Green Tea- Super Food or Just Another Fad?

Everyone has heard of green tea, whether or not they are a tea drinker. It is the latest addition to every health freak's diet. From weight loss to blood pressure control, this super food claims to do it all. But does it really help? Or is it just flavoured, mildly caffeinated hot water? One cannot trust everything that is found on the internet. So let me give you on a comprehensive guide to the truth about green tea- super food or fad.
According to the National Cancer Institute, the polyphenols in tea have been shown to decrease tumour growth in laboratory and animal studies and may protect against damage caused by ultraviolet UVB radiation.
In countries where green tea consumption is high, cancer rates tend to be lower, but to link that to green tea may be far-fetched since there are other lifestyle factors to consider. One large-scale clinical study compared green tea drinkers with non-drinkers and found that those who drank the most tea were less likely to develop pancreatic cancer, particularly women, who were 50% less likely to develop the disease. Many studies, on the other hand, have shown that there is no link between the green tea and cancer. In 2005, the FDA stated that "there is no credible evidence to support qualified health claims for green tea consumption and a reduced risk of gastric, lung, colon/rectal, oesophageal, pancreatic, ovarian, and combined cancers.

A 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that green tea consumption is associated with reduced mortality due to all causes, including cardiovascular disease. The study followed over 40,000 Japanese participants between the ages of 40 and 79 for 11 years, starting in 1994.The participants who drank at least 5 cups of green tea per day had a significantly lower risk of dying (especially from cardiovascular disease) than those who drank less than one cup of tea per day.

An analysis of published studies in 2011 found that consuming green tea, either as a beverage or in capsule form, was linked to significant but modest reductions in total and LDL or "bad" cholesterol. Another study found that consuming 10 cups of green tea per day can lower total cholesterol, however, consuming 4 cups or less had no effect on cholesterol levels.

Studies concerning the relationship between green tea and diabetes have been inconsistent. Some have shown a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes for green tea drinkers than for those who consumed no tea, while other studies have found no association between tea consumption and diabetes at all.
 
Green tea may promote a small, non-significant weight loss in overweight and obese adults; however, since the weight lost in the studies were so minimal, it is unlikely that green tea is clinically important for weight loss.
Research published in the journal Psychopharmacology in 2014 suggests that green tea can enhance our brain's cognitive functions, particularly the working memory. The research team said their findings suggest that green tea could be promising in the treatment of cognitive impairments associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, such as dementia.

In a study published in 2011, researchers tested the effect of a component of green tea, CAGTE, after it had been digested, to see how it affected a key protein in Alzheimer's disease. The study showed that at high concentrations, CAGTE protected the cells from the toxic effects of the protein amyloid-beta.

The Alzheimer's Society commented that, "this study adds to previous research that suggests green tea might help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. However, the researchers used a far higher dose of the active green tea chemical than would ever be found in the human body. More research is needed to see whether green tea is protective at a much lower dose, and to understand the mechanism involved.

Thus while green tea does help in treating many conditions, there is not enough evidence to support its claim for other diseases. It certainly is not a bad addition to your diet!

The Moroccan Tea Drinking Culture

The culture of tea drinking varies from country to country, each of them unique and historical in their own respect. Most of these tea traditions mainly begin with the tea being first used as a medicinal beverage and then gradually being accepted as a social drink. In countries like China and Japan, green tea is holds prominence over all other, while in India, masala chai or spiced tea is the one that is generally served to guests.


In Morocco, brewing and drinking tea is a much-loved tradition that signifies hospitality and friendship, and is carried out with great care. Using green tea as a base, with mint leaves and sugar, Moroccan mint tea is served throughout the day and particularly at mealtimes. While food preparation is the domain of women, the tea is often prepared by the male head of the family and is considered to be an art passed down through generations.


The preparation of tea, a process referred to as atai, is part of the tradition and is often done in front of the guests. The ingredients may vary slightly in different regions, and as the seasons change, but the principle of warm hospitality remains unchanged. The tea is served in small glasses, and is only considered to be drinkable if it has foam on top. The pouring of the tea from a teapot with a long curved spout is done from a height of at least twelve inches, causing foam to form on the surface of the tea. If there is no foam, the tea is not ready to be served and needs to steep a bit longer, so the tea in the glass is poured back into the pot. In some areas, the method of pouring and returning the tea to the pot is used to mix the ingredients and is part of the ritual. Getting the tea into the glass from that height is a matter of practice and the sign of an experienced host or hostess.


The tea ingredients generally include Chinese green tea, typically a variety called "gunpowder tea" from the Zhejiang Province of China, mint leaves (that generally consist of a mix of peppermint and spearmint) and sugar. In some places pine nuts may be added to the mixture. In the winter months, mint may be substituted with bitter chiba (wormwood) leaves, or with louiza (lemon verbena) giving in a distinctive lemon flavour. Interestingly, Morocco is considered to be one of the largest importers of Chinese green tea in the world.

To brew a tea pot you would add two teaspoons of green tea to about a half litre of boiling water and allow it to steep for fifteen minutes or more. This mixture is then filtered into the teapot and sugar is added to taste, with the mint being added just before serving. Alternatively the host may put mint leaves into individual glasses and pour the tea over it, releasing the flavour and aroma that is distinctively Moroccan.

