Posts Tagged ‘Chinese’

Insider’s Guide to Chinese Teas – Part 3 Jasmine

Jasmine teas are usually made using Green tea as a base, to which the flowers are added. The floral aroma of a excellent quality variety is exquisite and as you drink the pale yellow, nearly colourless brew, you can just lose yourself in a timeless bubble. This is quite often the most appealing Chinese tea to those of you who are traditional Indian Black tea drinkers. The taste is a subtle sweetness with a persistent floral aftertaste and the aroma is gorgeous. Loose leaf Jasmine is the best. The leaves are an art form in themselves; the makers will twist, curl, roll or even tie the leaves together in a small bunch. In China, tea drinking is done with all of the senses, not just taste, which is why the producers go to such extraordinary lengths.
The very best Jasmine teas are made using leaves that are picked between the middle of March and the end of May and combined with blossom that is picked exclusively during May as that is the time when they are at their most fragrant. Traditional production methods involve layering the leaves and the blossoms so that the flavour and aroma permeates the leaves. Nowadays, the blossoms are usually placed in a stream of hot air to extract the essential taste; the aromatic hot air is then passes through and over the leaves in order to give an intense flavour. The blossoms are then simply added as decoration.
Jasmine tea has been documented for over 800 years and in common with most tea types, has its origins in China. How it was invented is not known, it may have been by accident or design. Unlike most of the other tea types, I have not come across any legends that clarify why and how it was made – I am sure there must be some out there!
Since it is normally based on Green tea, Jasmine tea has much the same health benefits as the latter. Green tea is claimed to be excellent for digestion, your heart and even halitosis! The best documented benefit but, is against cancer. It has high levels of antioxidants such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This is one of a group of chemicals called flavonoids which are known to ruin the reactive molecules called free radicals (oxidants) that are made in the body. These oxidants are implicated in the formation of cancer and with heart attacks so Jasmine tea is a pleasant way to help your body deal with these. It is not a magic cure-all as some tea sellers would have you believe but when included as part of a healthy lifestyle, it may help. Judging by the research, which really needs to be more extensive and controlled in order to be clinically reliable in my opinion, it is not going to hinder. So for those who are not keen on the sometimes ‘grassy’ taste of green tea, jasmine is a potentially healthy and tastier alternative.
Here in the west, many other flavoured teas have been developed, for example mint tea. These are not authentically Chinese and often disguise the fact that the tea is stale. That is fine if you are not serious about tea but to experience this beverage in its full glory, buy it loose, fresh and unadulterated. It can be hard to find top quality brands if you live outside of a huge city, but that is where the internet comes in. There are many retailers of this wonderful product online, but choose carefully. Pure, loose and organic is the best but not the cheapest. If you do buy the cheapest that you find, you really will be missing out.

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Insider’s Guide to Chinese Teas – Part 3 Jasmine

Jasmine teas are usually made using Green tea as a base, to which the flowers are added. The floral aroma of a excellent quality variety is exquisite and as you drink the pale yellow, nearly colourless brew, you can just lose yourself in a timeless bubble. This is quite often the most appealing Chinese tea to those of you who are traditional Indian Black tea drinkers. The taste is a subtle sweetness with a persistent floral aftertaste and the aroma is gorgeous. Loose leaf Jasmine is the best. The leaves are an art form in themselves; the makers will twist, curl, roll or even tie the leaves together in a small bunch. In China, tea drinking is done with all of the senses, not just taste, which is why the producers go to such extraordinary lengths.
The very best Jasmine teas are made using leaves that are picked between the middle of March and the end of May and combined with blossom that is picked exclusively during May as that is the time when they are at their most fragrant. Traditional production methods involve layering the leaves and the blossoms so that the flavour and aroma permeates the leaves. Nowadays, the blossoms are usually placed in a stream of hot air to extract the essential taste; the aromatic hot air is then passes through and over the leaves in order to give an intense flavour. The blossoms are then simply added as decoration.
Jasmine tea has been documented for over 800 years and in common with most tea types, has its origins in China. How it was invented is not known, it may have been by accident or design. Unlike most of the other tea types, I have not come across any legends that clarify why and how it was made – I am sure there must be some out there!
Since it is normally based on Green tea, Jasmine tea has much the same health benefits as the latter. Green tea is claimed to be excellent for digestion, your heart and even halitosis! The best documented benefit but, is against cancer. It has high levels of antioxidants such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This is one of a group of chemicals called flavonoids which are known to ruin the reactive molecules called free radicals (oxidants) that are made in the body. These oxidants are implicated in the formation of cancer and with heart attacks so Jasmine tea is a pleasant way to help your body deal with these. It is not a magic cure-all as some tea sellers would have you believe but when included as part of a healthy lifestyle, it may help. Judging by the research, which really needs to be more extensive and controlled in order to be clinically reliable in my opinion, it is not going to hinder. So for those who are not keen on the sometimes ‘grassy’ taste of green tea, jasmine is a potentially healthy and tastier alternative.
Here in the west, many other flavoured teas have been developed, for example mint tea. These are not authentically Chinese and often disguise the fact that the tea is stale. That is fine if you are not serious about tea but to experience this beverage in its full glory, buy it loose, fresh and unadulterated. It can be hard to find top quality brands if you live outside of a huge city, but that is where the internet comes in. There are many retailers of this wonderful product online, but choose carefully. Pure, loose and organic is the best but not the cheapest. If you do buy the cheapest that you find, you really will be missing out.

