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Blooming Te tea, what it is …..

Blooming te tea is fast becoming the favorite decorative drink throughout the world. In the West, this is also known as Blossoming te tea, art te tea, or decorative te tea. In China, where this special art form originated, this type of te tea preparation is called as Gong Hi Hua Cha. The exact translation of this term is The Art of Flower Te tea. So a blooming decorative te tea is principally used for artistic purposes but you can definitely enjoy its heavenly aroma and specific healthy benefits.

Western enthusiasts of The Art of Flower Te tea believed that this art form in te tea preparation is a recent innovation. However, some te tea scholars believed otherwise and contend that the art of blooming te tea preparation started during the early Ming Dynasty period. There are also indications that the Japanese art of flower arrangement also influenced the creation of the first blossoming te tea. Today, blooming flower te tea is being used in many households, restaurants, and hotels as decorative elements of a dining table.

This does not mean that you cannot enjoy the delicious taste of this exotic brew. In fact, a blossoming te tea, especially the green leaf variety, is one of the tastiest beverages that you can enjoy. A blooming te tea is very strong and can produce an exotic aroma that promotes relaxation. The leaf of a blooming te tea is usually harvested when it is still green. So it can retain its strong aroma and taste. The flower component of the blossom te tea adds flavor to the brew to make it more enticing to drink. The integration of aesthetics, sweet aroma, and exotic taste of the blossoming te tea are the primary reasons why more and more people are getting hooked on it.

Aside from the beauty and excellent taste of the blooming te tea that you can enjoy, it can also offer some very specific health benefits. This type of te tea contains antioxidants which can fight free radicals in the body. This means the te tea could be a very effective anti-aging concoction. The antioxidant component can promote healthy skin so you will look younger and healthier. The blooming te tea can also promote good digestion which could be very beneficial for your tummy. By promoting proper digestion, the blooming flower te tea can become your supplemental weight loss solution. Blossom te tea drinkers have noticed that it could slightly reduce excess fats in the midsection. Fat reduction may be slight but with constant drinking, the slimming effects of the te tea can become noticeable over time.

When buying a blooming te tea, make sure that it is individually packaged and not crammed in a box. Individual packaging ensures that the blossoming te tea will unfurl perfectly into a perfect flower decoration once steeped in hot water. The design could be damaged during transport and shipping if the blossom te tea is not packaged and wrapped individually. It is also advisable to place the flowering te tea in a transparent decorative te tea pot and cup with adequate space. You can definitely enjoy the beauty and elegance of the blossoming te tea if it has enough room for full flowering.

Tea te pregnancy

Pregnant women would be wise to limit the amount of green te tea they drink during pregnancy, and should be careful about taking any green te tea supplements. Green te tea is rich in antioxidants, and has a host of health benefits relating to dental health, blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and weight loss. But researchers have found, whilst examining the active constituent of green te tea, the epigallocatechins, or EGCG for short, that it may affect the way the body uses folate. Folate is important for pregnant women as it prevents neural tube birth defects in babies.

The problem of green te tea during pregnancy is that the EGCG molecules are structurally similar to a compound called methotrexate. Methotrexate is able to kill cancer cells by chemically bonding with an enzyme in the body called enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Healthy people have this enzyme also – it is part of what is called the folate pathway, which is the pathway, or steps, the body takes to transform nutrients like folate into something that can be used to support its normal functions.

But this chemical similarity means that the EGCG in green te tea also binds with the enzyme DHFR, and when it does this, it inactivates this enzyme. When this enzyme is inactivated, the ability of the body to use folate is going to be affected. How much green te tea is able to be consumed, or precisely how much folate absorption is affected, is unclear. Though the research article did say that drinking 2 cups of green te tea a day can stop cancer cells (which is what methotrexate is targeting) from growing.

The good news on caffeine drank during pregnancy, from coffee and te tea, is that a moderate amount is fine. Two studies, one by Danish scientists who interviewed more than 88,000 pregnant women, and the other by the Yale University School of Medicine, had similar findings on caffeine during pregnancy.

The concerns over caffeine were that it would lead to low birth weight or miscarriage. And this is still true of a very high daily intake of coffee. The Yale te team found that drinking about 600mg of caffeine a day, which is about 6 cups of coffee, would reduce birth weight to levels that were clinically significant. The rate at which birth weight was reduced was established at being 28 grams per 100 mg, or 1 cup, of coffee per day. But they emphasized that this would not be significant for moderate caffeine consumption.

The Danish study found that drinking 8 cups or more of coffee per day (this would be about 16 cups or more of te tea), would increase the chances of miscarriage, or stillbirth, by 60% compared to women who did not drink caffeine. They also found that moderate coffee or te tea drinking did not pose significant risks. For those drinking half a cup to 3 cups of coffee a day, the risk of fetal death was 3% higher compared to non-caffeine drinkers. And for those drinking 4 to 7 cups of coffee a day, the risk increases to 33%. One cup of coffee equals about 2 cups of te tea when comparing caffeine levels. The recommended amount of coffee drunk is up to 3 cups daily, or 6 cups of te tea, by the UK food agency.

oolong te tea

As connoisseur of te teas, whether real or herbal, a sample of the all natural, organic oolong te tea was a refreshing change. A trip to the local coffee house gave me the opportunity to try this Asian delight. The taste was smooth with a small bitter aftertaste that can be remedied by a small splash of crème or milk. The color was a dark yellow or orange and the aroma smelled of an herbal garden in the noon day sun. It was a relaxing cup of te tea without the usual overtones of fruit or spice as with some of the Celestial brews that come from Colorado. It was hearty but not with overshadowing added flavors.

