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Besimudo
01-08-2007, 04:05 AM
In the past decade, the popularity of green tea has increased ten fold – in the west – owing to both the scientific studies elucidating its health benefits and the widely marketed health boons of drinking green tea. These health benefits, however, have been documented in China as early as the Han dynasty and in Japan since the 9th century. The first detailed works on tea are found in the Ch'a Ching, written by the Chinese author Lu Yu in 780 A.D (I think). It details the preparation and the development of tea, as well as a historical summary of tea and famous early tea plantations. The work features illustrations of tea making utensils and historians suppose that the book inspired the Buddhist priests in the creation of the Japanese tea ceremony. In Japan, Kakuzo Okakura posited in The Book of Tea, that ‘Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage’, based on early manuscript recorded uses of green tea in China as both panacea and food preservative.

Anyhow,

Cheers

Martyr
01-08-2007, 04:07 AM
In other words:

Green Tea is a great way to exploit westerner yuppie health freaks.
Cha Ching!

Dr Aum
01-08-2007, 04:09 AM
This is why I drink tea (almost always green) at least ten times a day. I'm absolutely addicted to the stuff. It flows through my veins.

And for once, I'm not being sarcastic.

Avarice-ness
01-08-2007, 04:16 AM
Although that was highly informational I don't like green tea. :)

Dr Aum
01-08-2007, 04:18 AM
Although that was highly informational I don't like green tea. :)

You make me very sad, Ava. :cry:

Fortuntately, my tears are also composed of tea, so if you'd like to give it another try and see if you've somehow started liking it, please feel free to lick my face.

Martyr
01-08-2007, 04:19 AM
PopEye over here...

Avarice-ness
01-08-2007, 04:21 AM
Although that was highly informational I don't like green tea. :)

You make me very sad, Ava. :cry:

Fortuntately, my tears are also composed of tea, so if you'd like to give it another try and see if you've somehow started liking it, please feel free to lick my face.

When I feel the time is right, I shall drain you of your bodily fluids. :)

Besimudo
01-08-2007, 04:23 AM
Martyr,

I think you need some green tea too calm down a bit ... but don't drink too much. Oh, I get it, your a pragmatist - good point, we don't want King George to raise the taxes.


Dr Aum,

The Japanese had a saying "He is full of tea" to refer to the drunken like state that green tea produces.

The amino acid theanine is responsible for this state. Theanine is also in mushrooms (in great amounts) which might help explain the trance like truant teenagers. Or is that just strychnine.

Christmas
01-08-2007, 04:24 AM
WILL DRINKING GREEN TEA MADE YOU GREEN LIKE HIM? :bigsmile:

http://www.worldofwar.net/articles/images/orc_box_art.jpg

Martyr
01-08-2007, 04:26 AM
we don't want King George to raise the taxes.
.

DAMN RIGHT!

Dr Aum
01-08-2007, 04:28 AM
When I feel the time is right, I shall drain you of your bodily fluids. :)

http://images.oldglory.com/product/009376CTDEc.jpg

DarkLadyNyara
01-08-2007, 04:43 AM
Green tea is good, though my current favorite tea is pomegranate white tea. :D


In other words:

Green Tea is a great way to exploit westerner yuppie health freaks.
Cha Ching!

Martyr wins. :love:

Big D
01-08-2007, 04:47 AM
I drink plenty of green tea, or sometimes Moroccan-style mint tea, which uses a mix of mint and green tea leaves.

It's especially helpful at times like now, the height of airborne allergen season. Medication only goes so far in controlling my chronic hayfever, and green tea provides that little extra boost.

Meat Puppet
01-08-2007, 05:08 AM
Whenever I am ill, my grandma gets me some of <a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v85/liamd/healtheries_chai_tea.jpg">this</a> stuff (and honey) to drink. I prefer Lipton’s cheaper (and grammatically correct) Chai; however, my grandma gets her tea from obscure health food shops which don’t stock major brands, and I only ever need tea when I’m sick.

Jojee
01-08-2007, 08:22 AM
The bottled green tea in China is the <i>best thing ever</i> ^_^;

http://www.wanbro.com/blog/wp-content/greentea300x333.jpg

Except not this brand, I couldn't find a picture with the brand that I liked best. xD

Nominus Experse
01-08-2007, 10:51 AM
I am more inclined to drink Chai than Green, though I enjoy most teas regardless

Mo-Nercy
01-08-2007, 10:52 AM
I used to drink a lot of Easy Way. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easy_way) It's expensively delicious.

Bunny
01-08-2007, 12:15 PM
I do not drink enough as I would like. But it is delicious.

p.s. ur smrt bessie

Roto13
01-08-2007, 02:23 PM
Although that was highly informational I don't like green tea. :)

You make me very sad, Ava. :cry:

Fortuntately, my tears are also composed of tea, so if you'd like to give it another try and see if you've somehow started liking it, please feel free to lick my face.