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Chinese Herbal Teas – a unique and perfect drink

Chinese herbal teas are considered to be part of the sum total of Chinese medical theory and practice, referred to as Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM.   Unlike the West, where scientific investigation produced a powerful body of knowledge and careful correlation of theory and fact, TCM is a loose collection of accumulated and practical lore considered proven by the test of time. In this body of knowledge, theory starts with thoughts of “chi’ and “yin and yang. ”  The practical application of medical treatment is based on the observations of my healers over the course of centuries.   The application of TCM and Chinese herbal teas, while not offering the detail of scientific studies, is most assuredly based on long histories of successful treatments. For the Chinese, tea from the leaves of the Camilla Sinsensis tree is a unique and perfect drink that slakes the thirst and eases the minor sufferings of the body.   There are entire books of poetry dedicated to the varieties of green tea and its cousins, black tea and oolong tea!  Chinese herbal teas, but, are placed nearly entirely in the “medical” category. In TCM, the use of herbs is highly complex.   There are numerous annals, books, compendiums and pharmacopoeia (encyclopedia’s of medicines), some of them going back to the 1st century A. D. , and several still used today by TCM practitioners!  The use of Chinese herbal teas is divided into “superior” materials, tonics and boosters that must not be used for prolonged periods, and a third category for small doses of very specific treatments. The “superior” medicinal Chinese herbal teas have multiple uses and are primarily used to maintain the spiritual balance of the body, which strongly reflects the frugality of the Chinese village culture. Chinese herbal teas are usually blends of many different herbs and other materials customized to the needs of the individual patient.   The lore of Chinese herbology dictates that prescriptions be combined to manage the Four Natures, the Five Tastes, and the Meridians.   The Four Natures refer to the balance of yin and yang, and range from cold (extreme yin), cool (yin), warm (yang), and hot (extreme yang). The Five Tastes are the signal flavors of the Chinese herbal teas and other medicines.   They include pungent, sweet, salty, bitter, and sour.   Each flavor is connected to medical action, and the healer ensures that the action is applied by manipulating the flavor of the herbal blend.   The Meridians refer to the organs or zone of the patient that are targeted by the treatment. When working with such a wide range of materials, practitioners of TCM and Chinese herbology often find themselves dealing with toxic substances.   Experienced and expert healers will carefully cancel out this effect with counteractive ingredients in Chinese herbal teas. Less knowledgeable practitioners are at risk of perilous errors when working with these materials, and like healers everywhere they bear the responsibility to follow the Hippocratic Oath, and “do no harm. ” While Chinese villagers often blend herbs into their teas for the pleasure of the many wonderful flavors they offer (especially ginseng), the role of Chinese herbal teas is primarily medical.   The place of green tea, of course, is atop a pedestal of exalted and passionate devotion! To Buy or Try a Sample Please Go To – http://www. redleaftea. com/

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Insider’s Guide to Chinese Teas – Part 3 Jasmine

