by Kayla FreudenbergT
ea drinking is my most consistent and comforting ritual to
cleanse the palate after a savory meal. My typical routine in-
volves something boiling water while I’m cleaning up, allow-
ing my choice of tea to steep for a bit and often pairing the
tea with a piece of fruit. I love this ritual so much that when I’m getting
ready to travel, I make sure to pack a few tea bags in my luggage. Those
few soul soothing, sweet moments with my tea makes me feel at home
wherever in the world I may be.
I love the many ways that tea can be sa-
vored as well as its numerous health ben-
efits. However I enjoy sipping on a cup of
tea, I’m reminded that I’m part of a long-
standing tradition that spans thousands of
years across continents. After water, it’s tea
(not coffee) that is the most popular bever-
age worldwide.
Health Benefits of Tea
We love tea for its flavors, floral notes, ease
of preparation, and for its diversity of op-
tions. Tea has a wide range of medicinal
benefits. We may enjoy the pick-me-up or
increase in alertness created by the caffeine
and theanine in all varieties of tea. Tea is
also rich in a number of phytochemicals.
The most significant is polyphenols. One
type of polyphenol are flavonoids. These
compounds are powerful antioxidants, with
a wide range of beneficial effects. ECGC is
a potent and well-studied flavonoid as are
epicatchenins and catechins, if you’ve heard
those teams bandied about when reading or talking about tea.
Because tea is so ubiquitous and beloved, it is also well studied. Some
of the highly touted benefits from the antioxidants and other phytochemi-
cals and phytonutrients include cancer protective effects, reduced risk of
stroke, improved cholesterol levels and overall blood vessel health, as well
as protective effects for the lungs. John Weisburger, senior researcher at
the Institute for Cancer Prevention in Valhalla, NY, says, “Tea modifies
the metabolism to destroy harmful chemicals.” I think I need another cup.
What Exactly is Tea, and Where is it From?
When we think of tea, we may think of the multitude of drinks that are
created by steeping herbs, leaves, or other parts of medicinal plants in
hot water. Yet those are really infusions, tisanes, or to distinguish them,
herbal teas. The word tea itself comes from Chinese languages and origi-
nally referred to beverages made from steeping the leaves from the ever-
green shrub Camellia sinensis.
The Camellia sinensis is the plant we most commonly think of as our
standard teas (green, white, black, oolong, and pur-eh.) Not to com-
plicate matters too much, but there are actually two main varieties of
this plant used for tea: Camellia sinensis sinensis and Camellia sinensis
assamica. The sinensis strain has smaller leaves and the assamica plant
has larger leaves. As its name suggests, the
assamica strain is the one that is native to
the Assam region of India. Yet not to confuse
you, the Assam variety is also grown in Yun-
nan province, China.Famous Tea Regions of India
Assam is a lush area in the far northeastern
part of India, south of Bhutan and north of
Bangladesh. While China as a country is the
world’s largest grower of tea, the most signif-
icant region tea growing region worldwide is
Assam. Yogi Tea is a company who sources
all of the black tea in their blends from the
Assam region of India.
Darjeeling is slightly west of Assam,
tucked between Nepal and Bhutan. It is the
northernmost region of the Indian state of
West Bengal. Unlike the assam tea grown
in Assam, the smaller leaved sinensis tea is
grown in Darjeeling to produce black, white,
green, and oolong teas with an astringent yet
floral set of notes.The Many Colors of Tea
As DAVIDsTEA Tea Expert Celia Le Maistre-Matthys says, “The first
thing to know about white, green, oolong, pu’erh, and back teas is that
they all come from the same plant – Camellia sinensis! The main differ-
ence between tea types is how they are made.”White Tea
Le Maistre-Matthys says this about white tea, “It is plucked and then
left to wither (or wilt naturally), and finally dried to obtain a finished
product. It is neither rolled nor shaped, so the leaf remains in its original
form. White tea is often known to be more floral in taste, which is a result
of its long withering period. Often, however, delicate notes of ripe fruit
and citrus can be found in a white tea.”
Steep: 2-3 minutes with water just under boiling (170-185 F).GUIDE TO TEA
“Tea modifies the metabolism
to destroy harmful chemicals.”