Tea, Become an Expert , part 2

Margaret HarrisMargaret’s Fine Imports5872 Forbes Ave., Pgh, PA 1521

(412) 422-1606 www.margaretsfineimports.com

“In my own hands I hold a bowl of tea; I see all of nature represented in its green color. Closing my eyes I find green mountains and pure water within my own heart. Silently sitting alone and drinking tea, I feel these become a part of me.”

Sohitsu Sen Grand Master XIV

Urasenke School of Tea

Today’s Agenda

• Tea - quiz

• How to make good cup of tea

• Storing tea

• Health Benefits of Tea

• Health Benefits of Herbs

• Tea & Weight Loss• 10 min Intermission

• Preparing Tea: Demonstration

Proper Tea SteepingGeneral Guidelines

• Water used for tea should be of good quality, preferably bottled or filtered, but tap water will usually do just fine

• Distilled, fluoridated, hard or highly chlorinated water is not recommended

• Water should be just brought to the boiling point, over boiling may cause too much oxygen to escape resulting in flat taste.

Proper Tea Steeping General Guidelines

• Warm the teapot with a small amount of hot water and discard it

• Use approx. 1 flat teaspoon (or use special measure spoon) of dry tea per cup of water (6-7oz

Note: Average American cup (mug) holds about 12-14oz of water, so you have to double this amount of tea!

Steeping of Black Tea

• Hot water, just under the boiling point

(about 210 degrees – bring to boil first, then let it cool of just a bit, 1 min)

• Steep for approx. 3-5 min

Steeping of Green Tea

• Cooler water than for black tea (approx. 180-185 degrees)

• Wait for about 3 min after bolining

• Steep only for 1-2 min ! Green tea is like a delicate food or fresh leaf vegetable, hot water or prolonged steeping might burn green tea leaves, producing a bitter taste

Steeping of Oolong Tea

• Water temp 195 – 210 degrees

• Time vary depending on the variety of Oolong tea: 2-3 min

Steeping of Rooibos & Tisanes

• Use hot water, just under the boiling point

• Steep for 5-7 min

• These “teas” won’t get bitter like other true teas

Tea Storage

• Dry, cool , dark area, away from strong odors

• The size of the container should match the amount of tea, if there is too much empty space with air tea will continue to oxidize

and deteriorate

• Not in freezer or refrigerator

Health Benefits of Tea

• Great beverage: no sodium, fat, carbonation, or sugar, calorie free

• Contains antioxidants (flavonoids) that counteract free radicals, which cause damage of body elements and contribute to chronic diseases

• Green tea contains 8-10 times the amount of antioxidants found in any other foods and beverages available to humans

Health Benefits of Tea cont’dResearch Studies

• Drinking 3-5 cups of tea per day may lower “bad” cholesterol (LDLs)

• People who drunk tea in large quantities had a much decreased risk of colon cancer

• Tea drinking women had a higher bone density than women who didn’t drink tea

• In laboratory tests green tea antioxidants inhibited the production of plaque by bacteria, tea is also high in Fluoride

More Health Benefits of Tea

There have been thousands of studies done about health benefits of tea in famous clinics (including Mayo Clinic) that also have shown that tea can help to:

• prevent blood clots (caution: people taking blood thinners may shouldn’t consume large quantities of green tea)

• protect against cognitive decline• help in weight loss• improve insulin sensitivity• boost immunity

Health Benefits of Tea cont’d

• prevent heart disease

• lower stress hormone cortisol

• prevent gallstones

• protect liver from damage by alcohol and other harmful chemicals

Health Benefits of Herbs, examples:

• Headaches: passionflower, rosemary, scullcap• Memory Loss: ginco, rosemary• Sore Throat: kava, licorice, thyme• Cold: echinacea, licorice, thyme,ginger, rosehip• Bloating, Flatulence: chamomile, ginger,

peppermint• Constipation: dandelion root, senna, St. Mary’s

thistle• Arthritis: burdock, ginger, nettle• Low Libido: damiana, Korean ginseng, withania

Tea & Weight Loss

• Helps reduce cravings or can be a substitute for highly caloric dessert (Chocolate Mint Rooibos, Ginger Peach tea)

• Increases insulin effectiveness• helps decrease cholesterol• Stimulates thermo genesis, which speeds up the

fat burning process• Antioxidants in tea (mostly EGCG) increase

metabolism rate and fat burning

Tea & Good Mood

• L-thiamine in tea increases the serotonine levels, responsible for pleasant feelings

• Let’s not forget that just making tea, inhaling its aroma, sitting comfortably to drink it, relaxing and taking a break from everyday stress, sharing time with friends and family, can be a source of great pleasure and so benefit our mental and emotional health!