Jasmine teas are usually made using Green tea as a base, to which the flowers are added. The floral aroma of a excellent quality variety is exquisite and as you drink the pale yellow, nearly colourless brew, you can just lose yourself in a timeless bubble. This is quite often the most appealing Chinese tea to those of you who are traditional Indian Black tea drinkers. The taste is a subtle sweetness with a persistent floral aftertaste and the aroma is gorgeous. Loose leaf Jasmine is the best. The leaves are an art form in themselves; the makers will twist, curl, roll or even tie the leaves together in a small bunch. In China, tea drinking is done with all of the senses, not just taste, which is why the producers go to such extraordinary lengths.
The very best Jasmine teas are made using leaves that are picked between the middle of March and the end of May and combined with blossom that is picked exclusively during May as that is the time when they are at their most fragrant. Traditional production methods involve layering the leaves and the blossoms so that the flavour and aroma permeates the leaves. Nowadays, the blossoms are usually placed in a stream of hot air to extract the essential taste; the aromatic hot air is then passes through and over the leaves in order to give an intense flavour. The blossoms are then simply added as decoration.
Jasmine tea has been documented for over 800 years and in common with most tea types, has its origins in China. How it was invented is not known, it may have been by accident or design. Unlike most of the other tea types, I have not come across any legends that clarify why and how it was made – I am sure there must be some out there!
Since it is normally based on Green tea, Jasmine tea has much the same health benefits as the latter. Green tea is claimed to be excellent for digestion, your heart and even halitosis! The best documented benefit but, is against cancer. It has high levels of antioxidants such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This is one of a group of chemicals called flavonoids which are known to ruin the reactive molecules called free radicals (oxidants) that are made in the body. These oxidants are implicated in the formation of cancer and with heart attacks so Jasmine tea is a pleasant way to help your body deal with these. It is not a magic cure-all as some tea sellers would have you believe but when included as part of a healthy lifestyle, it may help. Judging by the research, which really needs to be more extensive and controlled in order to be clinically reliable in my opinion, it is not going to hinder. So for those who are not keen on the sometimes ‘grassy’ taste of green tea, jasmine is a potentially healthy and tastier alternative.
Here in the west, many other flavoured teas have been developed, for example mint tea. These are not authentically Chinese and often disguise the fact that the tea is stale. That is fine if you are not serious about tea but to experience this beverage in its full glory, buy it loose, fresh and unadulterated. It can be hard to find top quality brands if you live outside of a huge city, but that is where the internet comes in. There are many retailers of this wonderful product online, but choose carefully. Pure, loose and organic is the best but not the cheapest. If you do buy the cheapest that you find, you really will be missing out.

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The Aesthetics of a Chinese Tea Set or A Flowering Tea Set

One of the attractive aspects of the experience is a herb tea to see the color changes that occur as tea brewing. The colors are surprisingly vibrant for brewing, and many varieties of herbal teas are fascinating enough to a traditional Chinese tea and porcelain. They will still visually fascinating when observed through the transparency of China's tea set or tea set flowers. This aspect of brewing herbal tea is far from the days of afternoon tea and evening hours, or Tetley Taylor also served in an elegant silver tea service. Aesthetics played a Chinese tea or flower tea set brings a really different experience opportunities to drink tea is another advantage to delight in herbal teas. Nutrients from herbs, plants and flowers that, when consumed fermented beverage is sufficient reason to jump on the bandwagon of health, but, glad these healthy elements come alive in a glass of water or tea, just complete the enjoyment. Many manufacturers of tea or a game of Chinese Flower tea are based on Asian traditions of our product. Indian Crafts of China, Japan, and this is reflected in a gorgeous and functional, many of these different forms of tea services. The Art of Stained Glass series, the traditional style of Chinese tea, which is based on centuries of design and masterful skill mix in the form and operate the service friendly and simple to dry. Even the simplest models can improve the pleasure of cooking herbal teas. Tradition Flower tea or flower tea, which has been disposed of hundreds of generations of artisans in Asia is impossible to assess, in any form, but the tea flowers. Ably, these craftsmen can combine herbs, flowers and vegetables in the real elements of the tapestry of natural beauty can not know the regular tea. Experts, Jasmine flowers, fabrics, Rosebuds and chrysanthemums, literally, reform, such as pronounced as in boiling water, they should be lovers of dance and gold dragons, or the right to the pot of tea. Many manufacturers of tea should be aware of the popularity of China's tea set or tea set flower among consumers, and new blends of organic elements, which further improve the experience of drinking tea. A wide range of subtle shades and hues can be made with real plants. The rich tones of red hibiscus, jasmine and amber light chamomile, and a number of shades, due to brewing green tea, black tea, rooibos tea, and still well loved Oolong tea never pleasant than when a game is a Chinese tea or tea made of flowers. Rewarding experience of drinking herbal tea can be much greater for the Chinese tea set or tea set flowers.

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