Pairing tea with breakfast - a healthy way to toast the day!

Many of us love to start our day with tea. Just tea! The variety of choices here is as wide as the world of tea… many people like to start their day with a green or an Oolong tea, but there are others of us who prefer to hit the morning hours with a nice strong pot of Pu’erh, Assam, or Breakfast Blend. Some of this choice has to do with flavor preferences, but it also has to do with just how much astringency we can deal with first thing. As many times as I’ve tried to kick off my early morning yoga with a green tea ritual, it’s just not something my stomach is prepared to do before having something to eat.Pu’erh, on the other hand, feels like a warm velvet blanket to me.

The traditional breakfast teas and blends are made of black teas. With pronounced tannins and a strong finish, they’re excellent with full-flavored traditional breakfast foods. And of course, getting one’s mind kick-started with a nice black tea is often helpful…

With lighter breakfast foods, such as a continental breakfast of rolls, fruit, cereal and toast, the standards are Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling, Kenyan and Nilgiri black teas. For a more robust breakfast that might include eggs, meats and cheese, you can pair easily with the above-mentioned favorites. Or, you can choose to go with even stronger or scented teas as well – Scottish or Irish Breakfast Blends, Earl Grey, and Pu-erh can all stand their own to even the strongest tasting cheeses. My personal favorite with bacon and eggs is a Green Pu-erh…. In fact, I’ll drink this tea just to remind me of eggs and bacon when I can’t have those.

And lastly, we would be remiss if we failed to mention one of Pu‘erh’s better-known features, as an excellent hangover cure, making it the beverage of choice for an otherwise painfully slow morning! Pu’erh is very smooth in taste, and even darker than black tea. It has been shown to cut through grease (and cholesterol), help digestion, warm you, help produce saliva and shake thirst, dispel the effects of alcohol, and refresh your mind. For those reasons, when we developed our own “Bolder Breakfast” blend, Pu’erh tea was chosen as the central ingredient.

Pairing Tea with Food - and Introduction

Pairing tea with food is an adventure in flavors. It is also a great way to get to know the variety in the world of tea. Tea provides an extensive range of tastes, similar to that of wine, but without the associated alcohol.

Tea drinking practices are analogous to wine drinking practices, in that we change drinks at a non-alcohol meal (such as breakfast) in the same way we switch between an aperitif and white or red wine at a meal later on in the day. Many people start their mornings with a glass of juice or lemon water, and then switch to coffee or tea. Today’s tea drinkers are getting so sophisticated that many drink more than one type of tea during the day. This is, of course, in part because there are so many different varieties of tea available. The most discerning tea drinkers sometimes ask for two or three different teas at one meal.

People have discovered that a stronger, smokier tea is better with cheese or eggs, whereas a lighter or green or white tea is usually superior with pastries. It’s exactly like learning that red or white wine goes better with some foods than others. For instance, last weekend, we served iced oolong (re-steeped after infusing the rice) with a hand-rolled sushi dinner. It was exquisite… after years of serving only Japanese green teas with sushi, it was a delightful accidental discovery –the oolong was able to accent up and complement the wide diversity of flavors far better than a straight green tea does. Also, serving an iced beverage at this summer evening party was definitely the way to go!

Even though we don’t often give it much consideration, we pair tea with food every day. Some people may start the day timidly, with a weak cup of black tea and dry toast, and others might start the day boldly with a strong mug of black tea and a well-buttered roll. Tea has evolved for thousands of years along with regional cuisine to be the drink that goes along with meals. It is no surprise, therefore that it pairs well with foods! Like a small mid-course or palate cleanser, tea also works as a flavor bridge from one course to the next. As more people adopt tea into their daily ritual, they discover that by pairing certain teas with specific foods, not only is the flavor of the food enhanced, but the quality of the tea is highlighted. Experiment and enjoy – you’ll find that when paired with the appropriate dish, tea helps to complete the flavor journey of that dish!

Flavor Fest - Chicago IL - Aug. 23-24

Calling all people in the Chicago area....
Flavor Fest 2008 is coming up soon, Aug. 23rd & 24th (11am-9pm Sat & 11am-8pm Sun). For those who don't know, it's Chicago's Natural Food & Lifestyle Festival, located at the intersection of Webster & Racine this year. The event is *free* to the public! And should be full of lots of great give-aways! You can catch live music by The Smithereens on Saturday & English Beat on Sunday.

