Green Tea and Great Adventures!

So, I definitely stretched beyond the limits of my promised "two-to-three day break" after finals week. I suppose I underestimated the amount of time it would take me to recover from such a busy semester! But here I am again.


I just wanted to share with you all a cool article I found about the health benefits of green tea. Recent studies have shown that not only does it lower cancer risks, it also combats a host of other diseases! You go, green tea!


Here's the link to the article: http://www.wellnesstimes.com/articles/can-green-tea-reduce-cancer-risk


I've been drinking mostly black tea and Darjeeling (always a fave) this week because I haven't yet unpacked all my tea things after returning home. I should probably get on that today.


I'd also like to announce that in two days, I'll be heading across the pond to La Ville Lumière - the City of Lights - Paris! My cousin is getting married there, and we'll be spending three days there for the festivities. After that, my parents, sisters and I will spend a week in Ireland! How about that? I'll be sniffing out the best Irish teas and letting you know all about it! My goal is to find some more Connemara Irish Afternoon Tea, which my lovely friend Emma brought me from her study abroad experience in Ireland last summer. Which reminds me - Emma's got a really fun travel blog that you should check out! She's hopping around some wonderful places in Europe with my other friend - her freshman roommate - Herolinda. Check it out at http://bluejaysineurope.blogspot.com/


That's all for now! My next post will be from the Emerald Isle!!!

Pictured: Kinsale, where my family will be staying. I plan on sitting in one of those chairs and sipping a cup of tea. Probably followed by a Guinness or two in the evening. Source

Anna's Semi-comprehensive Tea Glossary: Part I

I said this post would be "tomorrow," and if we're going on the college student's definition of "day", then as long as I'm still awake, it's still Sunday. All this to say, it's time for that tea guide I was talking about!

Today I'll give you an overview of the "true" teas, or teas made from camellia sinensis, the tea plant. And tomorrow (which in college-speak means "when it's light out again or after I've slept for five hours"), I'll get into the "herbal" teas - those made from other plants.

Let's get started!

Black tea: This is what you would typically think of as a basic tea. It goes through more processing than all other teas, including a stage of fermentation (aka oxidation). It's the strongest type of tea made from camellia, and contains the most caffeine. Works well as a breakfast tea, but I really enjoy it at any time of the day. Iced tea is usually made from black tea. My favorite black tea is Darjeeling, which is grown in the foothills of the Himalayas, and has a golden color and a smooth taste.

Tea leaves being fermented. Source

Green tea: This tea has a slightly more delicate flavor than black tea. It does not undergo fermentation, and is steamed or fried after picking and sorting. It also has less caffeine than black tea. It contains the powerful antioxidant HGCG. I adore it flavored with jasmine (Teavana's Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls has been a longtime favorite of mine).

Oolong: This delicate and delicious tea is oxidized (fermented) for a shorter period of time than black tea, giving the leaves a color ranging from green to almost black, depending on the length of oxidation. Oolong has a nice sweet flavor. Fun fact: A long time ago, Chinese monks used to train monkeys to pick tea for them! This is where the title "monkey-picked oolong" comes from, though the tradition is no longer practiced. The oolong teas from Teavana are very pricey. I would recommend Twinings, but you should always shop around for the best tea at the best price!

White Tea: White tea is made from young leaves of the tea plant, when tiny white hairs are still visible on the as-yet unopened buds. It goes through the least amount of processing and also contains the least amount of caffeine of any of the camellia teas. It is rich in antioxidants as well. I like this tea plain, since the flavor is so simple and lovely (my boyfriend claims it doesn't taste much different from water; I say he needs to cultivate his taste buds). It's great in the afternoon or evening when you just want to relax. The Republic of Tea has some great loose white tea available. I've had some good luck with white tea at World Market. Definitely check that store out if there's one near you!

This is a fine white tea known as Silver Needle, only harvested two weeks out of the year. Source

Those are the basic categories for camellia sinensis! Tune in tomorrow for some delicious herbal teas, including rooibos, maté, and chamomile!

Special thanks to www.tealaden.com, where I did a bit of fact-checking on this post!