Green Tea - Make a Perfect CupGreen tea comes from the same type of plant as black tea, except that this tea is dried but not fermented. This difference in processing gives green tea a lighter, more delicate taste than black tea and allows the tea to retain more of its complex chemistry. Green tea tastes great, is lower in caffeine than coffee, and is rich in polyphenols and other healthful antioxidants. How do you make the best cup of tea? Here's what you need to know:
Ingredients Make the Tea It's just tea and water, right? Yes, but you want *good* water and tea! Many people use bottled, filtered, or mineral water for their tea. As for the tea itself, powdered tea or small loose leaves will yield a better cup of tea than large leaf tea or curled leaves, which require a longer steeping time. Tea from different plant varieties of *Camellia sinensis* and from different regions will have different chemical properties. It also matters when the tea was picked and how it was treated after picking. To some extent, higher priced green tea are often better teas. In the end, personal preference will be your guide. Experiment with different green teas and choose those that you like. About Temperature The best tasting tea is made using water that is very hot, but not boiling. Using boiling hot water can make the tea taste bitter. However, hotter water does aid in extraction of some of the antioxidants in the tea. After you have added the water to the tea, cover the cup or pot so that the volatile compounds don't evaporate and get lost to the air. Steeping Time Allow the tea to infuse for 2-5 minutes. You get more polyphenols with longer steeping times. A short steeping time yields a high-caffeine tea with fewer polyphenols. Powdered tea may require only one minute of steeping time, while tea in bags takes longer to make. Health Benefits of Green Tea Green tea is believed to confer many health benefits. Some of the purported benefits are: - Helps repair cellular damage, this lessening cancer risk - Decreases risk of stroke and heart attack - Inhibits infectious bacteria, while promoting growth of beneficial flora - Strengthens the immune system - Inhibits gingivitis and dental caries - Lower blood pressure - Stabilizes blood sugar - Lowers total cholesterol, while improving ratio of cholesterol types -- ~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~--- Connect your World with Us join Now - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dimpill_gang/join Affiliated group from dimpill_gang for Only Adult Mails - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fantazies/join Affiliated group from dimpill_gang for Only Health and Food Mails - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Health_and_Gourmet/join -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~
