What is Tea? What It Is Not?
Tea is somewhat like politics and football in our country. It is a topic on which everyone has an opinion. Today, I'm going to do something different and share some information instead of my opinions. Because modern sciences know a lot about tea (its Latin name is Camellia Sinensis), one of the most important blessings of our world with a history of thousands of years.
The History of Tea
Tea is known to have been used as a medicine in China as early as the 3rd century. It initially appears as a beverage consumed by wealthy royal family members for healing purposes. The story goes that tea leaves fell into water, and when consumed by a royal member, it led to healing. This led to a rapid spread of tea consumption in China. Traders then quickly spread it across the continent. Later, through trade routes such as the Silk Road and maritime routes, tea spread to all of Europe. By the 19th century, tea had firmly settled in Western culture. In England, afternoon tea became very popular. Tea, served with cakes, pastries, and scones, became an enjoyable ritual for the elite first, then for all of England as tea became more widespread.
Varieties of Tea
The taste and benefits of tea vary depending on how the tea leaves are grown, harvested, and processed. Black tea, as in our country, is the most popular tea worldwide. Next comes green tea, followed by oolong and white tea. There is a blog post on Lazika about how these teas differ. I recommend reading it, as it explains in detail the characteristics of each tea, including caffeine and nutritional values.
What Are Polyphenols?
Most traditional teas don't contain significant amounts of nutrients, but they are rich in polyphenols. These are plant chemicals that give tea its unique taste and aroma and may have antioxidant properties.
Catechins: Found in unoxidized teas, such as green tea. The most well-known catechin is EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate).
Theaflavins: Found in oxidized teas, such as black tea.
Is Tea Harmful to Health?
Drinking 2-3 cups of tea a day is beneficial, but avoid drinking it too hot. It should be no hotter than 60°C. The main components of tea are polyphenols and flavonoids. One provides antioxidants, and the other contributes to the beautiful aroma that makes tea unique. While it's generally believed that only green tea contains antioxidants, this is not true. This means that black tea also contains antioxidants. While polyphenols (antioxidants) are found in green tea as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), they are found in black tea as theaflavins.
What Is Caffeine-Free Tea?
To make tea caffeine-free, certain processes must be applied. Lazika doesn’t like processed tea, but for all you Lazika lovers, we’ve done some research and will try to explain it. To remove caffeine from tea, the tea is subjected to some chemicals. After the process, the tea's chemical content is either minimal or zero. No negative health effects have been found. However, during these processes, the amount of beneficial polyphenols decreases. So, while trying to make tea caffeine-free, antioxidants are lost.
How to Store Tea for Long-Term Freshness?
To keep tea fresh for a long time, there are some things we can do. Light, moisture, heat, odor, and air should be prevented. Tea has a strong ability to absorb odors, so it should be stored separately from strong-smelling foods and drinks. Heat, light, and moisture spoil the structure of the tea we carefully harvest and dry. Therefore, store it in a closed container in a stable, light-free environment. Under these conditions, black tea can be stored for up to a year after opening, and more delicate teas can be stored for up to 6 months.
Is Tea a Cure for Everything, Even Cancer?
Studies have shown that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in green tea can inhibit the growth of cancer cells and cause them to die. Both green and black teas have positive effects in reducing the risk of prostate, breast, and ovarian cancers. Tea flavonoids have antioxidant properties that can prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol (also known as "bad" cholesterol), which leads to the hardening of arteries.
Delicious Tea Recipe
While we're at it, instead of drinking expensive tea with artificial sweeteners from the market, let's share a recipe. Take 2 Lazika pyramid green tea bags and steep them for 5-6 minutes in 1 liter of "slightly cooled but just boiled" water. Then let the tea cool down. Squeeze 2 lemons, crush them with 4-5 fresh mint leaves. Let the prepared green tea cool a little more. In a large pitcher, combine the crushed mint leaves, lemon juice, and green tea. If you wish, you can add ice or just leave it in the fridge to cool to your liking. Before drinking, add 1 bottle of plain soda. For decoration, you can add sliced lemon and mint leaves to the pitcher. Your delicious, mineral-rich, antioxidant-packed, vitamin C-rich green tea is ready. Enjoy, Lazika lovers!