.
The method of soaking within the scorching water, or steeping, extracts the flavors, aromas and vitamins from tea leaves. Black tea and herbals teas typically attain their peak of taste after steeping for about 4 minutes. Inexperienced and white tea are finest after three minutes.
In case you like a stronger style, you possibly can let each go for an additional minute or so, however any longer dangers the tea creating a bitter taste. A wonderfully brewed cup of tea is an easy pleasure that may make any day a bit of cozier.
