Tea and Pregnancy
Pregnancy by Ola Czechowska When I learned I was pregnant, the first thing I did was a little research to find out the things I should eliminate or reduce from my diet. Smoked fish, soft cheese, alcohol, and caffeine topped the list. I love smoked fish, soft cheese, and alcohol, but they’re not things I consume on a daily basis. Caffeine, however, is in something I love and consume daily: TEA! I’m hot, hungry, and tired all the time, and on top of that I’m not supposed to have tea!? Let me look into this a little further. The Yale University School of Medicine published the results of their research on maternal consumption of caffeine during pregnancy in 2003. The concern was that caffeine contributed to low birth weight, but the study determined that “[t]his small decrease in birth weight, observed for maternal caffeine consumption, is unlikely to be clinically important except for women consuming Three other things worth noting: Considering how much tea I drank pre-pregnancy, there’s a good chance that I was consuming around 600 mg of caffeine. So, I have drastically reduced the amount of tea I drink, but I’m relieved that I don’t need to complete eliminate it.
600 mg of caffeine daily (approximately six 10-ounce (1 ounce = 28.3 g) cups of coffee). ”
Posted by Rachel at Tuesday ~ October 02, 2007 | 5 Comments
Category: Herbal Tea, Black Tea, White Tea, Tea Facts, Tea, Health Benefits, Green Tea
Decaf your Own Tea
For some tea lovers having a cup is a two sided sword. One side filled with the elegant flavors and relaxing aromas and the other with caffeinated jitters. Personally I drink me tea in the morning to get a kick from the caffeine, but lots of people out there are sensitive to this stimulant. For those of you who want all the flavor without the jitters try this simple method to turn your caffeinated tea in to decaf. 1. Select tea you wish to drink, and steep it for 30 seconds in boiling water. 2. Take the wet leaves and steep in fresh boiled water. 3. Enjoy your newly decaf drink. This method will take away around 80% of the caffeine in your drink, which is also an excellent way to make tea at night if you get a craving and want to get to sleep at a reasonable hour.
Posted by CB at Thursday ~ March 15, 2007 | 4 Comments
Category: White Tea, Recipes, Tea Processing, Tea Facts, History of Tea, Green Tea, Tea, Health Benefits, Uncategorized
8 Great Tea Quotes
You aren’t the only one who has spoken about their love of tea. Here are some classic quotes about tea for your reading enjoyment! “Bring me a cup of tea and ‘Times’” - Queen Victoria’s first command upon the throne “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me” - C.S. Lewis “Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.” - Thich Nat Hahn “If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.” - Japanese Proverb “The spirit of the tea beverage is one of peace, comfort, and refinement.” - Arthur Gray “Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order” - Okakura Kakuzo “Tea is liquid wisdom.” - Anonymous And finally……….. “”I hope next time when we meet, we won’t be fighting each other. Instead we will be drinking tea together.” The final quote was said by the immortal Jackie Chan in the cinematic masterpiece, Rumble in the Bronx.
Posted by CB at Thursday ~ March 15, 2007 | No Comments
Category: Tea Stories, Tea Facts, History of Tea, Tea News, Uncategorized
Read Tea Leaves
Tea has so many great attributes, everything from increasing mental ability to fighting off harmful bacteria. It doesn’t surprise me that tea has also been associated with mysticism. Looking in to the future by interpreting how tea leaves fall at the bottom of a steeped cup has been practiced by cultures in Asia, the Middle East and even ancient Greece. Each culture independently began engaging in tea leaf reading, which is known as tasseography. Well now you can give it a shot as well: 1. You make a cup of tea with loose tea leaves 2. Drink the tea, while making sure not to ingest the leaves. 3. Then comes the tricky part, letting your imagination spot symbolism in the way the tea leaves lie. Some symbols and their meanings aresnake (enmity or falsehood), spade (good fortune through industry), mountain (journey of hindrance), or house (change, success). A whole list of symbols and their meanings is available here. Vola, now hopefully you will be able to read the future! If you got the knack at reading the symbolism tell me what the heck is going on in the show LOST.
