black tea with milk
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LUPICIA Fresh Tea Magazine
LUPICIA Fresh Tea new, recommendations and feature stories.
- Rooibos; The Red Bush Tea
Rooibos, pronounced "roy-bos", is a caffeine-free herbal tea rich in minerals and antioxidants from South Africa.
Rooibos means "red bush" in Afrikaans and, just as its name implies, its spiny needles brew up a ruby red liquor that gleams brilliantly in the cup. In North America, rooibos is also commonly known as "red tea".
Rooibos grows naturally only in the Cederberg region surrounded by rugged mountains, approximately 130 miles north of Cape Town, South Africa. It is the traditional "drink for a long life" of the Khoi and San people who have inhabited the plains for thousands of years.
Rooibos tea has a mild and pleasant flavor and can be enjoyed hot or cold, straight or with milk or lemon. This month we will take a closer look at the appeal of one of the world’s most popular herbs, rooibos, "red bush".
What is rooibos?
Rooibos is a shrub of the legume family, botanical name Aspalathus linearis, which grows in the mountainous region around Cederberg, in northwestern South Africa. It is a resilient plant with needle-like leaves that can tolerate dryness and roots that extend underground approximately 25-30 feet deep. The plant has been used since ancient times by indigenous people as a health drink. The process of production was handed down to the Dutch immigrants who settled on the land in the mid- 17th century, and commercial cultivation began in the early 20th century. Curiously, Cederberg is the only land on which rooibos grows, and attempts to cultivate it in other parts of the world, including North America, have all ended in failure.
The basic process for producing rooibos tea is very similar to that of black tea. After the rooibos plants are harvested from late summer to early autumn, the leaves are finely chopped and bruised. This allows oxidization to take place producing the characteristic earthy aroma and sweet, nutty flavor as well as its distinctive red color.
Green rooibos made its debut in the 21st century and, like green tea, it is dried without oxidizing the leaves. Compared to traditional rooibos, it brews a pale yellow liquor and has a young, grassy flavor, which has attracted much attention.
Health benefits
Rooibos, a naturally caffeine-free tea, contains essential minerals such as calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, and manganese. It is also rich in flavonoids, which have an antioxidant effect as they help in removing active oxygen.
Rooibos tea is also known for improving medical conditions, such as rough skin, canker sores, atopic dermatitis, diabetes, and high blood pressure. It is also said to have antiaging benefits.
Clinical studies in recent years have reported a link to improvements in digestive health including constipation and gastrointestinal ailments, and research is underway on other beneficial effects and anti-carcinogenic properties of Aspalathin, the flavonoid unique to rooibos tea.
- Oolong Tea
The black dragon tea
The Chinese characters for oolong mean black dragon.
The production methods for oolong were established by the mid 19th century, yet its origin remains shrouded in mystery.
Green, black and oolong tea are all made from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant. How the leaf is processed determines what kind of tea will result.
Green tea is made by heating fresh plucked leaves to bring out the green, youthful flavor. Black tea is made by oxidizing the leaves over a long time to bring out the body and deep flavor.
Between these two methods lies the technique for creating oolong tea. Oolongs are born out of a complicated process that includes shaking the leaves in a bamboo basket for several hours, leaving them for a while to oxidize then repeating this step over several days to draw out the fragrant aroma inherent in the tea leaves.
The most outstanding feature of oolong tea is the aroma. In fact, oolong teas are so fragrant a special aroma cup was invented solely for the purpose of enjoying the aroma of the tea and is widely used in China and Taiwan.
Wash off excess fat
Aroma is not the only charm of oolong tea. Did you know that oolong tea is often used in finger bowls at Chinese restaurants? This is because the polyphenols contained in oolong tea work well to wash off fat. Research has shown that by drinking oolong tea instead of water during a meal, excess fat in the food adheres to the tea constituents and drains out of your body, preventing you from absorbing those extra calories.
The key to unlocking oolong's superior aromatics
The key to unlocking oolong’s superior aromatics is the water temperature. High temperatures bring out the fragrant components in the tea, so be sure to use freshly boiled water.
High-quality oolong tea leaves can be brewed up to six times. A tip for brewing tasty, healthy tea is to use a slightly larger amount of tea leaves than normal and to brew them several times with a shorter steeping time.
- Japanese Green Tea
Getting familiar with catechins
Did you know that green tea has the highest presence of catechins among all teas?
Catechins are a type of plant derived polyphenol which possesses antioxidant properties. Recent studies have revealed that the catechins contained in green tea may have a number of health benefits such as anti-aging and antibacterial effects.
Drink tea for a longer life
Japan leads the world in average live expectancy with the average age for women being 85.99 years (2008). Japan has held this ranking for more than 20 years. (*1) One factor that helps contribute to a long life span is green tea. Japan also leads the world in the per capita consumption of green tea - the average Japanese consumes about 650g (22.9oz) of tea leaves each year.
Many proverbs passed down from ancient times in Japan refer to the benefit of drinking tea: “Drinking tea each morning spares you from disaster and brings happiness,” “If you leave your home in the morning without drinking tea, you should go back and drink it even if you have already gone 16 miles.”
In recent years, studies have shown that the greatest benefit from green tea comes from a polyphenol called catechin.
Rich in nutrients
How can you benefit from catechins contained in green tea? (*2) According to extensive research at universities around the world and advances in scientific analysis, details of the possible health benefits are being revealed. The main benefits are as follows:
■ Anti-aging
The antioxidant effect of the catechins helps slow the aging process.
When active oxygen is produced in the body in harmful environments such as stress, exposure to ultraviolet rays and excessive sporting activity, it damages normal cells (accelerating the aging process) catechins help prevent this damage.
■ Weight management
Drinking catechin-rich green tea with meals helps to moderate the absorption of fat into the body and in turn may aid in weight loss.
■ Antiviral and antibacterial
Research has shown that catechins may inhibit the activities of influenza viruses and germs and protect your body from a broad array of diseases. Gargling with tea can even help prevent colds.
Findings show that catechins also prevent cavities and may inhibit the growth of certain cancers however, more research is needed to confirm these findings.
The secret to a sweeter cup of catechins
So how do we extract the benefits of the catechins while savoring the refreshing taste of Japanese green tea?
Catechins are actually slightly bitter in taste and make up 15-30% of dry Japanese green tea leaves. Japanese green tea is produced by traditional methods in which raw tea leaves are steamed and heated. This makes the flavor of Japanese green tea quick to leach out in hot water compared to the green tea of China or India.
If you brew Japanese green tea in boiling water like the average black tea, it will become too bitter and astringent. The secret of making good Japanese green tea is to brew it using slightly lower water temperatures. Boil water then cool it down for a few minutes to 140 - 180°F. This will bring out the natural sweetness inherent in green tea and you will enjoy the milder taste.
How to brew Japanese green tea
- Boil water in a kettle and pour it into an empty teapot.
- Empty the hot water from the teapot into teacups.
- Add the recommended amount of tea lea