(Quote Author Unknown)

by Haven Logan PH.D

        
  If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated,
 it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you.
If you are excited, it will calm you.
– Gladstone

What is your favorite memory associated with tea? A delightful tea party you hosted as a child may come to mind. Spread out on a table cloth a small teapot and scrumptious sweets set on little plates await your siblings or friends and favorite stuffed animals. Or maybe you are remembering a crackling fire on a cold winter’s eve as you sat with a mug of hot peppermint tea, slowly sipping to warm yourself.  Drinking tea may also remind you of your favorite Chinese restaurant where you pour warm oolong tea into small white porcelain cups. If it’s a hot summer’s day, on the other hand, you might be imagining that thirst-quenching glass of ice tea that you drank to revive yourself in the shade. And finally, it just might be that your favorite tea memory is connected to a special person who offered you a cup and time for the two of you to sit together and talk about the day.

Tea has a long and colorful history in many cultures. Tea originated in China and has been consumed for over four thousand years. A story of its origin as a beverage tells of a tea leaf falling into Chinese emperor Shennong’s hot water, which he drank and found to be quite delicious. The tea beverage comes from steeping the processed leaves of the tea bush (Chamellia sinesis). All types of tea come from this plant but will have different characteristics brought about by changes in season, climate, soil and care. Flavored teas are made by adding other plants such as jasmine flowers to the tea bush leaves.

All tea was originally green tea which still is the primary tea in the Pacific Rim countries. Over the centuries new production techniques developed black and oolong teas so that by the 17th century when the Dutch traders introduced tea to the rest of the world, it was black that they traded. This became the dominant tea of western countries. As appreciation of the health benefits of green tea has grown, its consumption has markedly increased in the West. Also gaining popularity are “herbal teas” which are not actually made from the tea bush but rather by infusing the flowers, leaves, seeds or roots of other plants.

Tea connoisseurs generally prefer loose tea leaves steeped in a tea pot. While tea leaves can be more expensive than bags, there is greater variety available. The tea in tea bags consists of small pieces of the tea leaves. Because tea bags infuse more quickly than loose tea, it is easy to oversteep and create a bitter cup of tea. On the other hand, tea bags are convenient, can be used in a diversity of situations and the variety offered is increasing. What is important is that you enjoy your cup of tea, however you prepare it.

If your interest in tea is peaked by this column or you are a lover of tea wanting to expand your knowledge, a good place to start is with The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss. Visit the Heisses at their website: www.cooksshophere.com where you can follow them on their Tea Treks to China and Japan. From their store you can sample a wide array of unusual teas.

                     The Health Benefits of Tea
The health merits of all types of tea have long been touted, though green tea has been the primary subject of research. Tea’s potential benefits include: anti-cancer properties, possible anti-diabetes effect, increased mental alertness, improved immune system, inflammation reduction, increased bone strength, lowered chance of cognitive impairment, and decreased stress hormone levels. Some studies support these health benefits, while others do not.

You probably have seen ads for the weight loss benefits of tea, particularly green tea. While research shows that tea can increase metabolic rate, probably the greatest support for weight loss comes from substituting tea for high caloric drinks. For example, a 16 ounce glass of Coca Cola has 200 calories, orange juice 220 calories and a Starbuck Café Vanilla Frappuccino with whip cream has 420 calories. Sixteen ounces of tea, in contrast, contains zero calories. To sweeten your tea you may choose to add two teaspoons of honey for 60 calories, two teaspoons of sugar for 30 calories or a packet of Xylitol for 2.3 calories.

 Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is
the axis on which the world earth revolves-
slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.
Thich Nat Hahn

We know intuitively that sitting down with a cup of tea is good for our emotional and physical health. While we might drink a cup of coffee walking down the street or driving to work, hopefully, we will alter this multi-tasking pattern with our tea. It is in the stopping and removing ourselves from the rush of daily life, that the great rewards of tea emerge. Plan for a good time in your day to take a tea break. Pause mid-morning when you need to get away from your work. Perhaps you can take time for tea when you get home from your day’s activities, before beginning dinner, or at day’s end when everyone else is safely in their rooms and you finally have time for yourself.  During the day you might be looking for an energizing black or green tea, while at night you choose peppermint to help digest your dinner or chamomile to relax you for sleep. Do take the time to put your tea in a special cup and sit somewhere that helps you relax. It is amazing what a few minutes away from worldly distractions can do.

There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot
be much diminished by a nice cup of tea.
- Bernard-Paul Heroux