Because I love green tea and drink a lot of it myself (mostly organic), I am going to post several articles on the benefits of this powerful antioxidant rich beverage due to epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Although the articles may repeat some of the same benefits, they each offer something different. You will reap a lot of health benefits when you start drinking real green tea!
I use a natural sweetener (Never use sugar or artificial sweeteners. Future postings will include which are the best natural sweeteners to use) such as Xylitol or Stevia although tea really doesn’t need to be sweetened, as it just depends on your taste. Honey is good, but adds calories and for the weight conscious, its best to use the natural, no calorie sweeteners.
I use a stainless steal travel mug that keeps the tea hot to warm for several hours and is also great to use when traveling as it has a spill-free top and a nice, thick burn-free handle. Stainless steel bottles or mugs are ecologically friendly and a much better alternative than toxic plastic cups. Throw those away! Although, I do have my favorite ceramic cup that I use, and occasionally I’ll brew a cup from loose green tea leaves and sip out of a small Japanese cup (the ones with no handles).
I really got into the different teas from a website called Generation Tea. They began as dedicated drinkers of fine Chinese teas and specialize in premium Chinese teas. They utilize their resources, experience, and knowledge to provide quality tea at competitive prices. Their teas contain no additives or preservatives. They also offer information about brewing tips, teaware, and Kosher teas.
For those of you concerned about caffeine, or are more sensitive to it, please go to the amazing green tea website to learn more about decaffeinated tea warnings and the different ways there are to decaffeinate green tea such as natural decaffeination, carbon dioxide (CO2) decaffeination, hot water decaffeination, and theanine decaffeination. Even the so called, “naturally decaffeinated” green teas may use chemical solvents.
There is about 15 to 30 milligrams of caffeine in a cup of green tea. This gives that slightly bitter taste in green tea, although some people do not like it, me included, and that’s why I use a natural sweetener, which will cut the bitter taste.
One cup of green tea does contain enough caffeine that may stimulant the central nervous system, so if you want to naturally remove the caffeine yourself, you can. Steep the tea about 45 seconds in hot water and then pour off the liquid. Add more hot water and pour off the liquid again. Then add more hot water and steep for a final time. The first infusion of water should remove about 80% of the caffeine, so the second time you pour off the water, only a small amount of caffeine is left.
In my research, there are some tea companies that say they decaffeinate tea using an all natural water process. You be the judge and read the labels carefully. As I learn more about the ‘naturally decaffeinated’ process, I will post my findings. Happy tea drinking!
Read the informative article on Seven Health Benefits of Green Tea. There are a lot more!
Click on the following banner to go to the Silver Leaf Tea website that sells premium and exotic loose leaf teas and tea bags from around the world.
