Black, green, white, oolong and Matcha teas are all made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Tea leaves are rich in compounds called polyphenols. A subgroup of these are called catechins, there are 5 kinds of plyphenol catechins in green tea and they are powerful disease fighters and potent antioxidants. Green tea leaves by dry weight can contain 15-30% catechins. Oolongs contain 8-20% and Black Teas only contain 3-10%. However in black teas the catechins are oxidized into different plant compounds called thearubigens and theaflavins which promote different health benefits.
Green teas also contain other potent plant compounds including flavonols, vitamin C, vitamin B complex, vitamin E, vitamin A,and flavoid. These have anitoxidant properties, are cancer fighters and help the body ward off the effects of stress, retard aging and can help prevent cavities. The Japanese National Cancer Research Institute made this statement "Green Tea can't prevent every cancer, but it's the cheapest and most practical method for cancer protection available to the general public". And a new study reported in the Jan 09 Good Housekeeping magazine says that lab tests have shown that adding green tea to an antibiotic regimen can increase the effectiveness of the antibiotics against 28 disease causing organisms including drug resistant staph, by up to 3 times.
Enjoy tea- a steaming cup of good health. Here is some information about the bulk teas we sell:
White Tea- White teas come from the new buds of special varieties of tea bushes, usually harvested once a year. These buds are the color of light jade and the resulting tea is delicate and subtly flavored, very mellow. White tea contains more antioxidants than green tea. We feature one white tea: Pai Mu Tan.
Green Tea- Green teas come from mature leaves of the tea bushes and are relatively unprocessed. They have a much lower level of caffeine than coffee and a higher cncentration of antioxidants and vitamins than other teas with the exception of white teas. We sell several greens: Peacock Organic from China, Japanese Sencha, Formosa Gunpowder, Lemon, Blueberry, Vanilla , Jasmine and decaf Sencha.
Matcha- A type of green tea, but instead of infusing the leaves with hot water to extract nutrients, these leaves are stripped of veins and stems and made into a powder. The powder is stirred into the hot water. This is the tea used in Japanese and Chinese tea ceremonies and because the whole leaf is ingested it has higher amounts of antioxidants and other tea chemicals than regular infused teas. Very healthy. We sell a tea call Isu Matcha.
Black Tea- These are also picked form mature leaves but are processed by crushing and fermenting (or oxidizing) for a period of time. This produces more complex aromas and flavors. Here are the black teas we sell: Organic Earl Grey, Estate Nonsuch from India, Peach Apricot, two Indonesians, Chinese Lapsang Souchong, Elderberry and decaf Peach Apricot
Oolong Tea- Oolongs are semi fermented (30-50%) and thus have the characteristics of both greens and blacks. It's leaves are usually distinctively stout and crinkled. We have: Formosa Oolong and Orange Blossom Oolong form Sri Lanka.
Red Tea- Also called African Red Bush teas, or Rooibos, these are from a different plant than the above. They are fully fermented and are naturally decafinated. They are ranked higher in antioxidants than even whites. We sell: Organic Rooibos, La Marche Spice, Georgia Peach, Bourbon street Vanilla and Province.
Floral Teas- We sell dried Chrysanthemum, Chamomille adn Hybiscus flowers which make delicate teas on there own or can be mixed with others.
Herbals and Medicinal Teas- We sell a variety of herbals (kudzu, kukicha, ginger root, yerba matte) Medicinal Teas- Tea blends, in bags not bulk, useful for certain things like calming, sore throat, regularity, immune system, pms from Yogi, Traditional Medicinals and other brands.
