Wu long tea is made of the same tea leaves as green tea and black tea, but has been processed differently, to add a more delicate and slightly nutty flavor. Green tea is made directly from the leaves of the tea bush known as Camellia sinensis. Black tea is processed by roasting and drying and sometimes blended with other flavors. But oolong tea leaves have been sun or air dried, rolled and bruised, then partially cooked. This intensive process is the reason why oolong tea is more expensive than other types of tea products.

The palate for oolong tea is something that is acquired. This is a very light but smooth tea that lacks the bitterness of green tea or any other flavor for that matter. Some people have never really gotten used to its taste, and usually prefer black, green and herbal teas to oolong. But oolong tea is the perfect choice if you need a low-caffeine hot drink to soothe the stomach.

The Teavana Monkey Picked Oolong Tea is the ultimate oolong tea. When infused, the unbroken, evenly-sized leaves gracefully unfurl to reveal the most complex Oolong bouquet available. Its legendary name refers to Buddist monks who trained monkeys to harvest the youngest leaves from the top of the wild tea trees. Presently the term “Monkey Picked” refers to the highest quality of Oolong tea available. This tea is perfect for multiple infusions.

Oolong tea does not usually come in tea bags because of the shape of the leaves. It is usually available in loose form. Teavana Monkey Picked Oolong Tea comes in 2oz for only $25.

What Is Wu Long Tea?

Wu long tea is made of the same tea leaves as green tea and black tea, but has been processed differently, to add a more delicate and slightly nutty flavor. Green tea is made directly from the leaves of the tea bush known as Camellia sinensis. Black tea is processed by roasting and drying and sometimes blended with other flavors. But oolong tea leaves have been sun or air dried, rolled and bruised, then partially cooked. This intensive process is the reason why oolong tea is more expensive than other types of tea products.

The palate for oolong tea is something that is acquired. This is a very light but smooth tea that lacks the bitterness of green tea or any other flavor for that matter. Some people have never really gotten used to its taste, and usually prefer black, green and herbal teas to oolong. But oolong tea is the perfect choice if you need a low-caffeine hot drink to soothe the stomach.

Does it Help With Weight Loss?

No matter what all the advertisements might say, the benefits of oolong tea does not include being an aid for weight loss.  In order to loose weight, you need to eat a sensible diet and exercise regularly. Cutting back on dehydrating, sugary drinks like coffee, soda and cocoa also helps. Black tea is a healthier choice than coffee or cocoa, but still contains caffeine that you may have to watch out for. By drinking healthier beverages such as oolong tea, you are taking in more nourishment at lesser calories.

Oolong tea do not usually come in tea bags because of the shape of the leaves. It is usually available in loose form. You would need about two teaspoons of oolong tea per cup of hot (not boiling) water. It’s simpler to just put the curled “whiskers” in the cup if you are not making a pot, then pour the hot water in. The so-called whiskers will not fit in a tea ball. Steep from three to five minutes before drinking in sips and enjoying the benefits of oolong tea.

Organic White Tea Not White

Unlike black and green teas, organic white tea is not named after the color that it makes when mixed with water. Organic white tea is made from unopened tea leaf buds, which have a white fuzzy covering on them. It takes a lot more tea leaf buds to make a cup of organic white tea than i the kind using the bigger tea leaves. Organic white tea is the least processed and least fermented of all tea types, and loaded with antioxidants which help the body’s immune system. Antioxidants present in all tea products are thought to help the body fight cancer.

How Organic White Tea Tastes

To put it bluntly, the taste of organic white tea is something that you either really love or really hate. Most people who have consumed iced tea made from organic white tea, think that it is a sweet and refreshing drink. This tea, by itself, has such a mild taste that is very subtle and may be difficult to detect. However, this mildness allows it to blend well with fruit flavors. Commercially available tea bags are usually a blend of organic white tea buds and fruit flavors. One of the most unusual blends out in the market is organic white tea blended with lavender. Some people claim that although this blend smelled nice, the taste is hardly there.

You can find decaffeinated bags available for sale in grocery stores, health food shops, tea specialty shops and their online equivalents, although there is really very little caffeine in organic white tea. Some people prefer loose tea to the bags. You can make organic loose tea in pots or in individual mugs, depending on your taste and needs.

Organic white tea needs to be steeped in hot, NOT boiling water. You can leave the bag in or remove it as you start sipping. Brown sugar or honey is recommended as a sweetener more than processed white sugar since this tends to overwhelm the tea. Some people prefer to drink organic white tea unsweetened.

Most tea comes from bushes that would grow into trees if left unattended. Most growers keep them trimmed between three and four feet to allow for ease in picking the top leaves. The growing season varies by region, the top leaves of the tea bush are picked and the bush will offer new leaves in another two or three weeks. The leaves are picked during various stages of their growth. For example, white tea is made from only the youngest leaves that have not yet begun their natural fermentation process.