The Moroccan Tea Drinking Culture

The culture of tea drinking varies from country to country, each of them unique and historical in their own respect. Most of these tea traditions mainly begin with the tea being first used as a medicinal beverage and then gradually being accepted as a social drink. In countries like China and Japan, green tea is holds prominence over all other, while in India, masala chai or spiced tea is the one that is generally served to guests.




In Morocco, brewing and drinking tea is a much-loved tradition that signifies hospitality and friendship, and is carried out with great care. Using green tea as a base, with mint leaves and sugar, Moroccan mint tea is served throughout the day and particularly at mealtimes. While food preparation is the domain of women, the tea is often prepared by the male head of the family and is considered to be an art passed down through generations.



The preparation of tea, a process referred to as atai, is part of the tradition and is often done in front of the guests. The ingredients may vary slightly in different regions, and as the seasons change, but the principle of warm hospitality remains unchanged. The tea is served in small glasses, and is only considered to be drinkable if it has foam on top. The pouring of the tea from a teapot with a long curved spout is done from a height of at least twelve inches, causing foam to form on the surface of the tea. If there is no foam, the tea is not ready to be served and needs to steep a bit longer, so the tea in the glass is poured back into the pot. In some areas, the method of pouring and returning the tea to the pot is used to mix the ingredients and is part of the ritual. Getting the tea into the glass from that height is a matter of practice and the sign of an experienced host or hostess.


The tea ingredients generally include Chinese green tea, typically a variety called "gunpowder tea" from the Zhejiang Province of China, mint leaves (that generally consist of a mix of peppermint and spearmint) and sugar. In some places pine nuts may be added to the mixture. In the winter months, mint may be substituted with bitter chiba (wormwood) leaves, or with louiza (lemon verbena) giving in a distinctive lemon flavour. Interestingly, Morocco is considered to be one of the largest importers of Chinese green tea in the world.

To brew a tea pot you would add two teaspoons of green tea to about a half litre of boiling water and allow it to steep for fifteen minutes or more. This mixture is then filtered into the teapot and sugar is added to taste, with the mint being added just before serving. Alternatively the host may put mint leaves into individual glasses and pour the tea over it, releasing the flavour and aroma that is distinctively Moroccan.

Tea Leaf Grading

As we already know, tea is graded into various different categories depending on different criteria. According to its level of oxidation, there is green tea, black tea, white tea and oolong tea, while depending on region we have Darjeeling tea, Assam tea, Chinese teas, and so on. However, even within these categories, the leaves are further divided into several categories based on the quality and condition of the tea leaves. The highest grades are referred to as "orange pekoe", and the lowest as "fannings" or "dust". Thus even a high quality tea like a Darjeeling tea has fannings or dusts which are the remnants that are produced during the sorting and crushing process of the whole loose leaf tea.


Pekoe tea grades are classified into various qualities, each determined by how many of the adjacent young leaves (two, one, or none) were picked along with the leaf buds. Top-quality pekoe grades consist of only the leaf buds, which are picked using the balls of the fingertips. Fingernails and mechanical tools are not used to avoid bruising. When crushed to make bagged teas, the tea is referred to as "broken", as in "broken orange pekoe" (BOP). These lower grades include fanning s and dust.

There are several sub categories of grading even within the Orange Pekoe and Fannings grades.

Orange pekoe or OP is a term used in the Western tea trade to describe a particular genre of black teas (orange pekoe grading). Despite a purported Chinese origin, these grading terms are typically used for teas from Sri Lanka, India, and countries other than China; they are not generally known within Chinese-speaking countries. The grading system is based upon the size of processed and dried black loose leaf tea leaves.


The tea industry uses the term orange pekoe to describe a basic, medium-grade black tea consisting of many whole tea leaves of a specific size. Within this system, the teas that receive the highest grades are obtained from new flushes (pickings). This includes the terminal leaf bud along with a few of the youngest leaves. Grading is based on the 'size' of the individual leaves and flushes. This also determines the 'wholeness', or level of breakage, of each leaf, which is also part of the grading system. A few examples of OP:

OP1—slightly delicate, long, wiry leaf with the light liquor Flowery OP—high-quality tea with a long leaf and few tips, considered the second grade in Assam, Dooars, and Bangladesh teas, but the first grade in China Golden Flowery OP1—higher proportion of tip than FOP top grade in Milima and Marinyn regions, uncommon in Assam and Darjeeling


Tippy Golden F OP—the highest proportion of tip, main grade in Darjeeling and Assam Fannings are small pieces of tea that are left over after higher grades of teas are gathered to be sold. Traditionally these were treated as the rejects of the manufacturing process in making high-quality leaf tea like the orange pekoe. Fannings with extremely small particles are sometimes called dusts. Fannings and dusts are considered the lowest grades of tea, separated from broken-leaf teas which have larger pieces of the leaves. However, the fannings of expensive teas can still be more expensive and more flavourful than whole leaves of cheaper teas.
A few examples of fannings:

PF—Pekoe Fannings

OF—Orange Fannings: From Northern India and some parts of Africa and South America.

FOF—Flowery Orange Fannings: Common in Assam, Dooars, and Bangladesh. Some leaf sizes come close to the smaller broken grades.

GFOF—Golden Flowery Orange Fannings: Finest grade in Darjeeling for tea bag production

Green Tea- A Hype or a Super Food?

Green tea has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries to treat everything from headaches to depression. The leaves are supposedly richer in antioxidants than other types of tea because of the way they are processed. Green tea contains B vitamins, folate (naturally occurring folic acid), manganese, potassium, magnesium, caffeine and other antioxidants, notably catechins.