Stop by our booth and meet Karen, our Co-Founder / Tea Chef / Head of Sales extraordinaire!

Antioxidants and Health: How tea processing affects its antioxidants

Tea, red wine, chocolate, blueberries, asparagus, and other fruits and vegetables are rich in flavonoids, a type of polyphenolic antioxidant. Lucky for us (since those are all so tasty!) diets rich in flavonoids have displayed positive effects on an array of chronic diseases including heart disease, certain cancers, and Type 2 diabetes. Tea is a potent source of flavonoids, and tea drinkers have been observed to have 20 times higher levels of flavonoids than non-tea drinkers. Overall, tea has particularly high concentrations of polyphenols which have antioxidant, anticancer, antibacterial, and antiviral characteristics.

Despite the diversity in appearance & flavors, all tea comes from the same evergreen plant, Camellia sinensis. Different categories of tea (white, yellow, green, oolong, black, and pu'erh) are created by the way the leaves are processed. The major delineator in tea categories is the level of oxidation that the leaves are subject to, following this general pattern:

• White – unwilted, unoxidized (0% oxidized)
• Yellow – unwilted, unoxidized, but “yellowed” by low steam (0% ox.)
• Green – wilted, unoxidized (0% ox.)
• Oolong – wilted, bruised, partially oxidized (20-80% ox.)
• Black – wilted, crushed, fully oxidized (100% ox.)
• Pu’erh – traditionally, green tea that is fermented/composted (0% ox.)
  – modern methods speed up “aging” by fermenting black tea (100% ox.)
  
  

Oxidation of the tea leaves changes the appearance and aroma of the leaves, the flavor profile of the tea you drink, and also changes the form of polyphenols in the leaves. As tea oxidizes the simple polyphenols are converted into more complex forms; specifically, with increased oxidation catechins levels decrease while theaflavins and thearubigins increase. So, white tea has the highest level of catechins, followed by green tea, oolong, and black. Conversely, black teas contain high levels of theaflavins and thearubigins, followed by oolong, green & white.

figure from Jane Higdon, Ph.D., http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/f-w02/tea.html

Health Benefits, CliffNotes Version:

Different polyphenols appear to offer different health benefits. There is a growing volume of research on teas' effects on humans, so here is the cliff notes version for the bulk that I've read... Catechins, found in white and green teas, are gaining special attention for their anti-inflammatory and cancer fighting abilities. One catechin, EGCG, is being studied extensively for its potential effects on cancer and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and HIV-associated dementia. Oolongs and pu'erhs are being studied for their weightloss mechanisms. Black tea consumption is corrolated to decreased risk of heart disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. While multiple studies suggest that daily green tea drinking significantly decreases our risk of many cancers including skin, ovarian, breast, prostate, colon, stomach, and oral among others. However, there are still some studies with conflicting results, which calls for more clinical research on humans.

Health Benefits, Extended Remix:

Different polyphenols offer us different health benefits, thus you'll receive a variety of benefits from drinking a range of teas. Catechins, found in white and green teas, are gaining special attention for their anti-inflammatory and cancer fighting abilities. One particular catechin EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) is being studied extensively for its potential effects on cancer and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and HIV-associated dementia. These studies are looking into the effectiveness of EGCG in the prevention as well as treatment of these diseases. One Japanese study also found that EGCG was an effective inhibitor of allergic response. It was suggested that the EGCG compound blocked the production of histamine and immunoglobulin, two compounds that trigger and sustain allergic reactions in the body. So when you get the sniffles during spring, you might try this home remedy for clearing up your sinuses. (Here’s links to our whites & greens: Snowflakes, Meditative Mind, Boulder Blues, Green Roasted Mint)

Oxidative stress also plays a role in many types of cancer and heart diseases. It’s suggested that antioxidants in tea reduce oxidative stress by scavenging free radicals before cell damage occurs to proteins and DNA. Dietary supplementation of tea antioxidants has been observed to inhibit certain cancers, showing promise in both prevention and treatment. These cancers include skin, ovarian, breast, liver, stomach, colon, prostate, esophageal, and oral cancer, among others.

