Ban the Bag!
The majority of supermarkets only sell tea in bag form, consisting of mainly low quality ‘fanning’ – essentially tea dust. Sure, they’re very convenient, but severely lacking in flavor. With tea bags accounting for around 95% of all tea sales in the US, many people don’t even know what a real cup of tea made with loose leaves tastes like.
Brewing a cup of tea from loose leaves takes a little more effort, but you soon get used to it, and the end result is well worth it. Every time I have to drink a cup of tea made from a bag, I rememember why I switched to real tea. If you aren’t a ‘real’ tea drinker yet, then I urge you to try out some quality teas from here or here, you won’t look back!
Pu-Erh Tea – a Traditional Medicine
You’ve probably heard about Pu-Erh tea in relation to slimming. Although an increasing number of people are choosing it as an aid to weight loss, Pu-Erh tea has been used in Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years. It is prescribed as a tonic for the stomach and spleen and to remove toxins from the body. Only fairly recently, scientific studies have shown that Pu-Erh tea aids in the digestion of fatty foods and can help reduce levels of cholesterol.
Most people agree that the flavor of Pu-Erh tea improves with age and like vintage wines, good quality aged Pu-Erh commands a high price. Having said that, young Pu-Erh is similar to green tea, but with a stronger flavor and a makes a very pleasant drink in its own right.
The lowdown on Oolong
All tea is of course green when it’s first plucked. To create the different types of tea, producers control for how long (if at all) the tea is fermented. While fermenting probably makes you think of yeast turning sugar into alcohol, when referring to tea, it means exposing the leaves to air (oxidizing them). Green tea is not fermented at all, if the tea is fermented for a long time, then black tea is produced. Somewhere in between these extremes, the result is Oolong tea.
Literally translated at ‘Black Dragon’, Oolong tea is hugely popular in China. Many people think that Oolong tea combines the best qualities of green and black tea. It has a wonderfully fresh and strong flavor, but lacks the bitterness sometimes found in green teas and is quite different to black tea.
Recently it has been marketed as an aid to weight loss, whilst its ability in this regard is debatable, don’t let this stop you trying it yourself if only for its delicious flavor – and of course, it’s packed with antioxidants too!
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