Green tea frequently makes the cancer-preventing super foods lists due to the anti-cancer effects of green tea and green tea extracts found in laboratory research.

It contains antioxidants called catechins that may slow down the growth of cancer cells. In laboratory studies, catechins stop free radical damage to cells and reduce the number and sizes of tumours. The most commonly studied catechins, called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), may cause cancer cells to die, rather than grow and spread.

But it's important to go beyond petri dishes, test tubes, and lab animals - to really be a superfood, some human research is necessary. Two large human studies found that people who drank more tea were also at a lower risk of developing certain cancers. But another study showed no correlation between green tea consumption and the incidence of cancer.

Whether green tea prevents cancer or not, it still may be good for you. The antioxidants may help to protect your cells from free radical damage, and some studies indicate green tea may boost weight loss - at least a little bit.

Green tea and black tea both come from the same plant called Camellia sinensis. Black tea is made when the leaves are allowed to ferment. Green tea leaves are steamed or heated immediately after picking to prevent fermentation. Since they're harvested and processed more quickly, they contain more of the polyphenols than black tea leaves.

There are many brands of Green tea available in grocery stores, coffee shops, and specialty stores. Some brands are sold in individual tea bags, which makes them easy to prepare. Just place a teabag in a cup, add hot (not boiling) water, steep for two minutes or so, and then remove the bag. There's very little mess and no waste because you brew each cup individually.

Tea bags are convenient, but the quality differs from brand to brand. You can buy loose leaf green teas for an unbeatable flavour. It's not difficult to prepare loose leaf tea at home as long as you have the right equipment.

You can buy a variety of green teas at our website The Tea Trove and enjoy your super food- rather super drink!

The Ten Famous Chinese Teas

There are hundreds of varieties of tea that are produced in China every year and enjoyed by people all over the world. Some of the most expensive green teas and yellow teas come from China, and are acquired by tea connoisseurs are high prices.


There are several opinions as to which the best teas from China are, but a list of The Ten Great Chinese Teas gives us an understanding of which teas to pick:

Longjing tea or Dragon Well tea, is a variety of pan-roasted green tea from the area of Longjing Village near Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, China. It is produced mostly by hand and renowned for its high quality, earning it the China Famous Tea title. Like most other Chinese green tea, Longjing tea leaves are roasted early in processing (after picking) to stop the natural oxidation process, which is a part of creating black and oolong teas.

Biluochun is a famous green tea originally grown in the Dongting mountain region near Lake Tai, Jiangsu, China. Also known as Pi Lo Chun, it is renowned for its delicate appearance, fruity taste, floral aroma, showy white hairs and early cropping. The name Biluochun literally means "Green Snail Spring". It is called so because it is a green tea that is rolled into a tight spiral, resembling snail meat, and is cropped early spring.

Huangshan Maofeng tea is a green tea produced in south eastern interior Anhui province of China. The tea is one of the most famous teas in China and can almost always be found on the China Famous Tea list. The tea is grown near huangshan (Yellow Mountain), which is home to many famous varieties of Green Tea.

Junshan Yinzhen is a Yellow tea from Junshan Island of the Hunan Province in China.

Keemun is a famous Chinese black tea. First produced in late 19th century, it quickly became popular in the West and is still used for a number of classic blends. It is a light tea with characteristic stone fruit and slightly smoky notes in the aroma and a gentle, malty, non-astringent taste reminiscent of unsweetened cocoa.

Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) is a Wuyi rock tea grown in the Wuyi Mountains. It is a heavily oxidized, dark oolong tea. Da Hong Pao can sell for up to US$1,025,000 per kilogram or US $35,436 per ounce. In recent years, a number of companies have invested in preserving the interest in this tea and other so-called "artisan" teas, which typically are of very high quality and have rich histories as is true with Da Hong Pao.

Lu'an Melon Seed, also known as Lu'an Leaf, is a green tea from Lu'an City, Anhui Province, China. Lu'an Melon Seed Tea's name is derived from the shape of the processed tea leaves, which are flat and oval and resemble a melon seed. Unlike most green teas which use the new buds in making tea, Lu'an Melon Sea Tea uses the second leaf on the branch.

Tieguanyin is a premium variety of Chinese oolong tea originated in the 19th century in Anxi in Fujian province.

Taiping houkui tea is grown at the foot of Huangshan in Taiping County, Anhui. The tea has been produced since the beginning of the 20th century and is produced around the small village of Hou Keng. It's renowned for its "two knives and one pole": two straight leaves clasping the enormous bud with white hairs.

Xinyang Maojian tea is a green tea produced in Xinyang, Henan. Xinyang Maojian is one type of green tea that originally was produced in mid China.

The Popular Tea Growing Regions of India

Tea as a beverage is extremely popular all across India. When the British brought tea to India, they did so with the intention of demolishing the Chinese monopoly over tea production. However, the beverage gained popularity and very soon it became a household drink. The first teas were planted and cultivated in Darjeeling and Assam, and after their success, the tea industry grew and teas began to be cultivated all over north-east India and southern India. Today ten distinct tea producing regions can be identified in India.