Many preliminary studies performed on lab animals show promising results for the effects of tea on cancers, but results of human studies are varied though some show dramatic effects. One Swedish study examined over 61,000 women between the ages of 40-76, for a 15 year period, and found that women who drank two or more cups of tea per day reduced their risk of ovarian cancer by 46% compared to non-tea drinkers; the effect was additive, such that with each additional cup of tea per day there was an additional 18% lower risk of ovarian cancer. Another study in China, where green tea is a staple, examined 18,000 men and found that tea drinkers were half as likely to develop stomach or esophageal cancer as men who drank little to none, even after correcting for smoking and diet. In vitro studies at UCLA and University of Texas found that green tea extract inhibits breast cancer cells from making a chemical that supports tumors. Similarly, a study at USC examined over 1000 Asian-American women in the Los Angeles area, and found that drinking even 6 tablespoons of green tea a day decreased breast cancer risks by 30% compared to non-tea drinkers and up to 50% risk reduction if she drank more green tea; they found that this green tea effect persisted regardless of other factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, red meat consumption, age, Asian ethnicity, menopausal status, menopausal hormones, calorie intake, number of past pregnancies, exercise, or whether she had a history of breast cancer in her family. However, another cohort study of over 58,000 men and 62,000 women from the Netherlands did not find a link between black tea consumption and protection against cancer (specifically, stomach, colorectal, lung, and breast cancer) after removing other factors such as diet and smoking. While there is no doubt that tea is a potent antioxidant, there still appears to be some conflict in clinical study results potentially due to confounding factors such as genetics, diet, exercise, and environmental exposure. More studies should illuminate the exact effects of tea on humans, and determine the mechanism that tea is metabolized in the body so we can better understand this relationship.

Tea is also being studied for its effects on diabetes. It’s suggested that its antioxidant properties help in regulating insulin signaling and glucose metabolism. Preliminary results from a USDA study links tea consumption with decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes, a major disease in the United States with increasing occurrence.

Teas other benefit includes weight management. Oolong teas, also called wu-long or wulong teas, have gained some recent recognition as weight-loss teas. One study of 102 Chinese women found that oolong consumption over 6 weeks led to body weight reduction. Another study compared a group of Japanese women after drinking a cup of tea after meals; they each spent a period of time in an oolong tea drinking group, a green tea group, and a control group where they drank only water. The results showed that oolong drinkers had higher resting metabolisms than green tea drinkers at both 60 and 90 minutes after consumption, and both had higher resting metabolisms than those who drank just water. In this study, the oolong contained roughly half the caffeine and EGCG than the green tea, while the polymerized polyphenols were doubled. The results suggest that oolong tea increases metabolism through its polyphenols rather than just through caffeine. Increased metabolism results in reduced body fat. Most notably is reduction in visceral body fat - the type of fat found between internal organs that creates the “beer belly”. While this can not be seen as a weight-loss panacea, it is a perfect complement to healthy eating and exercise. (Check out our premium Vintage Oolong)

Black teas are known to assist in cardiovascular health. They have been shown to decrease LDL cholesterol levels, decrease total cholesterol, and dilate blood vessels which decreases blood pressure. There is a strong correlation between black tea drinkers and decreased cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension. One study found that adding milk to tea bound the antioxidants to the milk proteins making them inactive, but a subsequent study found that this was only true in the cup, and that antioxidants became bio-available again in the body’s serum. So go ahead and add milk to your tea if you’d like, and still reap the health benefits. Black tea is also noted for its anti-bacterial characteristics, and is said to kill bacteria in the mouth that cause bad breath and gum disease. In addition, the fluoride found in all teas helps strengthen teeth and prevent tooth decay. (Here’s a link to our blacks: Earl of Grey, Mango Tango, Crème Caramel, Bolder Breakfast)

I have not run across scientific studies on the health benefits of pu'erh. However, Pu'erh has long been considered a healthy tea by the Chinese, and medicinally, is believed to invigorate the spleen, relieve dampness, counteract alcohol toxins (ie. hangover cure), release stomach heat, and descend stomach qi (or chi). Pu'erh has also been considered a weight loss supplement due to its ability to aid in fat metabolism. (Check out our Bolder Breakfast - a black tea, pu'erh, & chocolate blend.)

