Scientific studies of tea effects

All tea enthusiasts and the tea-curious know about "flavonoids", "polyphenols", "catechins", antioxidants; this and that... There is a ridiculous amount of propaganda on my cereal boxes, on drink labels, or the next blog in the chain; be it merchants looking to make a quick dollar, or your everyday compassionate health-nerd or holistic-nut - growing the trend like a game of chinese whispers.

I'm not a scientist so I don't know enough to claim anything. It's kind of difficult to believe when every other person who doesn't have a clue talks so highly of these things. My personal and completely unscientific opinion also says that in moderation, tea should have good effects on your health. Nevertheless, especially when it comes to health, I definitely want to know both sides...

Today, I ran into this scientific study which shows that a specific compound found in tea (very popular one too!) causes liver toxicity & DNA damage, and has PRO-oxidant qualities when taken in very high doses. Do not worry though -- UNLESS YOU'VE BEEN TAKING THOSE GREEN TEA PILLS :P.. Furthermore, it goes on to say that even for regular doses, most tests done on tea benefits "in vitro" have not been demonstrated "in vivo" to the same effect.

Possible Controversy over Dietary Polyphenols: Benefits vs Risks

Teavana, Garden Aria White Tea

This tea is beautiful. Perhaps the prettiest unsteeped tea that I have seen so far. I first tasted this, lukewarm, in the Teavana store - and instantly liked it. I had made some very bad choices prior to this, and we just had to get this upon receiving the nod from my lady. One thing is for certain - it is definitely better than the very similar Strawberry Paraiso white/green tea blend fruit juice which my friend had bought.

Sniff the jar deeply, it's a treat. I was tempted to say candy apple + strawberries, but the lady nailed it: SMARTIES. Yeah, interesting... Depending on luck of the draw, this tea will take many different colors. It can be between a pale yellow to a bright pink, and sometimes will be a dark red. Watching it brew in a glass teacup is amazing, seeing the colors seep from the fruit bits into the water. I'm sad I wasn't careful enough to capture that before my tea ran out. Though the color is very inconsistent, the aroma isn't...

Here are the ingredients: [white tea, strawberry and raspberry bits, cherries, red currants, rosehips, apples, hibiscus and beetroot bits]. The tea has that somewhat acidic/sour taste. I suppose mostly coming from the hibiscus.. The good thing is, the hibiscus is not very strong, compared to other flavored teas. Overall, it tastes to me like a hibiscus/strawbery mixture, with a very light hint of minty apple. Though this is not a blend for the purist, white tea is definitely apparent as well.

It works with 1.5tsp as Teavana suggests, and definitely worth a try in excess amounts :). Heeding the 175F for first infusion is a good idea. I went with 165F for a second infusion of 2 mins, and still appreciated the mellower taste. The vapor contained quite a bit of the fruit flavor, but taste - not as much.

Garden Aria is OK, but not as good iced as I had originally hoped. Particularly the sourness becomes very apparent, unless you're into that kind of thing of course.

I would suggest this tea over a good number of flavored blends for those who are interested in trying something like this. It is light and surprisingly simple tasting, not one of those 'complex flavors & undertones' type of tea that tea-blogosphere-o-filiacs rave about. It also gives me great joy to think how the 'hardcore tea connoiseurs' would spin their noses in disgust to this tea.

Infusions

I found it difficult as a beginner to get a good handle on multiple infusions. Conflicting information exists on the web, and for certain details, I was unable to find much information. My biggest point of curiosity was how long to wait between infusions, and when (time-wise) to discard the leaves.

After finally finding some discussions on tea dedicated forums, then speaking to Adagio's tea experts about it - I am posting my views here... I may update this post in the future. Please comment if you have differing opinions.

When to discard leaves__________
Personally, I have used leaves up to 4 hours after the first infusion and did not seem to have any problems. However, it seems that many agree this should be around 1 hour after using the leaves. These are usually the same people who claim to use oolongs 5-6 times, or other teas 3 times. Now the question is, do they drink THAT much tea in one hour? eh, I guess they do.

I generally finish within 2 hours, and my personal opinion is to make a fresh batch after 3-4 hours, and that's solely due to bacteria/mold concerns and not taste. Since you practically boil most teas, I'm guessing it shouldn't be big of an issue. Nevertheless, I would definitely not leave them out overnight.

Is it necessary to wait between infusions?__________
Since you are always told not to oversteep, to avoid "BURNING" leaves, does it make sense to let the leaves cool down before you steep again? I believe the answer is YES, but not for as long as I had originally thought. Especially when I make certain types of iced tea, I boil water, steep, strain, boil more water, steep, strain again. Another friend also agrees that a couple of minutes of cooling time seems sufficient.