Darjeeling: Darjeeling has been growing the Chinese variety of the tea plant since 1841. But unlike other regions that grow this variety, the environment of Darjeeling has a unique and magical effect on the tea bush. Tea from Darjeeling is sold at very high premiums in the international market because of its Muscatel flavour. This flavour cannot be replicated in tea across any other market and this is why Darjeeling tea has a geographical indication (GI) status that is protected across the world. Plantations in Darjeeling are situated at altitudes between 600 metres and 2,000 metres above sea level. The region gets adequate rainfall and the location of the plantations at these altitudes across steep slopes ensures excellent drainage. The soil, the intermittent clouds hovering above the mountains and the bright sunshine – all contribute to the exclusive Darjeeling flavour.


Assam: The state of Assam is home to the single largest contiguous tea growing region in the world. The region goes through extremely humid summers and heavy rainfall from March to September. Tea plantations in Assam grow the Camelia Sinensis var Assamica variety of the tea plant. Assam is the only region globally where tea is grown in plains, and also the only other region apart from Southern China, which grows its own native tea plant. Tea from Assam has a rich, full bodied, deep-amber liquor with a brisk, strong and malty taste, making it ideal for the early morning cup. Second flush orthodox Assam teas are extremely popular for their distinctive taste and bright liquor. Orthodox Assam teas have been registered as a geographical indication (GI) in India.


Dooars and Terai: The first plantation in Terai was named Champta, and it was set up by James White in 1862. Subsequently, the Dooars region saw its first tea plantation in the form of Gazeldubi. In Dooars, the Assamese tea plant was found to be more suitable. Today, Dooars and Terai have a combined annual production of 226 million kg of tea, which accounts for around 25 per cent of India's total tea crop. Tea from Dooars is described as clear, black, and heavy. The first flush has a fresh virgin flavour, good brightness and fragrance while the second flush is more brisk. Terai tea on the other hand is known for its spicy and slightly sweet taste.


Kangra: The Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh was deemed as a potential tea growing region by Dr Jameson in 1829, following a feasibility survey. He brought in Chinese tea plants from Almora and Dehradun and had them planted at Kangra, Nagrota and Bhawarna. Tea is now cultivated across an area of 2,063 hectares in Kangra and Mandi districts. Due to the favourable natural climate that's free of pests and insects, tea is grown organically in the Kangra valley. The Kangra region is famous for its range of green (Hyson, Young Hyson and coarse grades) and black teas (Pekoe, Pekoe Suchong, Coarse teas and Fannings) with their exquisite flavours.


Nilgiri: In 1823, John Sullivan, who was then the British Collector of Coimbatore, built his stone house in Ootacamund. Initial experiments for tea cultivation commenced in the Ketti Valley in 1853, and commercial production was first undertaken in the Thiashola and Dunsandle Estates in 1859. Nilgiri tea is named after the Nilgiris, or Blue Mountains. The weather conditions provide Nilgiri teas with a characteristic briskness, exceptional fragrance and exquisite flavour. The liquor is golden yellow in colour, provides a creamy taste in the mouth and has notes of dusk flowers. Nilgiri tea has also been registered as a GI in India, and around 92 million kg of this tea are produced every year – around 10 per cent of India's total tea production.


Annamalais: Today, the Annamalais, a range of hills with altitudes from 900 to 1,600 metres between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, have around 12,000 hectares under tea cultivation. The tea from Annamallais generates a brisk and bright golden saffron liquor in the cup. It has a strong flavour and a medium to high tone fragrance with biscuit to floral notes.


Wayanaad: The first tea plantation was set up over a few acres at the New Hope estate in Ouchterlony Valley in 1874. Tea from Wayanad is medium toned with a clean fragrance and produces an earthy reddish, full bodied liquor in the cup. The liquor is light on briskness and mild and mellow with biscuit notes.


Karnataka: The state is the coffee hub of India, but also produces around 5 million kg of tea every year. Teas from Karnataka produce a golden ochre liquor with a fair amount of briskness and body. They have a simple, balanced character and are medium toned.


Munnar: Tea was first grown in Munnar by A H Sharp in the 1970s. Tea from Munnar produces a golden yellow liquor with strong body, refreshing briskness and a hint of fruit. It has a clean, medium toned fragrance.


Travancore: Coffee production was started by J D Monro in 1862, and tea production started two years later. After the dreaded leaf disease began to hit coffee plants in 1875, the focus shifted rapidly towards tea cultivation. This tea has medium fragrance with reddish liquor and yellow tinge.

Check Out The Different Benefits of Consuming Green Tea Every Day

People, over the period of time, have come to know about numerous benefits that tea has. Having different types of teas during the period of a day actually helps human health a lot in different possible ways. If you have access to green tea, it is good to have it at least 4 to 5 times a day. Only then, the benefits of this particular magic potion can be felt and understood. It is around 4000 years back when the Chinese monarchy first felt the beneficial effect of green tea in human body and the emperor there during the time called Shennong used to have this particular variety of tea every day.

Though this particular variant of tea was first used in China for consumption, later on, people in many other Asian nations started associating themselves with this particular variant. Many researchers, who have been working on the benefits of this tea, agree on the fact that this particular beverage is undoubtedly the healthiest drink available on earth. According to some nutritionists, Catechins is the element that makes green tea so special among tea connoisseur people who are health conscious too. The green tea leaves require very little amount of processing which retains that particular element in them.

