Some Good Reasons to drink Green Tea

Green tea is a popular source of polyphenols. Polyphenols are potent antioxidant compounds that have demonstrated greater antioxidant protection than vitamin C.  The major polyphenols in green tea are flavonoids (catechin, epicatechin gallate (EGCG) and proanthocyanidins).

To achieve some degree of protection, nutrition and health experts recommend you drink two to three cups a day. However, over-consumption may produce nervousness, anxiety, insomnia and irritability....too much of a good thing IS NO longer good. 

Research suggests that polyphenols provide cancer-protective properties by blocking the formation of cancer-causing compounds, suppressing the activation of carcinogens and effectively detoxifying cancer-causing agents, as well as reducing the inflammation associated with cancer and other diseases.


Numerous studies show that polyphenols reduce the risk of cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, including cancers of the stomach and colon, lungs, prostate and breast. Polyphenols may also improve a woman’s prognosis once she’s diagnosed with breast cancer by lowering the risk of the cancer coming back by 46 per cent.

Avoid milk in your tea, as research suggests that it interferes with polyphenol absorption.
On the other hand, adding lemon or other citrus fruits to tea increases the bioavailability of green tea’s antioxidants. (Try our Lemon Green Tea - pictured right) 

Find varieties with whole tea leaves, as they have more surface area for hot water to extract the flavour and the antioxidants in the leaf. Green tea extracts and other food products containing green tea are available, but typically do not have the same health benefi ts as the beverage.


Enjoy!

a little history of drink T

Drink T began conceptually years ago when Sheryl Myhre, founder and tea buyer, had a memorable cup of tea while vacationing. Sheryl’s search for fine loose leaf tea, brewed properly was only the beginning of a new journey. Realizing the connection between the earth, tea plants, art, history and people was much more than a great cup of tea, Sheryl’s mission was to build a company that would be a leader in the specialty tea industry. 

Sheryl believes part of this connection begins with the tea growers.  So Sheryl sources and cups each and every tea direct from the tea gardens to insure she is importing extraordinary tea from reputable growers whom practice sustainable agricultural techniques.

Sheryl has also embraced the use of medicinal herbs and botanicals for many years, and putting forth much effort into the research of creating hand-blended artisan teas and tisanes is something Sheryl feels is worth while.  The end result is a nothing short of a celebration between the earth and people.... So lets all raise our cups and savor the gift of a cuppa a tea. 
 

White Teas ....Sublte Powerhouse

White tea originated in a small area in the Fujian province of China, once considered for only the wealthy and privileged, this mild delicate tea is now enjoyed all over the world.
This rare tea is hand harvested from medium-leaf tea bush varietals once a year for a few weeks in early spring when the temperature is consistently cool and dry, producing silvery-white sprouts and leaves. The unique withering process and the absence of firing or rolling, makes white tea the least processed of all teas.
It is well documented that white teas are low in caffeine, contain high concentrations of antioxidants, and the amino acid, L-theanine, that help reduce cholesterol, lower blood pressure, improve artery function, reduce stress and have detoxifying benefits.

With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I started wondering about the history behind the ever popular Irish Breakfast Tea.  Where did the flavor profile come from and why is it so popular in Ireland?


The history of tea in Ireland is almost as old as the history of tea in England.  It was initially introduced by the Anglo-Irish aristocracy as an import from India to the upper class in the nineteenth century and later spread to the rural and lower class.     

As the popularity of tea grew, the Irish initially relied entirely on U.K. importers for their tea supply, which became a problem during World War II, when Ireland chose not to ally itself with the United Kingdom. Consequently, the government of Ireland set up Tea Importers (Éire), Ltd., a conglomeration of companies that imported tea directly from the producing countries.

Irish tea consumption continued to increase in the postwar years. In 1973 Ireland had to disband Tea Importers because it violated antimonopoly statutes of the EU, so the business was taken up by the subsidiary companies that had made up the organization. As the Irish imported their own tea direct from the source they were able to experiment with the teas and blends.  Irish Breakfast blends were usually a blend of Assam, Darjeeling and Ceylon teas, but what they found is that the Irish tended to like their tea stronger than the English blends they were once consuming. They also began gravitating towards East African suppliers, who provided leaves that were aromatic.  The Irish blend evolved into a strong, rich, aromatic and malty cup of tea. 

Soon the whole nation was hooked on Irish tea or as they pronounce it..."tay"(from the French pronunciation) and enjoying a cuppa tea with sugar and generous amounts of milk.  The Irish have a saying that a good cup of tea should be “strong enough for a mouse to trot on.”

Well there you have it.   Lets all brew a cup and toast our Irish friends for this special treat.  

         The Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis)

  

Properly speaking, tea is the beverage brewed from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant or varietals of such. Its wide variety of incarnations, such as green, black, oolong, and white teas, are created by different processing methods, but all derive ultimately from the same plant. The flavor of tea depends not only upon how the tea was processed, but also in what part of the world the plant grew, the time of year the leaves were harvested, what the weather was like that season, the soil conditions, altitude etc..

Green tea originated in China where it was enjoyed for centuries before being introduced to the outside world through trade. Today, green tea is produced in various countries utilizing their own methods creating vast differences in taste and aroma.There are many factors that influence green tea’s flavor and character such as varietal harvested, the season in which it was harvested, the soil, elevation, weather conditions and the method of heat used to stop the oxidation process shortly after being harvested. There are literally hundreds of different types of green teas that are classified by the manufacturing style. While discovering green tea, one will note the variety of different shapes ranging from flat, balled, curly or twisted.
Green tea is high in antioxidants, especially epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG, which has therapeutic properties for many disorders including cancer. Studies show drinking green tea regularly can reduce your chances of heart disease and certain types of cancer, improve artery function, lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol.

National Hot Tea Month

                         

January is National Hot Tea Month, no joking.

  And there’s no better time to sample a new blend, 

         visit www.drinkt.com, or host a tea party. 

                                         

                               
                                Get inspired and make this month special.

Tis the season.....

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Tis the season to be jolly... roasting chestnuts on an open fire, sleigh bells ringing, parties, friendly gatherings, gift giving, and a host of other joyous activities.  With festivities like these in the air, why are we all so stressed. 

There is a wide range of stressful holiday experiences. From difficulty in finding parking at the crowded malls to the loneliness of spending that first Christmas without a departed love one... feeling guilty about the gifts we cannot afford to give... the fatigue...feeling anxious about an addictive family member's behavior... children shuttled between divorced parents or worse yet, forgotten. The list of stresses can go on, but you get the idea.

All the holiday advertising portrays the spirit of Christmas as something that can be wrapped into the perfect little package and that your life can spark if you just give this one gift.  These ads affect our emotions, our behavior, our attitudes and our self-esteem.

The positive side to all this is we have choices.  We can choose to reduce our "holiday stress" by making the right choices for ourselves and not the advertisements. Perhaps limiting some of your commitments, sticking to reasonable budgets, avoid excessive eating and drinking, working out, and sleeping might make things a bit more dazzling.

Take time to enjoy this time of year by choosing something more simple.  Try sipping tea or hot chocolate by the fire and reading, go for a walk in the woods especially after a snow fall, or have lunch with a friend.  And when was the last time you played in the snow!