I have read that green tea is one of the cancer fighting superstars in several different books, and that not all green tea is the same. I found this out when I bought green tea that brewed brown. So I bought a different brand...brown. Another brand...F-ing brown! I eventually ended up with over 6 different brands of green tea because I wanted a green tea that actually brews green. Low and behold the last 3 I bought all brewed green. I did a little demo for you guys. Check it...
1. YamaMotoYama
2. Celestial Seasonings
3. Lipton
4. Whole Foods 365 Organic
5. Foojoy
6. Bigelow
As you can see, all green teas are not the same. The reason it is called green tea is because it brews a light green color. I know these look more yellow than green, but that is an effect of me being a beginner with my fancy camera. The lighting is always off when I take pictures at night. #3 (Lipton) and #6 (Bigelow) are obviously brown.
Why is this important enough to make 6 cups of tea at once? Because the cancer-fighting stuff is destroyed when the tea leaves are heavily processed. Green tea leaves are processed the least; black teas the most. This is not to say that black teas (what majority of what Western cultures drink) are unhealthy. It is important however to get decaf whenever possible.
Brewing: water should steaming but not boiling, steep tea bag in water for 8-10 minutes, drink within 1 hour, drink up to 3 cups per day for maximum results.
When I first read about green tea and how we should try to drink 3 cups a day, I was like that is impossible! But, since I cut my coffee intake down to like once a week and I have been slightly sick now for over a week, I have been wanting something warm and soothing. Hello 3 cups a day! We will see how long this lasts...I'm back on my smoothie kick too, and the two don't really go well together.
Are you a tea or coffee person?
Hey so silly question but which one do you recommend? I always drink green tea and I have been drinking the Kirkland brand from Costco. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI personally do not have a preference, as long as it brews green. Of all listed above (except #3 & #6), I can't tell the difference in taste. If you want to get crazy with it there is a website with all sorts of Japanese green teas (http://www.japanesegreenteaonline.com/greentea.htm) Those are the real deal. I have read that Sencha and Matcha have the most cancer fighting nutrients in them. Depends how serious you are about tea.
ReplyDeletei cut coffee out completely last winter and was drinking tea exclusively...unfortunately the green i was chugging was bigelow! at least it tasted good? am considering cutting back on my coffee (and red bull - oops) intake...
ReplyDeleteI don't think that coffee is inherently bad...it's the caffeine that wreaks havoc on you. At least it did for me. I cut out caffeine over a year ago, but still drink decaf every so often.
ReplyDeleteI stopped drinking red bull when I realized that every time I drank it (with vodka) I blacked out (and consequently had an amazing time shown by the pictures). Bummer b/c that was my favorite drink! (besides wine)