Catechins are quite effective antioxidants, used for preventing cell damage and premature aging caused by that. This is found to be only one of the many benefits offered by this tea. Consuming green tea every day lowers down the cholesterol level and also improves blood flow inside the arteries. As a result, high blood pressure and congestive heart failure can be prevented effectively. Researchers have also shown great result of its consumption that has reflected from its effect on brain. A survey has proved that people consuming this particular tea has offered several benefits to the working process of human brain. Increased efficiency of the working memory of people drinking green tea says it out loud. With the growing problem of Alzheimer's in America and all around the world, the necessity of the ability of this particular tea has become quite important. It is believed that drinking green tea checks the production of certain specific kinds of plaques that are often instrumental in causing Alzheimer's.

As diabetes is among the fastest growing health problems on earth, researches are on to find out the elements that can fight diabetes effectively. Catechins present in this tea play a very important role in lowering down blood pressure and cholesterol. It protects a diabetes patient from the damages caused by consuming food that contain high level of fat. This way, even his blood sugar level remains under control.

The industry responsible for helping people in shedding the extra kilos that offer no benefit to their health but making their entire existence quite a burden to themselves resort to this particular healthy element at large. In fact, replacing a cola with a cup of green tea can help a person staying away from at least 50,000 calories over the year.

Tea vs Coffee: The Health Debate

Most start their day with a hearty cup of coffee while some cannot do without their cup of tea. Coffee to most is like a drug that jolts them out if their sleep, drives away fatigue, and gives an energy boost. Coffee can cause a person to be addicted due to its high caffeine content, while tea can provide the needful caffeine fix without the jitters.


Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world. It even tops beer in terms of popularity. Coffee too is hugely popular. Both drinks, however, have been around for a long time. Tea was discovered by the Emperor of China in 2737 BC. According to legend, the emperor was drinking a cup of boiling water when leaves from a nearby plant flew into the cup releasing a beautiful colour and aroma. Intrigued, the emperor took a sip and was pleasantly surprised by its flavour. Tea then became popular among scholars and priests in China and Japan, who drank tea to stay awake, study, and meditate. This is perhaps why the hot drink has always been associated with mindfulness, calm, spirituality, and solid health.


Coffee, however, did not appear until much later. It is generally believed to have been discovered by a goatherd Kaldi in the Ethiopian highlands. Kaldi noticed that his goats became hyperactive after eating berries from a certain tree. This was the coffee plant. Coffee then spread to monks at monasteries, where they drank the beverage to keep them alert while praying. From there, it began making its way across the Arabian Peninsula. Both coffee and tea remained Eastern beverages for a long time; coffee didn't even arrive in Europe until the 17th century.



A lot of research has been conducted on the benefits of both tea and coffee. Researchers have focused on specific potential benefits of coffee, with some studies finding that coffee might have the ability to reduce the incidence of dementia or Alzheimer's or even Type Two diabetes. Coffee has higher caffeine content than tea, meaning its levels of the stimulant might help people with asthma by relaxing the lung's airways. Caffeine also helps in constricting blood vessels in the brain and reducing migraines. A Harvard School of Public Health research suggested that while coffee does not harm the body in any way, it did not provide any long term health benefits either.



Tea, on the other hand, is filled with antioxidants and potential cancer-fighting properties. According to the National Cancer Institute at the NIH, tea contains polyphenol compounds, which are antioxidants that might aid in cancer prevention. Some studies, however, suggest otherwise. Hence, while concluding evidence is not present in this matter, tea is still considered to be a medicinal beverage with therapeutic properties. All types of tea are made from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis, which wilt and oxidize after harvesting; oxidation results in the breaking down of chemicals. The amount of oxidation that occurs in the leaves is what defines different types of teas, from black tea to white tea, and of course green tea. Polyphenols in particular are a group of plant chemicals that are believed to be involved in health benefits — especially in green tea. Teas with the highest levels of polyphenols are usually brewed hot teas rather than cold (and sugary) bottled teas. Polyphenols in green tea, and theaflavins and thearubigins in black tea, contain free radicals that might protect cells from DNA damage.

Many Health Benefits of Chamomile Tea

Chamomile is an herb that comes from a flowering plant from the daisy family. Both the fresh and dried flowers of chamomile have been used to create teas for centuries to cure a number of health problems. The active ingredient in chamomile essential oil is known as bisabolol, which has a number of anti-irritant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial properties.

Green tea has become extremely popular of late for its various health benefits and its miraculous effects on skin and body. However, the wonders of Chamomile tea are still unknown to many. There are many beneficial properties that are present in the Chamomile plant which convert easily into a cup of tea.
It has various beautifying effects on the skin. It has an abundance of amazing healing, antioxidant, cleansing and moisturizing properties and is considered a skincare treatment. Infused with great healing properties, chamomile tea accelerates the healing process of minor wounds and also disinfects the wounds. Chamomile tea is an excellent all-natural skin bleach. It lightens the complexion and renders it a healthy glow. It is found to be very effective in soothing skin irritation and sunburns. This magic potion is a powerhouse of antioxidants that help you fight acne and breakouts. It also works wonders to eliminate acne scars. It protects your skin from free radical damage, a chief contributor to premature aging, hence help retaining your youthful charm for long. Placing cooled down chamomile tea bags under the eyes can help reducing under-eye dark circles and eye puffiness. If consumed on a regular basis, chamomile tea nourishes and moisturizes your skin from deep inside.

Chamomile tea is also great for curing stomach cramps as it contains fairly strong antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory constituents. Drinking it twice a day can help relieve the cramps and also helps prevent stomach flu and ulcers. Chamomile tea is also known to help cure irritable bowel syndrome, relieve excessive gas and bloating.

