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There’s still more good news about tea...
By Edward M. Eveld
Coffee is cool. Tea is... sissy? In this country's golden age of coffee bars, when executives and construction workers feel comfortable slamming espressos and sipping house java blends, tea is perched on the periphery.

Except in the lab. Researchers are loving the stuff. The latest scientific study: Ordinary black tea has a component that primes the immune system. It pumps up gamma-delta T cells, scientists reported, the first line of defense against bacterial, viral and fungal infections. Coffee had no such effect.

This comes after numerous studies showing tea may lower heart disease and cancer risk because it contains flavonoids, also called polyphenols, a type of powerful antioxidant that can eliminate free radicals that damage cells. Tea also might help stave off osteoporosis.

The effective dosage hasn't been determined, but several studies suggest four or five cups a day are optimal for bringing on health benefits. (Hot tea that's been iced should retain its health properties. Instant tea? Probably not.)

Stacie Robertson of Kansas City is one who has caught the tea bug, so much so that she opened a shop called Tea Market in the Crestwood neighborhood. It deals exclusively in tea and tea accouterments. With every news story about tea's healthy attributes, her number of walk-ins goes way up, she said. Robertson leads coffee-drinking customers to a tea called Irish Blend, a black tea mixture that makes a robust drink, good for coffee fans to work tea into their daily routine. "It's like the Guinness of teas."

Robertson says the best tea experience comes from using loose tea rather than tea bags. "Tea needs to swim for the flavor to fully develop." Making a cup of tea does take a few minutes, Robertson says, which is part of its beauty. "Tea makes you slow down. It makes you wait. I think that's something we all need right now."

What is tea?
Tea is made from the dried leaves of Camellia sinensis, the tea plant, and comes in 3,000 varieties. Their names often reveal the districts where they were grown. For instance, Darjeeling tea comes from India and Formosa oolong tea from Taiwan.

Camellia sinensis likes tropical and subtropical climates. The largest tea producers include Sri Lanka, China, India, Japan, Taiwan, Kenya and some South American countries.

The legend of tea begins in China 5,000 years ago. An emperor, a smart guy, ruled that drinking water should be boiled as a health precaution. During his travels one summer, servants were boiling water for him to drink when dried leaves from a bush blew into the water. The infusion turned the water brown, which piqued the emperor's interest. He tried it, the story goes, and liked it.

Tea types
It all starts when two leaves and a bud are plucked from a tea plant. Processing includes such things as withering the tea and exposing it to air, or oxidizing it.

Black tea
The most popular tea in the American market, black tea is fully oxidized to give it its brown color. It has a hearty flavor and can be enjoyed throughout the day. Some black teas are Ceylon, Darjeeling and Assam. English Breakfast is a blended black tea; Earl Grey is a scented black tea.

Green tea
Leaves for green tea are steamed and retain a green to golden color. They produce a lighter drink than black tea. Varieties of green tea include Gunpowder, Chun Mee and Matcha. Green tea is the overwhelming favorite in China and Japan.

Oolong tea
The processing for oolong tea falls halfway between green and black tea. Its shorter oxidation time compared with black tea helps give it a fruity flavor. Some oolong varieties are Shui Hsien, Pouchong and Formosa Great Oolong.

White tea
Lighter than green tea, white tea undergoes the least processing. White tea is lighter in body than greens and has a naturally sweet taste. Varieties include Mutan White and White Pearls.

What about herbal? And chai?
Herbal teas aren't tea at all because they don't come from the tea plant. They are made from the leaves, roots, seeds, berries, bark and flowers of other plants. Herbal teas may have their own healthy benefits, but they aren't attributable to the compounds in Camellia sinensis.

Chai (rhymes with pie) is a drink, common in India and made of black tea, milk, spices and sweetener. Recipes vary, but traditionally the spices can include cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, pepper and ginger. Coffee bars also prepare iced chais and chais that border on milkshakes.

How to make the perfect cup of tea
1. Preheat your teapot or cup by filling with very hot water. Pour this water away.

2. Turn on the tap to cold water and let it run a few seconds. This ensures the water is fully aerated (water sitting in the pipes loses oxygen) and quite cold. If you have bad-tasting tap water, use bottled. Fill kettle.

3. Bring water to a rolling boil, but don't let it boil long. That will boil away the flavor-releasing oxygen, resulting in a flat cup of tea. For green tea, boil the water only to the "fish eyes" stage, when the water is making lots of little bubbles and before it comes to a full roll.

4. Pour water on the tea bag or tea leaves. Use one teaspoon of loose tea per cup. A cup of tea is 6 ounces.

5. Let the tea brew three to five minutes. Longer will be stronger. For green tea, brew one to three minutes.

Caffeine in tea
Tea contains caffeine and, as with coffee, the amounts can vary considerably from serving to serving. A cup of coffee averages 80 milligrams of caffeine, while a 12-ounce cola has about 45 milligrams. Here are the average milligrams of caffeine in one tea bag for several tea types:

Black tea.....40
Oolong tea....30
Green tea.....20
White tea.....15
Herbal tea.....0
How to store tea

Or rather, how not to store tea: Avoid moisture, aromas and sunlight, all of which will wreck your tea. Therefore, store tea in an opaque, airtight container, such as a tin, at a constant temperature. Tea should never be frozen.
(Courtesy The Kansas City Star)

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