When I feel the time is right, I shall drain you of your bodily fluids. :)

Hey... :(

Jess
01-08-2007, 02:43 PM
I'll stick to normal tea, thanks! :jess:

Pike
01-08-2007, 02:52 PM
I don't drink tea. I've tried it multiple times, always trying to like it... but I just don't. XD

Jowy
01-08-2007, 02:53 PM
Red zinger makes me tilde.

I usually only get green tea if it's bottled and iced.

Breine
01-08-2007, 03:01 PM
I can't really stand tea... or any other hot drinks for that matter.

Zeldy
01-08-2007, 04:23 PM
Normal tea.
Whole milk.
Two sugars plz.

:heart:

I love tea, Im english AFTERALL xD I want tea now, damnit ;_;
For my parents, tea is fuel.

Besimudo
01-08-2007, 10:51 PM
You can get chopped up camellia sinensis leaves from most health food shops. It is called sencha in Japanese, so don't let the various names - both latin and jap - scare you. Usually, most health food stores call it plain green tea. The packaging is not flash; just plain old plastic. But it tastes far better than any brand name from the supermarket shelf. Those brands are typically tasteless and give tea a bad name for people. It is analogous to comparing instant coffee to fresh Brazilian beans.

Anyhow, you will need a tea pot as the loose leaves are quite large. Brewing time is best kept to a minimal (about a minute) for a light flavour. Caffeine is a water soluble xanthine based compound, and hence, longer brewing will only serve to dissolve the bitter tannic acids bound in the plant cells.

If you like black tea with milk however, a longer brewing time is recommended. But I drink all teas without the milk - it is much less fuss.

Cheers.

Dr Aum
01-08-2007, 11:27 PM
When I feel the time is right, I shall drain you of your bodily fluids. :)

Hey... :(

Feel free to join in, Roto. :) I have plenty of bodily fluids.

Also, I agree with Besimudo (may I call you Bessie?) that loose leaves are much better than teabags. Japanese powdered teas (some forms of sencha and matcha, although the latter isn't very appealing to most non-Japanese) are very good as well.

Roto13
01-08-2007, 11:42 PM
When I feel the time is right, I shall drain you of your bodily fluids. :)

Hey... :(

Feel free to join in, Roto. :) I have plenty of bodily fluids.
I was more sad about the fact that she's draining bodily fluids of someone who isn't me. :(

Also, I agree with Besimudo (may I call you Bessie?)
Do it.

Dr Aum
01-09-2007, 11:02 PM
I just found an interesting article that those of you who like to put milk in your tea (you blasphemers) should read.

It is here. (http://health.msn.com/centers/cardio/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100152486&GT1=8977)

-N-
01-09-2007, 11:09 PM
Yeah, milk in tea doesn't really make sense. That being said, my mother makes a special family ginger chai masala tea that uses milk and tastes pretty good. That being said, it's not my favorite tea.

Besimudo
01-09-2007, 11:25 PM
They have suspected that milk knocks out the nutritional value of tea for sometime now. The Germans have confirmed this its seems.

As for the origin of milk in tea ... blame the British. Reserved about pouring hot drinks into fine porcelain, they added the milk to prevent damage to the cup. Why somebody neglected the pot is another question that needs to be pondered, however, I am certain some upstart pointed this out and was duly outcast from the scones club. Anyhow, this is why Anglo-Saxon nations enjoy tea with milk. Both the Continentals and Orientals do not generally drink Milk in tea. Germans enjoy zinger und zitron (black tea with fruits, herbs and/or alcohol); Chinese and Japanese as you know like it green - black tea is actually seen as bitter and inferior (but it does have a better self-life).


Cheers.

P.S. The use of tea (and coffee) like many practices/drugs is rooted in myth. The mythological king Sheng Long (lit. dragon):) serendipitously discovered it via a lake-side when camellia leaves fell into his boiling water. It did not take off until the Han dynasty rule when tea became the staple beverage of both aristocrat and peasant. Clearly, myths told at bedtime impart a great deal of knowledge into society. Much more refined than talking about pocket money, dinosaurs:mog: and robo raptor to the kids.

Just thought I would throw that one in for free ... ;)

-N-
01-09-2007, 11:28 PM
Stupid BritsLet the flaming begin

I realized my favorite tea which is why I came back to this thread (a rare occurence in this day and age (the coming back to the thread, not the realizing of favorite tea)). It's a drink, a Blue Blazer, a lemon grass tea with fresh ginger and honey and of course, 100-proof whiskey that burns bright blue. ^_^

Nice info on tea history, by the way. I liked it. :)