Chamomile tea has also been proven to be highly beneficial in help curing insomnia and other sleep disorders. A cup of chamomile before bed assures a good night's sleep. It is also known to prevent migraines. As one notices the signs of a migraine, drinking a cup of chamomile tea, can help prevent its onset.

Chamomile tea has a wide variety of benefits. However, as with all herbal products chamomile too has certain side effects. It causes drowsiness, so it is best not to drink it before driving. When consumed in high quantities, chamomile may cause vomiting and skin reactions in some people. Chamomile is considered to be a natural abortive; hence it is not advisable to consume it during pregnancy.

Effectiveness Of The Green Tea in Our Daily Life

Greece is all about herbs and spices. To put it more correctly, Greece's herbs and spices enhances the nutritional value of the food it is mixed with. The weather of the place allows ample production of spices and aromatic herbs at every corner of the place. Be it tea or the spices sprinkled over their food, in every house of Greece there resides a ‘mistress of spices'. Greek people are thorough about their spices and they came to know about them from their ancestors or fables coming from their grandmothers. One such aromatic herb that is usually drunk as tea is the Sideritis. This is a common plant that grows wild in the mountains of Greece, have proved to be one of the best solutions to many diseases. You will get this in any Greek café or restaurants. You can buy Green tea.

Green tea is the most popular form of herbal tea in Greece. It is also known as shepherd's tea because the shepherds of Greece used to carry this tea while taking their flocks uphill. They believed that this tea helped them to keep warm and maintain the breathing pattern. Recent research has proved these shepherds right. Adding to this there are numerous other nutritional benefits of this plant. By boiling them in hot water you can instantly make a medicine at home that has loads of benefits.


History has proved Greek spices and herbs to be one of the effective natural ingredients to cure many diseases. One example is the Green tea and the other is the organic wild tea. Where Greek mountain tea is basically taken as the herbal tea, organic wild tea mainly proves its value with its aroma. The strong aroma of organic wild tea is effective to headaches and other respiratory problems. You travel everyday and the pollution affects your lungs badly. A natural aromatic tea that can help you can be the only thing you can ask for. The organic wild tea grows on the Pindos Mountain which better of known for it amazing scenic beauty. Its natural scenic beauty has attracted tourist for ages from all around the world, but few hardly know about the herbal tea available on the mountain.


In the world like ours, where we are mostly rushing all day long we hardly get time even to take care of ourselves. In the process of earning our livings we have somehow lost the grip on our health and we often neglect our simple yet chronic diseases like headache, cold, fever, etc. However, when it starts nagging our health for long we visit the doctors and take medicines which have a long list of side effects. It time to stand out from the crowd and try healthy ways to cure these diseases. You must be wondering how to buy an herbal tea that grows in Greece. Well, you can buy tea online or any other parts of the world. They come in standardized packaging so the aroma or nutritional value of the tea is well preserved.

The perfect taste of Green Tea

Green Tea; what does it remind you of? It is the place, where you can relish, sitting on the open coffee shop and read on the new history book. Take a sip of it and savor on the world that you are reading and relate it to the world in front of you. Apparently, Greece is a place where you can appreciate the historic background and explore the world. No wonder that all the café shops in Greece are inspired by old temperament. However, they may look old and redundant but these café shops in Kolkata are the places where you can get a wide variety of dished that will inevitable please you.

Cafés are home for many. People just find it relaxing to take a sip or grab a bite of food. It is even relaxing and de-stressing for few to come at the cafeteria and think and rethink about their whole day activities. There are more than thousands of cafes in Greece but not all are the same. Some has the best flavored and tasted food; others have amazing ambiance that attract loads of people all day long. However, the restaurant that has both is the one that attract most of the customers. To put it even more appropriately, Green Tea is what attracts people from all around the world. It is a known fact that Kolkata people knows how to drink tea. It can be said that they know how to perfectly blend the taste of coffee and bring out variations from it. It would wrong to say that Greek people loves coffee, rather they experiment with coffees and accepts them in a healthy manner.

If you are traveler to Kolkata, then Green Tea is a must for you. Whether you are a lonely traveler or traveling is group is your passion, in The Tea Trove you will find coffee and food matching up to your mood.

The nutty flavor with half roasted full bodied coffee beans adds the perfect flavor to your coffee that will be a memory forever. Kolkata people are known for their ethics and they are perfect blend of modernization with the little tint of medieval age. Similar to the people, are their food, they love to relish on the new foods with the perfect blend of modernization.

The best thing about the Greek people is that they never say ‘no' to experimentation. When you are sitting in a Tea shop you will find out how carefully they take orders. They will never ask you whether you want a cappuccino or espresso, rather when you have made your choice they will ask you how much milk or how much sugar you want. They will even ask whether you want the coffee beans to be fully roasted or half roasted. You might not find a lot of option in the menu for Green Tea but you will definitely find the variation coming from the waiter's mouth.

Taking up the best tea from Kolkata you will probably have to do research, but if you want the old flavor in the coffee then try out the oldest shop which might not have the ambience but will make you realize why people around the world speak of Green Tea.