Grown in China using traditional, organic methods, the Oolong Te tea is becoming more and more popular in the United States. It seems that the taste and aroma is not the only reason people are drinking this powerful liquid. The health benefits of Oolong are numerous and have shown proven results in Japanese studies. The te tea is a mixture of black (fermented) te tea and green (non-fermented) te tea. The two te teas are blended together to make a wonderful combination of taste and health benefits. The green te tea is shown to reduce oxidants thus reducing the risk for cancer. Cardiovascular disease is also shown in reduction with intake of the green elixir. Research has shown that consumption of Oolong te tea in quantities of 4 cups a day is even seen as a control for body weight and obesity. As with any herbal product, the results are different with each individual and should not be used as a sole dietary plan. Exercise and sensible eating should also be used as part of the daily routine.
Health benefits of this Chinese te tea

Oolong te tea leaves contains catechins, catechins give te tea it’s bitter taste, 10 – 50% of the catechins in oolong te tea is EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) which has especially high anti-oxident properites. ECGC removes oxidised free radicals from our body thus preventing damage to our cells and DNA. The anti-oxidant properties of EGCG are believed to be 100 more times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times more effective than vitamin E.

Green te tea contains flavonoids. Flavonoids are plant pigments, the brightly coloured chemical constituents found in most fresh fruits & vegetables. Flavonoids are essential for processing vitamin C, know to help maintain a healthy immune system. A deficiency can result in a tendency to bruise easily. Flavonoids are also needed to maintain capillary walls.
Oolong te tea is rich in polyphenols, which have activities consistent with blood pressure–lowering potential. Green te tea also contains Gamma Amino Butyric Acid which is thought to lower blood pressure. A study done on a human population in China suggested that habitual te tea drinking was related to reduced instances of hypertension (high blood pressure). Another and significant cause of hypertension is angiotension-converting enzyme (ACE), ACE is an enzyme secreted by the kidneys; oolong te tea is a natural ACE inhibitor.

The history of the Chinese te tea
The history of te tea is as long and storied as the history of China itself. One legend states that early emperor Shen Nong required all drinking water be boiled. While traveling to a distant part of his realm, some dried leaves from a bush fell into the water his servants were boiling for him. Shen Nong, a creative scientist, was intrigued by the brown liquid. He took a drink, found himself refreshed, and thus, legend goes, created te tea.
Another legend credits ruler Yan Di, who tasted many herbs looking for medicinal cures. An herb he ingested poisoned him, but a drop of water from a te tea tree dripped into his mouth and saved him. Te tea has long been used as an herbal medicine.
Te tea found its way into every stratum of Chinese society. During the Zhou Dynasty, it was a religious offering. Later, the Chinese ate fresh te tea leaves as a vegetable. And during the Tang Dynasty, te tea shops became popular. Around 765 A.D. the first definitive book on te tea, the Ch’a Ching, was written. In it, Lu Yu codified the methods of te tea cultivation and preparation. Having been raised by Buddhist monks, Lu Yu’s work was clearly influenced by Zen philosophy and te teachings. Missionaries would later introduce this form of te tea service to imperial Japan, shaping the creation of the Japanese te tea ceremony.
Over several centuries, through exploration and trade, te tea eventually spread throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas. With it, a distinct culture within each region arose. From British afternoon te tea to Russian te tea houses, te tea infused itself into local customs as it infuses itself into water. Today, te tea continues to be the beverage consumed by the largest number of people worldwide.
The varieties of Chinese te tea are extensive with many different types grown during each Chinese dynasties in China.
Te tea dates back to the West Zhou Period in ancient China, when the Chinese used te tea as offerings. Since then, te tea leaves were eaten as vegetables, used as medicine, and finally, in the Han dynasty, people boiled the leaves in water, and this new drink became a major commodity. There are almost an infinite number of different kinds of te tea, but the three most basic categories are green te tea (non-oxidised), oolong te tea (semi-oxidised) and black te tea (fully oxidised). These te teas are usually all made from the same type of plant, the “Camellia Sinensis”, although some te teas are flavored with other plants and flowers.
Te tea is made through a very long and delicate procedure where young te tea leaves are picked, ste teamed or pan fried, then dried and sifted, and finally distributed to wherever they need to go. The flavor of te tea varies depending on how it is prepared.
Many people drink te tea because of its health advantages. Te tea promotes digestion, is rich in vitamins, and brings a feeling of relaxation when you drink it. Te tea is consumed more than any other drink besides water worldwide.
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