Posted by CB at Wednesday ~ March 14, 2007 | 1 Comment
Category: White Tea, Tea Facts, History of Tea, Green Tea, Uncategorized
The Great Debate: Tea vs. Coffee
Here is some more ammunition for this seemingly never-ending (but one-sided) battle. Everyone and their grandma know that coffee can provide you with a burst of energy. And drinking coffee before exercising can help energize you and contribute to burning more fat. Well as it turns out not only can tea do this, but it has been shown to be vastly more effective for fat loss! Research now shows that tea’s natural caffiene and antioxidants are amazing at promoting fat loss, due to the rise in body heat production. New evidence also suggests that tea can help protect lean muscle tissue and stabilize your blood sugar levels. To put it bluntly, tea is far mor effecient at stimulating fat burners than coffee. One more reason to drop that java in the morning and start steeping!
Posted by CB at Wednesday ~ March 14, 2007 | 1 Comment
Category: Tea Facts, Health Benefits, Green Tea, Uncategorized
Numi Mint Tea Review
As soon as I took this tea bag out of its individual package the strong, crisp smell of mint was present. The tea bag itself appeared to be made of recycled material, but individually wrapping each one kind of defeats the positive environmental impact. The boiled water immediately began transforming in to a deep, clear, golden brown as soon as the tea bag touched it. The mint aroma was very strong as the tea steeped. After removing the tea bag I took my first sip. The flavor was simple and bold. The sharp mint flavor was extremely refreshing and soothing. There was a slight hint of earthy tones followed by a cool clean feeling in my mouth. After finishing this cup of refreshing herbal goodness I realized that there is a whole other world of teas outside of the green, black and white blends that I usually drink. I would definitely drink this tea again. Overall 8/10 Flavor- 9/10 Aroma- 9/10 Presentation- 6/10
Posted by CB at Saturday ~ March 03, 2007 | No Comments
Category: Herbal Tea, Tea Reviews, Tea Facts, Tea, Uncategorized
Ever Wondered How Green Tea is Made?
This video shows each step in making green tea. Watching this video really gave me an appreciation on how much work goes in to a cup of tea.
Posted by CB at Saturday ~ March 03, 2007 | No Comments
Category: Tea Videos, Tea Processing, Tea Facts, Tea, Green Tea, Uncategorized
A Day in the Life of a Sri Lankan Tea Worker
Have you ever wondered how the people who cultivated the tea that made your chai latte lived? Well here is one example for you. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/dec2005/sril-d09.shtml This little story about Sri Lankan tea workers gives you a bit of background on that tea you are drinking and created a whole new level of respect for these people from me. A short read, but a nice little story.
Posted by CB at Friday ~ March 02, 2007 | No Comments
Category: Tea Stories, Tea Facts, History of Tea
23 Reasons to Drink Tea
Posted by CB at Friday ~ March 02, 2007 | 5 Comments
Category: Tea Facts, White Tea, History of Tea, Health Benefits, Green Tea, Tea, Uncategorized
The best way to prepare White Tea
It is not a well known fact that White tea may be the healthiest option of all the teas (debatable!). But what’s not debatable is the fact that it undergoes no fermenatation and very minimal processing. White tea contains little caffeine and has the same benefits as green tea. But a word to the wise: avoid white tea if you suffer from *ahem* stomach problems. Anyways, here is the best way to prepare yourself a great White tea experience: Recommended tea is Sri Lankan Ceylon Amount of Tea Leaf: 10g (0.35 oz, light 3 tsp.) Brew and Enjoy!
Water Temperature: Boiling
Water Amount: 650ml (22 fl.oz)
Brewing Time: 3 minutes
Temp. When Served: 80C (180F)
Amt. of Brewed Tea/ Cup: 120ml (4 fl.oz)
Whole Amt. of Brewed Tea: 600ml (20 fl.oz)
Posted by CB at Thursday ~ March 01, 2007 | 1 Comment
Category: White Tea, Recipes, Tea Facts, Health Benefits, Tea, Uncategorized