Effectiveness of Darjeeling tea and Indian Green tea

Tea can never be passé. All of us love tea; however, some prefer coffee over tea. Coffee lovers are in love with the caffeine. Caffeine gives a sudden jerk to nerve making it active. Tea on the other hand has less amount of caffeine. However, there are many side effects of caffeine as well, looking into this matter of fact; tea is much safer and healthier drink. This new generation is in love with the iced tea. Nonetheless, green tea is the new trend. Green tea is an energy booster with much lesser amount of caffeine. Turkish tea is quite popular in various parts of the world. Turkish people relish on tea. It is an obsession, an addiction, a daily routine, a conversation starter and lots more. It is cultivated domestically on the black sea coast. Darjeeling tea is Kolkata is more popular tea in the world.

Kolkata is a mesmerizing place and so are people living in this place. Kolkatans never say no to experiments and so did they welcome with open hands the green tea that has a lot of health benefits and is also very tasty. One will never have to compromise on taste while drinking Turkish tea. It is usually taken black. Green tea has a wide variety of health benefits. Well, one can contradict saying that all tea in the world has some health benefits or the other, but Turkish tea is a step ahead. Apart from the general health benefits like antioxidants, flavonoids, curing respiratory system etc. it also takes care of your teeth. Amazing Green tea has proved to be the best and most effective drink among all the tea in the world.

Another health drink that has gain popularity over time is the Indian green tea. Over decades people from all around the world have explored India. However, it was the English people who explored the hilly regions and found the importance of the green tea and began to export them to England. It is a popular drink that has over time proved to fight cancer. Today, Indian green tea is exported to places all around the world. They are best known for the ¼ percentage of caffeine than coffee. It is less acidic in nature and therefore, washed away all the acidic waste from the body. Availability of Indian green tea in Kolkata is huge and Indians have welcomed this with open hand as well. Indian green tea has the detoxifying effects that help to boost the immune system and also balances the metabolic system of the body.

You should always be careful about the drink that you intake mainly because now-a-day, where most of the people are usually falling sick for their low immune power, Indian green tea and Darjeeling tea might be of huge help. These teas are best when you take them as the afternoon and evening breaker. Choose your foods appropriate. When you can get herbal remedies for such chronic diseases then why will you take harmful medicines that have lots of side effects?

Varities Benefits of Green Tea

No matter where Tea is from, it has some or other nutritional value for the people who take it. Have you ever thought why taking a sip of tea is so refreshing? Have you ever given it a thought what value tea has? Have you ever thought whether the tea you are consuming has any value at all? Every type of tea in this world has its own worth, but it is mainly the process of brewing that keeps or takes away the nutritional value of it. It is saying that, if you are not taking a food or drink in the way it should be taken you will not get its nutritional value. Buy Green tea to experience and get the most important and unique drink with lots of nutritional value.
Greek mountain tea, which is also known as shepherd’s tea is made from the leaves, flower, bud and stem of a plant named Sideritis. It is an herbal tree, which is found in the mountains of Greece and has proven to have many healthy benefits. It is also known as ironwart, the Greek tea has been taken for many years now. It is harvested and taken fresh in the Greece. You can buy Greek tea in grocery stores which comes in dried loose packages or in the form of teabags where the nutrition is tightly packed. There are several benefits of this Greek mountain tea some are:

Full of Flavonoids and Antioxidants:  A research was conducted in the year 2011, which clearly told that any plant that belongs to the Sideritis species are strongly believed to be anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and various other healthy nutrients. It is also believed to have essential oils that have proved beneficial for many diseases like respiratory problems, fever, cold, headache and stress. In a world full of stress what more can a person ask for other than a natural de-stressing therapy. It would wrong to put it as a therapy; rather it is a tasty and healthy drink that can help you fight back all the diseases.

Lowers Blood Pressure: Another important disease that this tea helps you to fight is the blood pressure. With all day long stress, you often have to completely depend on medicine to control your stress and blood pressure. However, as you know that all drugs come with side effects and in the process of curing one disease you often fall for some other. How about treating you naturally. This tea will help you fight blood pressure as well.

Protects the digestive system: Indigestion is one the most common diseases of recent times as people sit and work all day with limited body movements. Take a cup of this tea and you are all sorted for the day. Herbal treatments are time consuming and therefore, you will have to keep your patience.

Getting to know about the nutritional values of this tea will probably make you want to buy it. However, people living far away from Kolkata will be disheartened. You do not need to worry as you can now buy tea in Kolkata, in America or in any other parts of the world. You simple have to find a company that can deliver you Green tea. It’s high time to stop taking medicine for each and everything, try solving the problem naturally with Green tea.

History Of Green Tea

Green Tea is more or less same as the Turkish coffee. In fact Green Tea was known as Turkish coffee in Greece until Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974. At this point of time, due to some political reasons, the Greek people planned to name it as Green Tea. However, the preparation process of both is identical.

In order to make the thick Green Tea, you will have to roast the coffee beans and make a fine powder out of it. You can then mix the coffee, water and sugar in a special tiny aluminum or copper pot which is commonly known as briki and prepare the coffee in a low heat. It is specific of the Green Tea that you will have to add the sugar at the initial stage of brewing it. There are mainly four ways of brewing Green Tea:

Sketos – This type of the coffee has zero added sugar and is drunk raw. While preparing this you will not have add anything before the preparation you can simple add water and coffee or milk and coffee and brew it in the low heat. Since, Green Tea is stronger than any other coffee in the world it is always better to add a little sugar otherwise that taste is absolutely bitter.