The bottom line is that variety is the spice of life - it's true with tasty foods, music, cultures, and it's also true with antioxidants. So feel free to indulge yourself with all varieties of tea as part of your healthy lifestyle. There is a world of teas to choose from - literally. So cheers to our health!

Herbal Infusions

This week’s subject dives into the realm of herbal tisanes. An herbal “tea,” or tisane, is technically anything you steep that does not contain the actual Camelia Sinensis tea plant in it. For experts and tea snoots, an herbal tea is really not tea at all, hence the term “herbal infusion.”
For thousands of years, plants and flowers have been used for their natural healing properties. Many modern pharmaceuticals have been derived from plant sources, and surely many more will crop up in the future. Digitalis, a heart medication, comes from the purple foxglove. Vinchristine, an anti-cancer drug, is an alkaloid taken from vinca plant. Cascara sagrada is the bark of a tree that is used as a natural laxative. Quinine, which has been used to treat malaria among other things, originally came from the bark of the Cinchona tree.

Just as many herbs and plants are beneficial, the opposite is also true. Oleander leaves contain a compound that is toxic to the heart. Philodendron plants contain oxalic acid, which will burn your mouth. Now why you would be munching on a philodendron to begin with is beyond me, but according to my medical source, it does happen.

That being said, there are many herbal infusions that you can blend on your own or purchase that will have numerous and varied benefits. Here are a few of the major players:

Rooibos – This plant is a bush that is native to South Africa, and contains a high amount of minerals and antioxidants. Often called “bush” tea or “red bush” tea, it has a naturally sweet aroma reminiscent of tobacco. Naturally caffeine free, it also contains zinc, potassium, fluoride, and manganese. It is fermented in a way that is very similar to tea, and the result is a fine, red leaf that brews into a deep reddish brown color. The longer you steep rooibos, the better it gets. You can see for yourself by trying our Red Rocks, a blend of rooibos with vanilla and almonds.

Chamomile – Chamomile flowers have a natural fragrance reminiscent of apples, which is the etymology of the word itself (“ground apple”). This herb is most commonly known for its ability to calm stress and soothe nausea and provide relief from aches and cramps. As it relaxes smooth muscle tissues, it is good for digestion and abdominal pain.

Ginger – Ginger root is yet another ancient plant with many beneficial qualities. It stimulates saliva production and digestive enzymes, making it great for weight control and digestion. It is also great for nausea or motion sickness, and increases blood flow throughout your body, making it what is considered a “warm” plant. Ginger is a component in our new blend, Yerba Mate Chai Citron, which will be available on our website soon! But, if you visit our downtown Boulder location, you can try it now!

Peppermint – This age old classic herb contains menthol, which is great for congestion and colds. We have a tin of this at the store, and whenever I need a pick-me-up I just stick my nose in the tin and take a deep whiff and BAM! I am awake again! Peppermint is also recommended for upset stomachs, as it relaxes the smooth muscles in your stomach and digestive tract. It is also an antiseptic and anesthetic, making it useful for tooth or headaches. It freshens your breath and is a great, cooling drink when iced. It is also a component in our delicious Green Roasted Mint!, my personal favorite.

There are literally hundreds of herbs, plants and flowers out there with healing and healthful properties. The trick is to find the ones that work for you to assist you in a more healthful lifestyle. Most herbalists will not recommend these things in place of medical treatments or cures for diseases. Herbal infusions are meant to complement your health and must be used with a degree of caution and self-directed learning. So whatever your ailments may be, just make sure you do a little research before you go on your herbal infusion quest!

-Anne Vickman

So Long, Farewell!

Well everyone, I am sad to say it, but this will conclude (temporarily, most likely) my blogging for the TeaSpot.

For anyone who missed this month's TeaSpot newsletter (sign up here), I will be moving to Boston, MA to pursue a master's degree in Writing and Publishing at Emerson College. So it shouldn't be too long before I have nasty tea withdrawals and start writing more blogs in return for the junk to support my tea addiction and get me through my intense graduate classes.

I will miss the TeaSpot greatly, and first and foremost would like to point out that I love my job, mostly because of all the people I work with. We have a great team here, in our warehouse as well as the shop, and in a perfect world I would just deftly put it all on a truck and take it with me to Boston! I can only imagine what sort of unpaid internships and admin assistant positions await me in the big city! So I must take an acceptance speech moment and thank the corporate team as well as my amazing store staff for making my time here so memorable. I would also like to introduce and welcome the new store manager, Erin Dula, to the TeaSpot family.

