August 2009 Entries

Loose tea has more antioxidants than tea bags - August 30, 2009

Did you know that loose tea typically contains more antioxidants than your average tea bag? The reason for this is that loose tea is less processed than the dust and lower quality tea often used in tea bags.

Green tea and brain power - August 25, 2009

Most of us are familiar with the typical benefits offered by consuming loose tea, such as reducing risk to heart disease, aiding in the lowering of cholesterol, etc.. Recently, a research study discovered that those who drank 2 cups of green tea per day were practically 50% less likely to develop impairment issues with cognitive abilities than those who drank less than 3 cups of tea per week. There is still much research to be done with tea, but everyday, we learn something new about the benefits of drinking tea.

Loose tea facts - Japanese Sencha vs. Chinese green tea - August 22, 2009

The primary reason for the difference in flavor between Japanese Sencha (green) tea and Chinese green tea has to do with the processing. With Japanese Sencha, the loose tea leaves are initially steamed for a very brief period to prevent oxidation, whereas Chinese green tea leaves are initally pan-fired without any steaming process.

Ultimately, the steaming process with Japanese sencha creates a more vegetal, almost grassy-like flavor. The Sencha loose tea leaves are also much greener in color and have a long cylindrical, needle-like shape.

New flavored loose teas arriving next month - August 14, 2009

We are rolling out some new flavored loose teas over the next month or so. Rich dark chocolate tea and a naturally flavored blueberry rooibos are just some of the loose teas we will be adding to our tea selection. In addition, we will be offering our first Japanese tea, a light and refreshing green sencha.

Loose tea vs. bottled tea - August 8, 2009

Bottled iced tea consumption may be on the rise, but what many consumers don't know is that the bottled iced tea isn't as healthy as it is often portrayed. In addition, many of them contain lots of added sugar, and many of the bottled products are not even made from brewing loose tea leaves but from tea extract.

For these reasons, bottled tea, also known as ready-to-drink tea (RTD), can contain much lower levels of flavonoids than freshly brewed loose tea. Flavonoids, as you know, are the primary form of antioxidants found in black, green and white tea. Of course, one of the primary reasons consumers opt for the bottled tea as opposed to loose tea is out of convenience.

With all the inexpensive gadgets available in the market, loose tea is so easy to brew and takes no more time than a tea bag. In fact, even iced tea is easy to make with many of the tea makers available today. So why cheat yourself out of better flavor and more antioxidants just for the sake of convenience?