• Meoligi – This type has very little sugar added to it, say about half a teaspoon.
• Metrios – This type has an equal amount of coffee and sugar. So if you are brewing the coffee with 2 teaspoon of coffee then the sugar amount should also be the same.
• Glykos – The measurement of sugar in this coffee is more than the amount of coffee used to brew the coffee.
• Glykys – This is a specific variation in the Green Tea because this type is deliberately boiled more than once and later mixed with foam. This kills the bitter taste of the coffee and adds the soothing and smooth taste of the milk, sugar and foam to the coffee.

Unlike other parts of the world, people in Greece prefer to drink coffee neat without adding any spices to it. Drinking coffee is Athenians' favorite pass time. Traditional Green Tea is still served in most Green Tea. Nine out of ten bars and cafes serve excellent coffee in Greece. Compromising on the taste, coffee brewing is now-a-days mainly done by the machines, but the real taste of coffee is never better than freshly baked coffee beans that have been boiled with milk, water and sugar.

The tradition of brewing coffee in Greece was taken aback with a new form of coffee; Frappe, a chilly concoction which took Greece by storm in between late 60s and 70s. It was very easy to make Frappe; you just have to mix all the ingredients, shake it and finally serving it with ice. As Greek people love to experiment with coffee they loved the new form of icy chilled coffee that was coined against their tradition.

It is no wonder that the Greek market has broken all possible rules to give space to the new and modernized form of coffees. If you planning to take a trip to Greece then make it a point that you do go to a Green Tea to especially taste their traditional Green Tea of Greece.

Authors Bio: Rickey is regularly writes on Various blogs on several topics, like in this article, he tries to elaborate something about Green Tea and its varieties

Know More about the Green Tea

"A lone, lonely, loner" – if that's what you are, Tea and a good story book can be your friend. Some people in the world just love to be alone and enjoy their solitude. In a sunlit winter morning what can be more refreshing than warm wrap up with a Tea, soothing music and a book to read. That it you are all set for the weekend. Well to put it correctly not all Tea lovers are book lovers.

Therefore, you can also enjoy Tea watching movies or a Cricket match. What matter the most is the flavor of the Tea that adds to the ambiance and helps you to think. If you are Tea lover, you probably know where to find the best Tea in the world. Some of the finest Tea is brewed in Greece. Green Tea is popular for the roasted Tea beans that are broken and mixed to make Tea.

When you are traveling to Kolkata, do not forget to take out a separate time and visiting at least two to three Greek cafes. What matters the most is finding the appropriate Green Tea that can serve you the perfect Tea and the side dishes that will give you a memorable taste. Making Tea is no joke and not everyone can do that. The perfect Tea will have a mixture of bitterly sweet taste. People all around the world, especially the ones who are fond of Tea, prefer to have it with brown sugar that mixes with caffeine and give the perfect flavor. The normal sugar actually kills the bitter taste of the Tea and tends to make it sweeter than it actually should taste.


In Kolkata almost 90% of the people know how to make a perfect Tea with correct and appropriate mixing of all the ingredients. You can taste Green Tea from any random shops of Greece or choose to visit a popular restaurant. Knowing about a place prior your visit is not possible but it’s true that none of the Greek cafes will disappoint you where Tea is concerned.


Tea lovers are very selective about their Tea and therefore, numerous Tea shops are running successfully satisfying their regular customers. Greek cafes are there to not only satisfy your taste but also to make sure that the ambiance of the place attract more and more customers day in and out. The Tea lovers are one of a kind and they expect the perfect mood to be set in the café that they choose to go to. Long gone are the days where the owner of the café could satisfy their customers with white sugar, now there are options like brown sugar, sugar crystals, honey and low calorie sweetener. Honey is a sweetener that adds not only the sweetness to the Tea but brings a new taste to the Tea. Not only that there are supplements for sugar, but there are supplements for the whitener as well. The whiteners may include whole, semi-skimmed, skimmed milk and poured cream. People do not look for a Tea Cup now-a-days but whole experience. People in Greece know very well how to make their Green Tea better and successful.
 
 

The Idea Of Gifting Oolong Tea

Exchanging the gifts with the family and friends is a pretty common custom during the festive season. As the Durga Puja is knocking at the door, you must have started planning about something unique gift items for your special ones. This blog is here to help you out by offering a unique gift idea that will show your love, care and affection for the receivers. This festive season, gift your special ones a bundle of love to keep them fit and healthy all around the year in the form of Oolong tea.

Oolong tea is mainly the traditional Chinese tea that is grown and processed in China. This tea is different from the traditional tea types as this comes with numerous health benefits as well as the taste of this tea is also quite different from the conventional black or green tea. The Oolong tea benefits are quite uncountable. But some of the major benefits include: weight management, healthy skin, removal of the free radicals, healthy bones, stress management, control of cancer and diabetes etc.

The Oolong tea is available in different forms like Oolong green tea, loose-leaf Oolong tea, caffeine Oolong tea etc. But you may not get all these types of Oolong tea in the supermarket. So, it is better to try out and buy Oolong tea from the reputable online tea stores like Tea Trove.

Now let’s look at the procedure of buying this tea. It is always advisable to buy this tea from the reputable online tea stores to get the best results. To Buy Oolong Tea online from Tea Trove, visit the website, choose the flavor and the quantity of the tea and select the option of gifting. Place the order and receive your tea box in attractive gift boxes within a few days of ordering. Gift the tea box to your dear one and ensure a safe and healthy future for him/her.

The tea boxes of The Tea Trove are available in different sizes and shapes and these can be the perfect gifts for any occasion as the form of good luck!