Multiple infusions__________
General rule of thumb is that you SHOULD re-infuse anything except regular blacks (e.g. DJ's are ok 2-3 times) and most tisanes. The number of times I re-infuse depend on how much I like the particular tea, and when the flavor becomes too weak. Mind you, many teas really do change in flavor. Also, once overbrewed, repeat infusions definitely carry on the bitterness of the original infusion. Here are some brewing tips from a fascinating book full of dedication and love in every page, by two expert tea merchants ["The Story of Tea" by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss]:

- Regular harvest China greens and oolongs are generally rebrewed with water that is hotter {...}. Also we frequently increase the amount of steeping time (perhaps a minute longer), especially when attempting a third or fourth infusion.
- Early harvest China greens, white teas, and Japanese green teas are generally rebrewed with water that is cooler than the temperature of the water first used. {...} Because the white teas and early greens are delicate tips, and because the Japanese greens have been steamed already during their preprocessing, {...} will greatly increase the quality of the brewed tea.

What I've noticed in general is not to be afraid of doing something wrong, and trying to fit my usage into recommendations written by

As a bonus, I'm sharing a part from the same chapter which answered my questions about a particular phenomenon I've noticed:

- You brew a second or third steeping of green or white tea (or the sixth or seventh of oolong) {...} When you come back to it several hours later, it has changed from its sparkling clear pale green liquor to a gorgeous but dark golden-amber color. This effect is oxidation {...} if you add acid in the form of citrus juice to the brewed tea before it cools, the darkening will be significantly reduced.

Adagio, Valentine

Flavor

I read good things about this tea and ordered it. Once it arrived, I had forgotten the exact components of it, but I did remember that it was some sort of berries, cherries and chocolate kind of mix.

Out of the tin, the aroma is powerful and chocolatey. On careful inspection, it becomes rather like a delicious hot cocoa mix. Perhaps Cadbury.. mmmm ♥♥♥... It's a tea you might want to repeatedly sniff and wonder if you should ever brew it at all.

When I first made it I was sitting with a friend. I instantly knew this exact heavy chocolatey fruity aroma wasn't foreign to me. It dawned on me halfway through the cup - that this tea tastes EXACTLY like chocolate covered strawberries... At that point, I naturally recalled that this was what the flavor IS supposed to be. See, it strangely recreates that flavor and aftertaste you get from a chocolate covered strawberry. In fact, thinking about it, CCS's neither taste like chocolate nor like strawberry - but like THIS tea. The only difference here is that you do not get a lingering strawberry taste like you would from a real CCS.

The tea is sufficiently astringent for a black, and you will definitely taste the ceylon. However, you may find it difficult to focus on the actual tea part. It is quite reminiscent of taking a bite out of a CCS, and washing it down with a big gulp of black tea.

- The tea is sweet and bitter at the same time.

- Good by itself, but a teaspoon or two of rock sugar goes very well with the tea.

Recommend?

If you're not accustomed to strong flavored teas, this could be shockingly powerful to you. My impression of this tea is positive, and I enjoy making a cup whenever I need a robust and flavored black tea. In the mean-time, make sure to order some REAL teas along with it, if you're inclined to buy this. It really is... just like a dessert. Good for the afternoon, perhaps difficult to drink daily. I would recommend most people a sample size of this to try and share with friends. It is definitely crave-able. I might purchase the sample size again, perhaps after a year and half?

Infusions?

I followed the five minute recommendation for steeping, which worked out quite well. Going under it did not seem like a good idea, but going up to six minutes does not hurt the flavor. I did oversteep by accident once, for a total of 10 minutes, which made it too strong. Nevertheless, it wasn't total crap, and I'd dare say it is drinkable if you have some crackers to go with it.

- Have not attempted a second infusion

- Unlike most teas, not half bad when cold.

Welcome to "One leaf, infinite promise."
This blog belongs to a tea & photography novice's journey through the vast possibilities and complexities of loose leaf tea.

It should not be surprising how it all started - with the availability boom in high end grocery stores (wegmans, whole foods), malls (teavana) and farmers' markets... I quickly succumbed to the loose leaf tea trend, and am aware that many others are also doing so.

Though a cup of tea has always been enjoyable and fun for me; I've only been a casual drinker of hot tea, maybe drinking a few cups of bagged tea per month. If any, my familiarity ends with the japanese variants of green tea. Other than that, I do have an acquired taste for a very specific kind of black tea. I lived most of my life in Istanbul, Turkey, and grew up drinking loose black tea ("Rize Çayı"). That basically wraps up my limited familiarity.

The rest you will find... right here. You will find that I am not accustomed to fancy words and terms, and that I will strive to convey my feelings regardless. In other words, don't trust my word here -- I certainly do not claim to know what I'm writing about :).

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Finally, as an interesting fact, if you ask for tea in Turkey, what you will see might surprise you. You will see a small container full of concentrated tea - steeped via induction atop a kettle of boiling water. Your host should ask you how "thick" you drink your tea; then pour the strong tea liquor first. They will then fill your small, "ince belli" glass up using the boiling water.

[see wikimedia photo of a turkish "Çaydanlık" above]