TEA

TEA

A rose is a rose. Is a tea, a tea? The answer is "yes, sort of".

Tea is a brew made from tea bush known as Carmellia sinensis. The leaves of the bush go through an oxidation process that begins as soon as they are picked. This oxidation is stopped by drying the leaves with heat. You control the type of tea you have by when you begin this drying process.

With no oxidation, you have white tea. Here the drying process begins even before the leaves are picked. This type of tea is very rare and expensive.

With very little oxidation, you have green tea. It gets its name because the leaves are still green with chlorophyll when dried.

With moderate oxidation, you have oolong tea. With complete oxidation, you have black tea. These are the most common types of teas. The leaves become dark green or black before the drying begins. These teas have the least bitter flavors.

All teas contain caffeine (which stimulates the central nervous system), theophyllene (which relaxes muscles and increases blood flow to several organs), theonine (which gives you a feeling of relaxation and less anxiety), and antioxidants (which are thought to reduce the chances of cancer and heart disease). You can get your tea decaffeinated which removes almost all of the caffeine. Green teas contain slightly more antioxidants than oolong or black teas.

Herbal teas are not teas. They are not made from the tea bush. They may contain none of the above properties but may contain other that are beneficial.

Flavored teas are just that. Teas with flavoring still have all of the same properties as unflavored tea.

I drink one cup of decaffeinated green tea every day. It hasn't made me any prettier but I sure feel good.

A tip: use water just below the boiling point and don't brew it too long.