FoolongChoo out (left), Erin Dula in (right)

I would also like to thank all the loyal customers who have come into our store regularly and supported what we do. We know these people by name and more often than not exactly what they are drinking so that it's halfway ready when they get to the register. I think the best part is that you could read me the order and I could tell you who the customer is: 12 ounce Bolder Breakfast latte with whole milk and a shot of vanilla (Aulden), 12 ounce cappucino (Jen), cup of Creme Caramel, decaffeinated (Donna), Fancy Formosa with milk and sugar (Michelle), large Pu-erh (Olga), cup of Lung Ching and a bran muffin (ack! I forgot his name!).

What's more I would even like to thank the (very few) customers that made my life hell, and taught me even more about patience and customer service. Especially the lady who came in one day, sat in a booth, and began trimming her fingernails with a clipper before nonchalantly brushing her nasty nail scraps onto the floor. Who are you, and why did you do that?! Or the girl who added her credit card receipt total incorrectly then demanded her tip money back. Ahh yes, I will never forget you! And don't forget the guy who used our couch as a bed, claiming he had purchased some drip coffee (which we don't sell!) and dropping some F-bombs on another customer about her backpack when we asked him to leave. Ah, the stories are the best part!

This is what angry customers begin to resemble.
Image courtesy of http://www.angrybanana.freeservers.com/

In any case I am extremely content with the time I spent with the TeaSpot, and after the insanity of moving across the country and being back in school dies down, I certainly hope to continue the blogathon of anything tea-related. Much thanks to all of you who read our little blog, and please continue to check back for weekly additions!

Oh Man, It's Abnormally Hot

Bubble tea: Not Your Grandma's Tea

Today finds me too hot to really think clearly. All I can think about is how rad it would be if we bought one of those big plastic kiddie pools and filled it with iced peppermint tea and went for a swim. Seriously, that might be the best idea I have had all summer. Or maybe a Slip 'n Slide in the back of the warehouse? Anyone? Or maybe just an A/C box installation would do.

As I consider these options, a bank of darkish looking clouds seems to be heading this way. Thank you, universe.

Since this brief respite is allowing me to think semi-clearly, I would like to lay some praise to my latest favorite summertime tea beverage: Boba, aka Bubble, Tea.

For the rookies out there, Boba tea consists of these components: Boba Pearls, an iced tea of some sort, a splash of cream, a squeeze of agave, and a Boba straw. Allow me to digress.

Boba pearls are really nothing more than simple tapioca balls. You remember tapioca, right? It's that white stuff you always had at grandma's house that never really tasted like much of anything. Same goes for Boba. Only these ones are bigger, black, and squish gloriously when you chew on them.

So what is tapioca, exactly? This is certainly not a question that comes up for most people, a) because most people don't eat tapioca, and b) the ones that do probably don't care what it's made from anyways. Well the answer is that it comes from the root of a cassava plant. The root gets processed and the reconstituted product are those tiny (or large, in this case) tapioca balls. It is a starch, so essentially it's like adding bread to your beverage. Mmmmmm, bread.

So, these boba pearls rest on the bottom of your glass. The remaining ingredients are mixed together (I prefer to make mine with Red Rocks iced tea), and the straw allows you to suck up the boba pearls whilst drinking your tea, making for a deliciously iced, textural experience. The cream adds a dash of well, creaminess, while the agave nectar lightly sweetens it without making it overtly so. Unlike those bottled tea drinks that look so delicious in the refrigerated case until you open it up and take a big swig and feel like you just drank a packet of mint-and-tea-flavored Splenda. (Thanks a lot, Tazo).

I can see the Eldorado Spring Water Delivery Truck outside the office. "Judged the Best-Tasting Water in North America," it says. They have an entire swimming pool full of pure, delicious spring water about 20 minutes from here, in Eldorado. That sounds pretty nice right about now.

In any case, Bubble Tea is seeing a new emergence as an extremely popular drink these days, and since many people are still unsure what it's all about, I encourage you to stop by your nearest Bubble Tea vendor (ie, the TeaSpot's downtown retail location) and check it out!

Mmmm so delicious.