Many growers protect the tea bushes from the sun to minimize the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves, providing a more pure taste. Black tea, the most popular type sold around the world, are made from leaves that are left on the bush until the fermentation process is well underway.

One tea distributor started selling leaves in cloth bags and users quickly learned they could place the entire bag in boiling water and infuse the flavor into their drink. This practice quickly became popular but there was a pause in the making of tea bags during the war. At the end of World War II however, Tetley began selling paper tea bags, which made it a top selling drink in the world.

Organic loose leaf tea is a natural source of amino acid theanine and polyphenolic antioxidant catechins, which are highly valued for their health benefits. Many believe that drinking organic loose leaf tea such as green tea or white tea offers more health benefits as they contain more of these natural products than black tea or even oolong tea.

Brewing times and temperatures will vary depending on the type of tea being brewed as well as on individual tastes. Green, white and those organic loose leaf tea that are considered more delicate can be brewed at temperatures under 200 degrees, while black and oolong are typically steeped in water just below the 212 degree boiling point.

Trend Setter

AriZona Tea was the first national iced tea brand in the United States to incorporate distinctive visual designs in their packaging. They also were and still are a company based in America although mostly European-owned. Europe did corner the tea trade market several centuries ago. But the product fell out of favor around the period of the revolution because of heavy taxation. During those times, drinking tea became synonymous with supporting the British Crown rather than the revolutionary movement.

But tea eventually made its comeback; stronger than ever and in multitudes of varying flavors and blends. While green tea was quite popular in the Asian continent for a long time, it only gained some recognition in the Western World about twenty years ago. America is credited as the inventor of iced tea and it was first recorded as being enjoyed by people during in 1904 World’s Fair at St. Louis. AriZona tea is made from all kinds of tea blends. You can chose herbal tea, white tea, green tea or black tea (all iced and pre-sweetened, of course). The AriZona brand has recently branched out into other food and drink products such as chips and salsa, iced coffee, infused spring water and fruit drinks. However, they are still better known for their iced tea products.

If we consider imitation as the sincerest form of flattery, then AriZona tea has been getting high praise from many other beverage companies indeed. In the beginning, ready to drink iced tea was a tiny market. Iced tea was considered something that was too easy to make for someone to buy the ready made. But canned or bottled ice teas became popular with people who wanted to have a glass of iced tea but can’t get to a kettle because they are traveling. Iced tea also makes for a more thirst quenching and less sugary alternative to the usual carbonated soft drinks. AriZona tea is the uncontested leader in ready-to-drink iced teas, despite being a newcomer, hitting the markets in 1992 in New York, then going nationwide the following year.

For their innovative packaging and design, AriZona tea has won many awards including the industry’s leading award, the MOBIUS, for four consecutive years from 1996 until 1999.

Low In Caffeine

One of the major health benefits of green tea is that it is low in caffeine. You may still prefer buying specifically decaffeinated green tea bags or iced green tea mixes, however green tea contain only very small amounts of caffeine. The caffeine content in green tea is less than half of a cup of caffeine content in black tea. The effect of caffeine on our body’s system is becoming more and more of a health problem today. Even as recently as in the 1970’s, no one thought that caffeine could be addictive or could cause to alter moods. Now, however, it is an accepted fact that caffeine can be addictive and often causes a disturbance in our sleeping patterns.

The health benefits of green tea means that you can enjoy a great beverage to get you through the day, without getting that caffeine buzz that usually keep you up long hours after your usual sleeping time. A 2007 medical study from England suggests that if we are getting less than seven hours of sleep out of our 24 hour day, we increase our chances of lowering our body’s immunity to ailments.

Helps in Blood Circulation

Studies suggest that another of the major health benefits of green tea is that it helps keep your blood flowing at just the right rate – not too fast and not too slow. Green tea has also been shown to help reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and aids with the overall circulatory system health. Arthritis can also greatly affect the circulatory system, leaving limbs numb or tingly. Since green tea can keep your blood moving, it also helps lower the severity of arthritis.

Because of this effect, it is not recommended that anyone on medication for blood thinners, drink a lot of green tea. This might make your blood too thin and putting you in danger of loosing too much blood with just very minor injuries.

Rich In Antioxidants

One of the long term benefits of green tea is that you are taking in a great source of antioxidants. Antioxidants are little chemicals that help the body recognize and fight cancer. So far, scientists are still studying the full effects of antioxidants on the body.

The processing of tea leaves to dry them out takes place within a day or two of harvesting them. This preserves many of the catechins that occur naturally in teas and prevents the natural fermentation of the leaves that turns them dark. Drinking green tea can be very beneficial since it is full of antioxidants. Antioxidants are believed to reduce the presence of free radicals in the blood stream as well as help prevent the growth of many health problems.

