(by 4 people)
I love teas...
I drink about 7-8 cups of tea a day - all kinds of green tea, white tea, and black teas, sometimes with milk, honey, or sugar, usually caffeinated (but not always), more likely hot than cold, but I love iced tea, too. In this lens I'll be looking at all of that - different kinds of teas, how to prepare them, what they go best with, what keeps you awake all night or just a little less sleepy if you want that, what to do if you're stuck with just some common tea bags ... all of that, and more. I truly believe tea has helped me succeed as an author, professor, and media commentator - it not only tastes good and is good for you, but it helps me think, speak, and write clearly. See if you agree - at least, in this lens ...:)
How To Make The Best Tea
We like this method - in which the water is first boiled and then added to the tea leaves in the dispenser - better than the microwave method described in the Adagio blurb. Boiling rather than microwaving the water is especially important when you want to just bring the water to steaming, not boiling, temperature - the best way to prepare white tea.
Adagio Teas 16-oz. ingenuiTEA Dispensing Teapot
Price: $14.95
The Adagio ingenuiTea is the most innovative, convenient and easy-to-use teapot you can find. To use, simply fill the teapot with water, microwave and... more »
White Tea
It has the least caffeinated punch, but that's because it is usually less concentrated than black and green teas, not because the leaves are really any different. But because the payoff is less caffeinated, you can drink white tea late at night. The result, I've found, is that it keeps you mentally sharp, without getting in the way of your going to sleep when you're ready.
Preparation is crucial. First, the fresher the leaves the better. This is true for all teas, but stale white tea will destroy most of its taste and health-giving properties. Second - or, actually, this is still part of the first point - you'll want to use leaves, the fresher the better, not tea bags.
Next, you want your water not to be brought to the boil, but only to steaming - this gets the best results from the leaves. Let the tea steep for 7-8 minutes. Let the tea cool for at least a minute or two in the cup for the best taste.
It's said that white tea can be brewed more than once from the same leaves. I find that the second cup is usually not as good as the first. Bur try the second brew - you may have a better result.
White teas come in many varieties - my favorite is Mutan, organic if possible. I'll save discussion of the different varieties of white tea for another post. You can't go wrong with any of them. They also taste great, and have the same excellent anti-oxidizing qualities, which I'll also tell you more about a little later.
I'll also put up some links to some of my favorite tea places - my wife and I have searched far and wide for good teas. (The worst, believe it or not, was in London - which otherwise has marvelous teas.)
In the meantime, you might also enjoy the free 3-minute audio podcast about white tea I recorded last week - you can find it at white tea - Episode 4 in the Ask Lev series.
roasted green tea
What is it? Roasted green tea is pan-roasted - the common variety is made from the Japanese Bancha tea - or, literally, "common tea". But the result is far from common. The roasting reduces both the caffeine and the acidity, yielding a tea that is soothing, rich and toasty, and won't keep you awake if you drink it late. Tea roasted from Bancha is called Hojika.
What else does it have going for it?. I find that it is, against all odds, delicious when brewed from a bag - this is a rarity for teas. You do need to use water that is slightly less than boiling - making this tea more like a white than a green in its preparation needs. But you don't want to brew it too long - 3 minutes is more than enough.
Where can you get it? These days almost everywhere. Lots of Japanese restaurants serve it, and Asian grocery stores carry it. Or you can try the tea bags shown below.
However you get it, you'll be in for a soothing, aromatic, warming experience ... it's pretty late now on the East Coast, but I may make myself another cup right now.
Roasted Green Tea - 6 Units / 16 bag
Price: $23.99
Organic Roasted Green Tea Bancha(tm) is the most common Japanese green tea varietal available in the United States and is often served in Asian restau... more »
questions about tea?
thoughts or comments about this lens?
love to hear from you!
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ForeignFilmFanatic
Congrats on your award! Very nice lens - 5*. Hope you can visit and rate my Foreign Films Frenzy lens too! Posted September 06, 2007 |
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jmurphy
Wow - Somebody famous! Posted July 09, 2007 |
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nikhilroychowdhury
Nice lens. I had the same experience as you in London! For being such a tea loving nation, it was surprisingly hard to come across fresh, white tea! Posted February 02, 2007 |
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sahadeva
great start, looking forward to more! Posted December 31, 2006 |
