By Deeona Johnston
Tea, the second most consumed beverage in the world, a cup of tea is enjoyed by nearly one half of Americans. Tea is often promoted as healthy and tea’s can also detox your body, help you sleep, improve digestion, or relieve stress. There is a lot of unknowns surrounding teas and their benefits, but tea has been enjoyed by humans for centuries.
How tea is made
All three teas, black, green, and oolong, come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The leaves from this small tree or shrub are processed to become black, green, or oolong teas. The first 24 hours after being picked, will determine what type of tea the leaves will produce.
Black Tea: Popular in America – After being partially dried and then rolled, black tea leaves are left on tables for 30 minutes to 2 hours at a temperature of 78°- 79°F. During this time, enzymes inside the leaves react to the oxygen in the air and turns the leaves darker; this is the oxidation step. The longer the leaf is left in these conditions, the darker and stronger it will be. After the leaves are oxidized, they are dried until they contain 3% of their water.
Green Tea: Popular in Asia – In order to make green tea, the oxidation process is skipped. The leaves are dried or steamed to kill the enzymes that are used to oxidize the leaves. The leaves are then rolled and dried before being packaged. Green teas usually contain higher amounts of antioxidants because they didn’t go through oxidation.
Oolong Tea: Popular in Southern China – Oolong tea falls between green and black tea. Instead of laying on a table during oxidation, the tea leaves are rolled or shook. This movement bruises the edges of the leaves, which causes oxidation, but the whole leaf doesn’t oxidize. This produces a lighter color tea with a fruity aroma.
Brewing the perfect cup
- Decide what tea! Black, Green, Oolong, White, Herbal – What are you in the mood for?
- Fresh, cold water. You should always heat up fresh, cold water. Re-boiling water can make your tea taste flat.
- Get the temperature right. Boiling water can burn the tea leaves.
- Read the Instructions. Most tea bags will tell you how long to brew the tea.
- Remove the tea and enjoy. You should never drink the tea with the tea leaves or bag still inside your cup.
Possible Health Benefits
There is some research looking into health benefits of teas, but it is unreliable. Teas contain antioxidants called polyphenols. Antioxidants help protect our bodies from harmful chemicals called oxidants. Antioxidants are also found in colorful fruits and vegetables. Some studies show benefits of drinking tea, while others do not.
Some studies have followed groups of people for many years and have found that those who drink tea are
less likely to develop chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Although this is good news, researchers are unsure if the tea causes the better health or if those that drink tea tend to make healthier choices, like being active, eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and not smoking cigarettes. A lot more research needs to be done to prove if tea provides the health benefits companies claim it does.