Green tea products are usually sold in crushed and whole leaf form to be used for brewing in hot water. Recently, it has also become available in ready-mix forms for immediate consumption either to be heated or consumed cold. Green tea products are currently one of the fastest growing products for American retailers in terms of sales.

What’s Good About Drinking Green Tea

Following a 12-week study period on green tea infused with catechins, results show that it aids in the reduction of bad cholesterol as well as an increase in good cholesterol. Researchers in Nashville, Tennessee were lead to conclude that drinking green tea used in conjunction with other appropriate dietary methods could be a great aid in reducing cholesterol. Additionally, it could also help people who are battling with overweight issues.

While the Food and Drug Administration of the United States deny some of the health benefits claimed by manufacturers of green tea, they generally recognize the benefits of drinking green tea in reducing the potential for cardiovascular diseases. Clarification on the limitations of the product’s benefits are included in any advertising done that focuses on green tea’s health benefits.

In foreign countries such as Japan where green tea has been used for its health properties, most people claim that drinking green tea as part of a specific diet is highly beneficial. Claims include that green tea helps in the battle against heart disease and cancer, and also helps to energize the body. Many health conscious individuals consider green tea as containing a lot benefits found in a single product.

Most tea products come from tea shrubs. Kombucha tea is the exception. It comes from a type of mushroom from which its name is derived. Most food types that are extracted from any edible mushroom is generally labeled as a broth. In this, kombucha tea again stands as the only exception. Arguments among gourmets and scientists have arisen as to whether kombucha is actually mushroom or rather a combination of yeast and bacteria. We have to admit though that “mushroom tea” sounds a lot more appealing than “yeast and bacteria tea”.

Kombucha Tea Benefits

While Kombucha tea has been popular only quite recently in the eastern part of the world, it has been well known as a health tonic in the Western World for some time. People who have tried this type of tea claime that it has helped them recover from such ailments as asthma, high blood pressure, psoriasis, eczema, chronic fatigue syndrome and even migraines. However, none of these claims have been proven by clinical scientific tests. Kombucha tea contains vitamin B, which is necessary for various body functions.

How To Make It

On average, it takes five or six days to make kombucha tea. Compared to other teas, this is a short process since most teas need two weeks in order to brew to the proper flavor. However, making kombucha tea is not as simple as putting a tea bag in a mug and adding hot water. You have to procure a kombucha culture, let it mature and then strain it, then follow the usual procedures for making tea. This process is perhaps the main reason why this tea really hasn’t been that popular as other teas in the West. In the Western culture, most people do not have the time to go through extended and complicated motions for something as simple as making tea.

Warnings

Kombucha tea is generally classified as a kind of herbal tea, although no herbs are actually in it. Also, there are many more health warnings attached to kombucha tea than to other kinds of herbal teas. People who suffer form immune deficiency disorders are strongly advised against taking this type of tea. If you are not careful in the culture growing, you could possibly be making tea that produces more complications rather than benefits.

It is also very important to note that severe allergic reactions may also occur when drinkning it. Signs of allergic reaction include vomiting, jaundice, and nausea. You cannot also use ceramic tea pots or ceramic mugs in making kombucha tea. The chemicals in the tea create an adverse reaction in the ceramic glaze, which could lead to lead poisoning.

Growing Methods

When the label in any organic white tea product says it’s organic, it means that most if not all of the ingredients have been organically farmed. This simply means no chemical pesticides or fertilizers have been used in the farming process. Furthermore, this also means that the growers have been paid a fair wage for their work. This is not the usual case. In such areas such as Indian, African or Asian tea plantations, the workers sometimes get paid pennies with the plantation owners keeping most of the most profit for themselves.

With the rising demand for organically-grown products such as organic white tea, countries are working together to universalize the standards for organic farming. In Europe for example, farms must now pass an inspection in organic standardization tests from the European Union in order for the products to be labeled “organic”. The country which grows the most tea in the world, India, has now implemented organic standards. In the United States, they have the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) as the inspecting and standardization body.

Another difference in organic tea from other kinds of tea is the making of the tea bags. In organic teas, tea bags are not bleached. This rule, however, is enforced more strictly in Europe than in America. Other elements such as tags, staples and strings cause a lot of waste so organic tea products rarely have these.

How Organic White Tea Tastes

Organic white tea has the same rich flavors of non-organic tea. However, some people do claim that they can detect a difference in taste between tea made in a bleached bag from that with a non-bleached one. There are simply a lot of varieties to choose from organic teas. You can find black teas, white teas, green teas, herbal teas, medicinal teas, and blends of tea and herbs.

Today, organic white tea costs more than any other regularly made tea products. But more and more companies are now going organic – even big names like Tetley already have organic choices – causing the prices for organic tea to drop over the years. It is hoped that very soon organic tea products will become more popular for consumers.